Classroom and School Environment
This unit is specifically written for 10 th grade academic chemistry classes at an urban public high school. I currently teach at Carrick High School in Pittsburgh Public Schools where my students are 38% African American, 7 % Multi-racial, 53 % Caucasian, and 2 % Other. There also happens to be 76% of students who receive a free or reduced lunch. As with most city schools, students struggle to pass standardized tests (Pennsylvania System of School Assessments): in the 2011-2012 school year 46% of students scored basic or below basic in reading and 66% scored basic or below basic in math. Needless to say city school students are not always interested in the content presented to them. Students are often forced to take academic chemistry even though many choose professions that do not pertain to the science field. In order to help close the Achievement Gap teachers do everything in our power to ensure that all students learn. Specifically in chemistry we are always trying to get students to think at the particle level; but, the world we live in is macroscopic and doesn't acknowledge the particle nature of matter.
It has always been incredibly difficult to convince students why they should be interested in chemistry because they do not see how it is pertinent to them. In order to spark student interest we need to step back and show students the information is relevant. For example, how do these tiny particles interact with each other in order for DNA to exist and essentially make our lives what they are? By using a hot topic as an example of how chemistry is important we may get more students interested in making a difference and actually continuing their education in the sciences.
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