The Confident Chemistry Teacher

Can your students do the math…but struggle to understand what the numbers actually mean?

I remember sitting in my own honors chemistry class, successfully calculating Ka and Kb values without really understanding why I was doing those calculations. That experience has shaped the way I teach chemistry today. I want my students to understand the concepts first and then use the math to support that understanding.

And lately, I’ve noticed that students are coming into chemistry struggling with some pretty basic number sense — exponents, scale, units, precision, and even understanding what makes one number bigger or smaller than another.

In this episode, I’m sharing three simple activities I use to strengthen scientific number sense and give students a better foundation for the calculations they'll encounter throughout chemistry.

Atoms, wavelengths, particles, and moles require students to work with numbers that are either incredibly small or incredibly large.

Instead of jumping immediately into scientific notation, I like to give students something more concrete.

Students arrange familiar objects — from something as large as the sun to something as small as an atom or proton — along a physical number line. From there, we add units, measurements, and powers of ten.

The goal is to help students move from visual → numerical → conceptual and really think about what it means for something to be 10, 100, or even thousands of times larger or smaller.

Why do we need significant figures anyway?

For this activity, students measure the same paperclip using three rulers with different levels of precision.

As the measuring devices become more precise, students begin to see why we record an estimated digit and why 5.0 communicates something different from simply writing 5.

It's an easy activity, but it opens the door to some important conversations about:

Best of all, you can do it with something as simple as a paperclip!

For the third activity, students put those measurement skills into practice with a density of metals investigation.

Students use mass and water displacement to calculate the density of an unknown metal — but I don't want them to stop when they get an answer.

Instead, we start asking questions:

Does your calculated density make sense? What metal do you think you have? What evidence supports your conclusion? How might the precision of your measurements affect your result?

The goal is to help students understand that chemistry isn't just about getting a number. It's about being able to interpret, evaluate, and use that number as evidence.

If you're teaching scientific measurement, I have a Scientific Measurement Google Slides presentation available in my TPT store.

The resource includes instruction and practice with significant-figure rules, identifying and counting significant figures, significant-figure calculations, fill-in-the-blank student notes, and videos students can use if they're absent or need additional support.

Scientific Measurement in Chemistry: Presentation, Fill-in Notes, Sig Fig Cheat Sheet, and QQT Cards

🚀 Want More Chemistry Teaching Support?

If you'd like more support with deciding how to sequence your chemistry content, choosing meaningful labs and activities, creating assessments, and anticipating the common misconceptions that can trip students up, I'd love to have you join me in Catalyst Coaching.

Catalyst Coaching is my small-group coaching program designed to help chemistry teachers make their classrooms more manageable while building confidence in the decisions they make throughout the year.

Our first Catalyst Coaching group begins September 21st.

Learn More About Catalyst Coaching

What chemistry skill are your students struggling with this year?

Come share it with me and connect with other chemistry teachers in The Confident Chemistry Teacher Facebook Group.

Join the Facebook Group

You can also find more chemistry teaching resources in my TPT store:

Visit Chem’s Chemistry Classroom on TPT

If The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast is helping make your chemistry-teaching life a little easier, I'd love for you to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with another chemistry teacher.

Every share helps more chemistry teachers find practical support for their classrooms.

Until next time — keep inspiring, keep experimenting, and keep being more awesome in your classroom.

Happy teaching!

If you’re a new chemistry teacher staring at your chemical storage room wondering, “What do I actually need?” — this episode is for you.

Over 19 years of teaching chemistry, I’ve learned that you don’t need every chemical in the catalog to create meaningful, hands-on experiences for your students. What you need are versatile chemicals that can be used across multiple units and labs.

In this episode, I’m walking you through the chemicals I find most useful for teaching everything from acids and bases to chemical reactions, stoichiometry, solutions, and atomic structure. I’ll also share some inexpensive grocery-store alternatives you can use when your lab budget is tight — plus the five chemicals I would prioritize if I had to start from scratch.

🧪 In This Episode, You’ll Learn

🔬 Labs & Activities Mentioned

Throughout the episode, I share ways these chemicals can be used for:

And remember — you don’t necessarily need specialized laboratory chemicals for every one of these experiences. Some great chemistry can happen with materials from the grocery store!

⭐ If I Could Only Buy Five Chemicals... If I were building a chemistry stockroom and had to prioritize just five, I would choose:

These give you lots of flexibility across different units and can support a surprising number of labs and demonstrations throughout the year. Of course, always follow your school or district's chemical purchasing, storage, handling, and disposal requirements and the appropriate SDS information.

