Jeromy Bentley
Naperville Central High School
RET 2010 Teaching Module
University of Illinois at Chicago
August 2, 2011
The Problem:
Based on surveys of former NCHS students:
Students do well in their first year college
Chemistry course.
Students have difficulty with Organic
Chemistry in college.
Former students have suggested learning
some Organic Chemistry before college.
Target Student Population:
“Advanced Chemistry High School Students”
Students in 10-12th grades
 High achieving students who need a challenge
 Advanced Chemistry Curriculum

 Review of Atomic Structure, Periodic Table, Bonding
 Organic Nomenclature and Molecular Model
construction
 Organic Reactions
 Spectroscopy
 Forensic Science/Criminalistics
Lesson Objectives
Students will research various functional
groups and develop a set of rules for naming
organic molecules.
 Molecular model kits will then be used to
construct various organic molecules from
these rules.
 Students will then create a video describing
the rules and structural formula construction
of several different organic molecules.
 Students will effectively communicate these
rules by posting their videos on the web.

Goals of Teaching Module
To achieve a sense of contribution to the
chemical community.
To provide opportunities for students to learn
organic nomenclature from each other using
videos.
To encourage the use of technology in the
classroom by using
Cameras/FlipCams,Windows Movie Maker,
and the internet.
Cost/Materials

Nikon COOLPIX L24 14 MP Digital Camera
with 3.6x NIKKOR Optical Zoom Lens and
3-Inch LCD or FlipCam
 .avi format
 Approximately 100 dollars each x 4 = $400
 Kids may use cameras from home = $0

MolyMod Chemical Model Sets
 $17.00 each x 12 = $204
 NCHS already has 12 sets = $0

Windows Movie Maker
 Part of Microsoft Office Package = $0

Total Cost = $0-$604
Teachable Moments
Standards

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Illinois State Goal 11: Understand the processes of scientific inquiry and
technological design to investigate questions, conduct experiments and solve
problems.
Illinois State Standard 11.A.5e Report, display and defend the results of
investigations to audiences that may include professionals and technical
experts.
Illinois State Standard 11.A.4f Using available technology, report, display and
defend to an audience conclusions drawn from investigations.
Illinois State Goal 12: Understand the fundamental concepts, principles, and
interconnections of the life, physical, and earth/space sciences.
Illinois State Standard 12.C.3b Model and describe the chemical and physical
characteristics of matter (eg., atoms, molecules, compounds, and mixtures).
Illinois State Standard 12.C.5b Analyze the properties of materials (eg., mass,
boiling point, melting point, hardness) in relation to their physical and/or
chemical structures.
Illinois State Standards 12.C.4a Apply scientific inquiries or technological
designs to explain how physical and chemical structures of matter affect its
properties, relating bonding types and shapes of molecules to organic and
inorganic compounds.
Feedback

Administrative comments
 Good way to integrate technology into
curriculum
 Very hands-on approach that allows students to
take more ownership in the videos they produce

Student comments
 I liked how we had to develop the rules and
could then demonstrate them in a video
 I aced the orgo test because I had to teach
someone else how to name and draw structures
 Model sets = play time, but in an educationally
meaningful way
Acknowledgments

University of Illinois at Chicago
 Dr. Linninger, Program Director
 Dr. Hong, Faculty Research Advisor
 Suhair Sunoqrot, Graduate Research Mentor
 Ryan Pearson, Graduate Research Mentor

National Science Foundation
 NSF Grant # EEC-0743068