A Natural Approach to Chemistry: Instructional Materials

A Natural Approach to Chemistry is a coordinated learning system that includes a text book, a laboratory manual with more than 60 investigations, an easy to use data collection and laboratory system which also includes a spectrophotometer, temperature and voltage probes and an innovative controlled heater device. The device has data storage and communicates with any computer.

Lab-Master

The Lab-Master features:

Test tube heater (boils 30ml in 3 min.)
RGB spectrophotometer
Temperature probe
Voltage probe
Powerful and easy to set-up data collection system that communicates with any computer

In addition the complete laboratory package includes: atomic structure model, molecular modeling kit, condensation apparatus, spectroscopy cards, dimensional analysis cards, laboratory hardware and glassware.

A Natural Approach To Chemistry Laboratory Equipment Package
(Included with the purchase of 24 Student Books)

Laboratory Equipment Package

The package includes:

• Atomic structure models
• Molecular modeling kit
• Condensation apparatus
• Test tubes (25 mm)

• Test tubes (12 mm)
• Cuvettes (3 mm)
• Cuvette and test tube rack
• Graduated cylinders
• Glassware
• Ring stand clamps

• Rubber stoppers
• Pressure cap
• Dessicator
• Spectroscopy cards
• Dimensional analysis cards
• Ob-Sertainer (black box) kit

Student Book

Very careful attention was paid to the design-for-readability of the text and other printed materials. The student book is over 700 pages and is presented in a hardbound format

Each chapter has its own icon which is always in the upper right corner of every right hand page
Every page is laid out the same way, with generous white space. The book is graphically uncluttered
There are more than 2,000 detailed, content-rich illustrations. These are not just pictures, but carefully drawn illustrations that teach the same ideas in the text but in a graphical way
Icons - The same vocabulary icon is used on every page, as is the solved problem icon
Vocabulary - The main words, phrases and concepts on each page are summarized on the page header, the side margin and the vocabulary box at the bottom of the page
One idea per page - placed in the page header of every page
Paragraph headers - every paragraph has the main idea in the left margin. This helps students skim and scan, and identifies what they are reading for
Solved problems - every formula has a solved example problem immediately following, on the same page

A Natural Approach to Chemistry Student Book

The same problem solving technique is consistently followed throughout the text:

What are you asked?
What information is given?
What relationships involve what is asked or given?
Use the relationships and information to solve the problem.
Clearly state the answer.

Student Book Sample Pages (more sample pages available here)

Organization of the Book

Laboratory Investigation Manual

In the development of each investigation, A Natural Approach to Chemistry starts out with the problem statement and system definition followed by pre-laboratory questions at various levels of complexity.

It then guides the students through the typical experiment and data collection.

After that follows the analysis of data and the critical questions about the observation and the relation of data to observations.

Finally open questions that motivate the development of derivative experiments are introduced and the relation of the particular investigation to familiar life experiences is elucidated.

A Natural Approach to Chemistry Laboratory Investigations

Laboratory Investigation Manual Sample Pages

Teacher’s Guide (sample pages available here)

The teacher’s guide for this program is written in a very clear and concise manner that will greatly enhance your
classroom experience. It contains the following elements

Suggestions for teaching the lab as an engagement - assuming no significant prior student knowledge of the content, or as a synthesis lab - to be done after some introductory or significant background instruction
Materials list
Estimated time
Synopsis of relevant text readings
Suggested remediation activities for struggling students
Suggested advanced projects for strong students
Detailed lesson dialogs from a master teacher who has taught the same lesson, with the same equipment. The dialog includes specific student interactions that are set-up to create “teachable moments”
Sample answers to all the embedded assessments in the lab manual
Sample answers to all text questions

The hands-on, guided inquiry approach of A Natural Approach to Chemistry intrinsically provides a much more accessible route to understanding and much more diverse learning modalities that are available in a traditional textbook.

The printed Teacher’s Guide is accompanied by a CD-ROM that is fully hyperlinked.