🛒 Chemistry on a Budget

Don't have a fully stocked chemical storage room yet? That's okay. Vinegar, baking soda, Alka-Seltzer, hydrogen peroxide, sugar, salt, corn syrup, vegetable oil, and dish soap can give students hands-on experiences with acids and bases, reaction rates, gas production, density, solutions, polarity, conductivity, and physical and chemical changes.

Start with the labs you know you'll teach, and build your chemical inventory over time. You don't have to create your dream chemistry lab during your first year.

🚀 Want More Chemistry Teaching Support? If listening to this episode feels a little like sitting down with an experienced chemistry teacher and asking, “Okay...what would you do?” — that’s exactly the kind of support I want to provide through Catalyst Coaching. Catalyst Coaching is my small-group coaching program for chemistry teachers who want help making decisions about content, labs, activities, assessments, and the everyday realities of teaching chemistry. We’ll work together to help you build a chemistry classroom that feels more manageable — and help you become more confident in the decisions you're making throughout the school year. Catalyst Coaching begins September 21st.

https://learn.chemschemistryclassroom.com/catalyst-coaching-small-group-coaching-for-chemistry-teachers

💬 Let’s Connect

Have a chemical that would absolutely make your top-five list? I want to hear it!

Come share it with me and connect with other chemistry teachers in The Confident Chemistry Teacher Facebook Group.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/767528946010479

You can also find more chemistry teaching resources in my TPT store: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/chems-chemistry-classroom

🎧 Love the Podcast? If The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast is making your chemistry-teaching life a little easier, I’d love for you to follow the show, leave a review, or share this episode with another chemistry teacher. Every share helps more chemistry teachers find the support they need.

Until next time — keep experimenting, keep inspiring, and keep being awesome in your classroom. Happy teaching!

🧪 Episode Summary

In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m sharing a problem I run into every year during the first weeks of school: How do I make sure every class hears the same procedures and expectations—and actually remembers them later?

My solution this year is the Chemistry Survival Guide, a free, editable resource designed to help teachers intentionally teach classroom procedures while giving students a student-friendly reference they can keep in their notebooks all year.

I’m sharing exactly how I plan to use the Survival Guide, what’s included, and how it can help you spend less time repeating yourself when October rolls around!

✅ Why I wanted a more consistent system for teaching beginning-of-the-year procedures across all of my class periods

🧪 How I plan to spread the Chemistry Survival Guide throughout the first week or two instead of overwhelming students with everything at once

💡 Why giving students a student-friendly reference may be more useful than relying on the syllabus alone

📋 How scenario cards, discussion questions, a classroom agreement, and an open-note quiz can help students actually apply classroom expectations

✏️ How you can edit and customize the entire resource to fit your own classroom procedures and policies

Don’t just tell students your classroom procedures—teach them.

Think about three things: How will you make sure every class receives the same information? How will you keep track of what you’ve covered? And where can students find that information when they need it again three months from now?

🎁 Chemistry Survival Guide

Includes the student Survival Guide, editable materials, 12 scenario cards, quiz, answer key, and teacher guide. Versions are also included for Chemistry, Biology, and AP Environmental Science.

➡️ Download Here

🎙️ Next week we’ll be talking about...

Chemicals…my favorite top 20 and how you can still do labs on a budget

🌐 Website
https://www.chemschemistryclassroom.com

📧 Email
[email protected] 

👩‍🏫 Facebook Community
https://www.facebook.com/groups/767528946010479/

📸 Instagram
@chemschemistryclassroom

🛍️ Teachers Pay Teachers
Chem's Chemistry Classroom

If this episode helped you, I’d love it if you would:

⭐ Leave a review
🎧 Follow the podcast
📤 Share it with another chemistry teacher

Every share helps more chemistry teachers feel confident in the classroom.

🧪 Episode Summary

What belongs in a chemistry syllabus...and what can you leave out?

In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I'm walking you through the sections I include in my own chemistry syllabus after 18 years in the classroom.

From course descriptions and grading policies to lab safety, classroom procedures, and communication with parents, I'll share the practical details that help set students up for success from day one. Whether you're writing your very first syllabus or simply updating an old one, you'll leave this episode with ideas to make your syllabus more organized, more useful, and easier for both students and parents to navigate.

