A Natural Approach to Chemistry: Course Overview

The central premise of A Natural Approach To Chemistry (NAC) is that chemistry is all around each of us, every day. Chemistry is us. We eat chemistry. We drink chemistry. Chemistry is the complex choreography of atoms and molecules that sustains life. Chemistry also shows us the details in the non-living world. Chemistry is both how we create the materials of human technology, and also how the natural world builds and renews itself.

The following instructional strategies are incorporated in A Natural Approach To Chemistry:

• The “five-E” model (Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, Evaluate) is the underlying pedagogical foundation
• Concepts progress from hands-on observation in the lab (engage, explore), to conceptual understanding of what happened (explain, elaborate), and finally to rigorous quantitative analysis (evaluate)
• Each chapter starts with an “A” lab designed to engage the student in the content before teaching the chapter
• Several “B” labs develop depth and strengthen understanding of key ideas
• All content is introduced in a context that is relevant to student’s lives. Each chapter concludes with a “connection” that shows how the concepts of the chapter are applied in a real-world context

CONTENT
The content of A Natural Approach to Chemistry is based on the following themes:

• The atomic model of matter is consistently woven through every chapter
• Energy is the unifying theme that explains why chemistry occurs
• Understanding of “why” chemistry occurs is emphasized
• Chemical principles are illustrated with examples from nature, the environment and the human body
• All formulas and equations are presented with solved example problems

INQUIRY
Both the text and laboratory investigations of A Natural Approach to Chemistry follow a guided inquiry based instructional strategy that gives students a direct experience with scientific processes and how they are related to natural phenomena. Every component of the program; experimental design, laboratory investigations, data collection and analysis, computer modeling and simulations and communication are instructional activities that are inquiry based.

USE OF EVIDENCE
Observation and use of evidence is at the core of developing the scientific process. Materials give teacher’s and students the opportunity to develop and use scientific evidence as the major tool for developing the scientific process. The student text elaborates with specific examples of the use of evidence and how the evidence results from scientific experiments and observations.

CRITICAL THINKING
In every laboratory investigation, the students are asked formative questions that focus on developing critical thinking skills. Students are asked to think critically about observations that they make and are required to design derivative experimental procedures that explore a different range of parameters. Critical thinking is further developed by asking students to put concepts together in order to explain a more challenging phenomenon, often with quantitative analysis using their own data.

MAKING CONNECTIONS
Making science relevant to personal experiences is fundamental for the active engagement of students. A Natural Approach to Chemistry achieves this goal by first placing emphasis on the experiential component of the curriculum, then making direct connections between the various scientific concepts and real world applications. By making these connections, NAC gives students the opportunity to craft arguments and define positions based on scientific evidence and principles. For example: when students learn about nuclear chemistry, they become familiar not only with the basic nuclear science but also with the implications that these scientific concepts have on their lives.

COMMUNICATION
The strong emphasis that A Natural Approach to Chemistry places on the laboratory investigations provides students with many opportunities to develop their oral and written communication skills. Each laboratory investigation requires a communication strategy. In doing the laboratories, students work collaboratively, communicate orally, listen to others, organize their information, build their arguments, develop ways to present information and draw conclusions.

ASSESSMENT
The program provides a number of multilevel assessment and diagnostic materials for every subject. The assessment variables explored by the various tools are:

• Communication skills, Understanding concepts,
• Organizing scientific ideas, Designing scientific investigations,
• Recording and organizing scientific data,
• Analyzing scientific data, Recognizing and evaluating
• scientific evidence, Understanding quantitative analysis.

Each chapter contains 80 - 120 review questions and problems. Chapter reviews include:

• conceptual questions
• multiple choice questions
• graphical analysis questions
• short answer questions
• quantitative problems

Lab investigations have from 3 to 6 formative assessment elements built directly into the investigation. This coupling of assessment and instructional materials is a great way to enhance the education experience by dynamically embedding the assessment in the instructional material. Teachers are provided with support for both formative and summative evaluation and with examples of average and exemplary student work. In the teacher’s guide, all investigations are accompanied by scoring examples. The test bank also provides a structured assessment tool which is based on extensive classroom trials and teacher feedback.