Connected Chemistry Chemistry Curriculum


Introduction to Connected Chemistry:

Connected Chemistry is a chemistry curriculum that incorporates computer modeling into current chemistry classroom teaching practices. By adding modeling into the curriculum, we are helping support student understanding by bridging the understanding between the large macroscopic view and the microscopic view of chemistry. Through this process students will begin to see and understand the process of emergence in chemistry.


Connected Chemistry is currently in the process of designing and creating two replacement units around the topics of acids and bases and also gas laws. These units are designed for high school classrooms, but with adjustment could also be used in a middle school classroom. As we continue in our development, more chemistry content topics will be added to the Connected Chemistry suite of curriculum.


For further information and updates on status of the curriculum, feel free to join our NetLogo Educators Users Group [insert link]. As activities are created we will post them for comments and suggestions.


Structure and Framework of Chapters:

Each unit has a storyline or scenario that is threaded throughout all the chapters to help motivate and give students real life applications to the content.


All chapters are inquiry based in design and include the following:

  • Driving Question
  • Suggested Demonstration or Lab Activity
  • NetLogo Model
  • Class Discussion
  • Student Application related to Driving Question
  • Student Reflection


Connected Chemistry-Gas Laws Curriculum

Lesson Outline:


Lesson #1: Understanding Matter

Driving Question: What causes matter to change its state?


Goal: To have students understand the environment affects the state of a substance and to look at a substance in all three phases at the macro-level.


Objectives: In this lesson students will...

  • Make an observation about an unknown substance.
  • Give various examples of matter.
  • Identify the differences between a solid, liquid and a gas.
  • Recognize a substance in three different physical states.
  • Predict what will happen to a substance if the environment has changed.


Lesson #2: Molecular Interactions

Driving Question: How does matter behave?


Goal: To have students understand how a substance (ex. Gas) behaves at the microscopic level.


Objectives: In this lesson students will...

  • Explain that microscopic particles that constitute matter are constantly moving around randomly.
  • Differentiate between potential and kinetic energy.
  • Explain the process of how particles transfer energy.


Lesson #3: Emergent Properties of Matter (Gas Laws)

Driving Question: What types of relationships does matter have with it's environment?


Goal: To have students understand how pressure, temperature and volume can affect a substance (ex. Gas) at both the micro and macroscopic levels.


Objectives: In this lesson students will...

  • Construct a definition of volume and identify the factors that affect volume.
  • Explain how a particle's behavior changes when volume changes.
  • Construct a definition of pressure and identify the factors that affect pressure.
  • Explain how a particle's behavior changes when pressure changes.
  • Explain the relationship temperature has with kinetic energy.
  • Explain the change in particle's behavior when temperature changes.
  • State the relationship between volume and kinetic energy, kinetic energy and temperature, temperature and volume, pressure and number of particles.
  • Identify the emergent phenomena in each of the models used.



Sample Lesson and Model:


To be posted at a later date.. [maybe coming soon]