📚 In This Episode, You'll Learn

✅ The essential sections every chemistry syllabus should include

🧪 How to clearly communicate grading policies, retakes, late work, and lab safety expectations

💡 Why including classroom procedures can reduce student anxiety and answer common parent questions

📋 Tips for creating a syllabus that's informative, organized, and welcoming instead of overwhelming

💬 Teacher Tip of the Week

Think of your syllabus as a roadmap—not a rulebook. A well-designed syllabus answers questions before they're asked, reduces confusion throughout the school year, and helps students and parents feel confident about what to expect in your classroom.

🎁 Free Resources

🧪 Chemistry Survival Guide

➡️ https://learn.chemschemistryclassroom.com/chemistry-survival-guide-first-week-procedures-activity

📅 Next Episode

Next week, I'll be sharing one of my favorite beginning-of-the-year resources: The Chemistry Survival Guide. I'll explain how I use it during the first week of school to teach classroom procedures, study habits, lab expectations, and the routines that help students become more successful all year long.

❤️ Let's Connect

🌐 Website https://www.chemschemistryclassroom.com

📧 Email [email protected]

👩‍🏫 Facebook Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/767528946010479/

📸 Instagram @chemschemistryclassroom

🛍️ Teachers Pay Teachers Chem's Chemistry Classroom

⭐ Love the Podcast? If this episode helped you, I'd love it if you would:

⭐ Leave a review

🎧 Follow the podcast

📤 Share it with another chemistry teacher

Every share helps more chemistry teachers feel confident in the classroom.

🧪 Episode Summary
If this school year felt chaotic, overwhelming, or just plain exhausting… you are definitely not alone.

In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m walking you through a simple process to help you reflect on this school year, gather meaningful feedback, and make a realistic plan for next year—without creating a giant 100-item summer to-do list. 🙌

I’m sharing: reflection questions for teachers, how to survey students (without taking every comment personally 😅), ways to gather feedback from colleagues and admin systems I’m personally changing next year and how to focus on the high-impact changes that will actually reduce stress

I also created a free End-of-Year Reflection & Survey Toolkit to help you through the process!

🧠 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
    ✨ Why reflecting on your year matters before jumping into summer planning
   📋 Questions to ask yourself about routines, systems, stress points, and student success
   🧪 How to survey students in a way that gives useful feedback (and how to ignore the “do less work” comments 😂)
   📚 Changes I’m making next year: simplifying POGIL assignments, improving interactive notebooks, trying “Ketchup & Pickles Days” for makeup work and organization, front-loading Chemistry math skills, transitioning students toward more independent note-taking
   🏫 Why checking in with colleagues and admin can help you plan smarter for next year
   ⚖️ How to choose ONE high-impact goal instead of trying to redo your entire curriculum over the summer

🔥 Teacher Takeaway
You do not need to reinvent yourself this summer. Sometimes the biggest improvement comes from changing one routine, one system, or one area that constantly caused stress this year. Small shifts can completely change how next school year feels.

🧪 Free Resource Mentioned in This Episode
📋 End-of-Year Reflection & Survey Toolkit
This free toolkit includes:
   ✔Teacher reflection questions
   ✔Student survey templates
   ✔Editable Google Forms Planning pages
   ✔Directions for implementation
👉 Download here: End-of-Year Reflection & Planning Toolkit

🎥 Join the Free June Planning Sessions

I’ll be going LIVE on Tuesday nights at 5:30 PM throughout June to walk through:
   ✔ Year-at-a-glance planning.  ✔ Lab organization & safety. ✔ Digital organization. ✔First weeks of school planning Systems that make teaching feel less chaotic
👉 Join the free Facebook Lives here: Free Chemistry Teacher Planning Sessions

💬 Let’s Connect
Chem’s Chemistry Classroom Website
Instagram @chemschemistryclassroom
The Confident Chemistry Teacher Facebook Group

🎙️ Closing Thought

You don’t need a perfect classroom. You need systems that help you feel more prepared, more organized, and less overwhelmed. 💛

If you ended this school year feeling behind, scattered, or like you were constantly playing catch-up… this episode is for you.

I’m walking you through exactly how I’m planning my summer—so I can feel organized, prepared, and in control going into next year (without trying to do everything).

🧠 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

✨ How to Turn a Stressful Year into a Clear Plan

      Why I started with my biggest pain points (new school, new classes, no prep  time 😅) and used those to guide my summer goals.

📋 A Simple Weekly Structure That Actually Works

🧪 My Step-by-Step Summer Plan System

How I’m breaking it down so it doesn’t feel overwhelming:

Weeks 1–2: Map out units, topics, labs, and assessments

Weeks 3–4: Build a clickable lab & activity spreadsheet

Weeks 5–6: Clean out and organize materials (goodbye transparencies 👋)

⚖️ Why “Progress Over Perfection” Matters

The goal isn’t a perfect classroom—it’s being proactive instead of reactive.

🤖 How I Used ChatGPT to Plan My Summer

🔥 Teacher Tip of the Week

Don’t try to do everything this summer.

👉 Pick 3–4 life buckets (school, home, health, business, etc.)

👉 Choose ONE main focus

👉 Break it into 2-week chunks

Because let’s be honest—life happens. And your plan needs to allow for that.

🎯 Try This

📣 What’s Coming Next In June, I’ll be going LIVE on Tuesday nights to walk you through:

Stay tuned for details!

🧪 Join the Waitlist for The Confident Chemistry Teacher Lab Membership is opening in October

     🎉 I’m looking for 20–25 founding members who want: Ready-to-use labs, organized systems, and ongoing support

      👉 Join the waitlist to get first access + founding member pricing

💬 Let’s Connect

If this episode helped you, send it to a teacher friend who’s feeling overwhelmed right now

💛 And come hang out with me:

Instagram: @chemschemistryclassroom

Website: chemschemistryclassroom.com

🎙️ Closing Thought

You don’t need a perfect plan. You just need a plan that helps you feel a little more prepared and a lot less stressed going into next year.

🎧 Episode 27: The Root Beer Lab – From Sublimation to Ocean Acidification

If your students love lab days…but struggle to connect them to actual chemistry concepts, this episode is for you.

Today I’m walking you through one of my all-time favorite labs...making root beer with dry ice 🍺 (don’t worry…no fermentation happening here 😄). It might feel a little “fluffy” at first, but I promise—there is some really solid chemistry packed into this activity.

We’re talking phase changes, intermolecular forces, acids and bases, and even ocean acidification—all in one engaging lab your students will remember.

🧪 In This Episode,

You’ll Learn:

🧊 Sublimation in Action

How I use dry ice and “spooky fog” to help students see phase changes instead of just memorizing them

📊 Making Phase Diagrams

A simple way to compare water vs. carbon dioxide, so students understand why CO₂ skips the liquid phase at normal pressure

🧠 Intermolecular Forces (Without the Eye Glaze 😅)

How I connect weak London dispersion forces to what students are actually observing in the lab

🥤 Why Soda Is Acidic (and Why That Matters)

Using carbonic acid to connect CO₂ + H₂O to real-world examples like flat soda—and ocean acidification

🌍 Real-World Connections That Stick

How this lab leads naturally into a conversation about carbon sinks, ocean chemistry, and impacts on marine life

🛠️ Lab Tips & Teacher Moves

From my “witch’s brew” stirring moment 🧙‍♀️ to managing dry ice safely and efficiently in class

🎁 Resources & Links

🧪 Free Root Beer Lab Slides & Worksheet I’m sharing the exact materials I use in my classroom—grab them in the show notes and try it out yourself!

🌍 It’s All About Carbon Activity (TPT) If you want to go deeper with carbon cycles and real-world connections, this is a great extension for your students

🧪 Join the Lab Membership Waitlist

This lab is a perfect example of the kind of ready-to-run, classroom-tested resources coming to the Confident Chemistry Teacher Lab Membership this October

👉 Join the waitlist to get first access (and founding member pricing!)

💡 Teacher Tip of the Week:

Dry ice doesn’t melt… it disappears 👀 If you buy 5 pounds the night before, you might walk into school with only 2 pounds left by first period.

Save yourself the stress and call ahead—have your store hold it for you the morning of your lab.

🎙️ Coming Next Week… Next episode, I’m switching gears a bit and sharing how I’m planning my summer goals—both for my classroom and my business.

If you’ve ever felt like summer flies by and you didn’t get done what you wanted to get done…this one’s for you.

💛 As always… Keep inspiring, keep experimenting, and keep being awesome in your classrooms.

🌐 Website: chemschemistryclassroom.com
👩‍🏫 Join our community: The Confident Chemistry Teacher Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/767528946010479/ 
📸 Come say hi on Instagram: @chemschemistryclassroom
🛒 Grab resources on TPT: Chem’s Chemistry Classroom

Episode 26: Why I Teach Environmental Chemistry (Even When It’s Not in the Standards)

Let’s be honest…this time of year can feel a little chaotic.

Testing is coming, students are getting a little squirrely 😅, and it’s easy to feel like you just need to “stick to the standards” and push through.

But this is actually one of my favorite times of year to teach something a little different.

In this episode, I’m sharing why I teach a standalone Environmental Chemistry unit around Earth Day (April 22nd)—even though it’s not technically required—and why it ends up being one of the most meaningful units of the year for my students.

🧪 In This Episode, I Share:

🌍 Why This Unit Matters (More Than You Think)

🧪 The Ozone Layer (A Win for Science)

🌊 Acid Rain & Ocean Acidification

🍺 The Root Beer Lab (Student Favorite)

☀️ Greenhouse Effect Lab

🔥 Sneaky Content Review (Without Feeling Like Review)

🎁 Resources Mentioned

🎬 Freebie:

Environmental Movie Reflection Sheet

If you’re showing any environmental videos, this makes it way more than just a “movie day.”

👉 Grab it here: [link]

🛍️ Classroom Resource:

Carbon Cycle Activity

A simple, ready-to-use activity using NPR clips to help students understand carbon and bonding.

👉 Grab it here: [link]

🧪 Coming Soon: Lab Membership (Launching October 1) 

👉 Join the waitlist here: [link]

If you love labs like the ones in this episode but want everything organized and ready to go… That’s exactly what I’m building inside the Lab Membership—complete labs, setup support, and classroom-tested systems.

🎧 What’s Coming Next Next week, I’m breaking down one of my favorite activities from this unit—the Ocean Acidification + Root Beer Lab—so you can easily bring it into your classroom.

💬 Final Thought

This unit isn’t about adding “one more thing” to your plate. It’s about giving students a moment where they finally think:

👉 “Oh…this actually matters.” And honestly…those are the lessons they remember.

🎧 Enjoying the podcast?
Make sure to follow/subscribe so you don’t miss future episodes!

🌐 Website: chemschemistryclassroom.com
👩‍🏫 Join our community: The Confident Chemistry Teacher Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/767528946010479/ 
📸 Come say hi on Instagram: @chemschemistryclassroom
🛒 Grab resources on TPT: Chem’s Chemistry Classroom

🎙Managing Lab Materials Without Losing Your Mind

Lab days are powerful. They’re hands-on. They deepen understanding. Students love them. But let’s be honest… they can also feel chaotic and overwhelming.

In this episode, I’m sharing the exact systems I use to manage lab materials in my chemistry classroom so I can coach instead of react.

After 18 years of teaching, I still get a little lab-day anxiety, but strong systems protect my patience, energy, and classroom flow. If lab days feel stressful for you, this episode will help you simplify and regain control.

🔬 In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

🛠 My Core Lab Management Philosophy

The more specific the system, the smoother the lab. When materials have a place: Students know where to find them. Students know where to return them. You stop making last-minute decisions. You stay calm and focused on instruction. Strong systems allow you to coach instead of manage chaos.

🎁 Free Resource Mentioned

If you'd like some ready-to-use tools to support your lab days, grab my free:

🧪 Lab Day Starter Kit It includes:

👉 Download HERE

🎯 Start Small. Don’t overhaul everything at once. Start with ONE improvement:

Small systems compound over time.

If you have a lab organization tip that works in your classroom, I would love to hear it!

Connect with me and share your strategies. As always — Keep inspiring. Keep experimenting. And keep being awesome in your classroom. 🧪✨

Website: chemschemistryclassroom.com

Facebook Group: The Confident Chemistry Teacher Facebook Group

Instagram: @chemschemistryclassroom

TPT: Chem’s Chemistry Classroom

Episode Intro

In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m sharing exactly how I run a POGIL in my chemistry classroom — from setup to grading.

You’ll discover how to get students collaborating instead of waiting for answers, and leave with strategies to make group work productive and manageable.

Key Takeaways

By the end of this episode, you’ll learn how to:

● Decide when to use a POGIL (and when not to)

● Set clear expectations so groups stay on task

● Use roles to encourage participation and accountability

● Grade POGIL activities without creating extra work

Standards Connections

● Performance Expectations: HS-PS1-7 Use mathematical representations to support the claim that atoms, and therefore mass, are conserved during a chemical reaction

● Science & Engineering Practices: Analyzing data, constructing explanations, engaging in argument from evidence

● Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns, cause and effect

🎁 Free Resource

POGIL Quick Start Pack – A simple checklist and printable job cards so you can run your first POGIL with confidence.

👉 Link to POGIL Quick Start Pack webpage

For more information or to join the Confident Teacher community check out:

Website: chemschemistryclassroom.com

Facebook Group: The Confident Chemistry Teacher Community https://www.facebook.com/groups/767528946010479/

TPT Store: Chem’s Chemistry Classroom