Reading Apprenticeship Inspired Assignment or Lesson
Reading Apprenticeship Inspired Assignment or Lesson
The concept of vapor pressure is a difficult one for chemistry students, it is an abstract based concept on the understanding of gas behavior at the molecular level. Students will gain a more robust conceptual understanding of vapor pressure, first by thinking about their prior knowledge of vapor Pressure, then reading about vapor pressure and also discussing ideas of vapor pressure in a group discussion.
Students are expected to know the concept of extensive and intensive properties (which takes place at the beginning of a general chemistry course), equilibrium in a system, closed and opened systems (which takes place in the middle of a general chemistry course) and concept of intermolecular forces (which should take place before presenting vapor pressure).
First the pre- test is given, to elicit any misconception about vapor pressure. Reading of the text is next, using read aloud techniques practice during the semester.
Students should be familiar and comfortable with working in a cooperative group, where different roles within a group are perform.
Before the activity students will write a definition of vapor pressure including variables that may affect vapor pressure of a liquid (pre-activity 5 minutes). Students then will read their text (15 minutes) and participate in a group discussion (15 minutes).
Instructor discussion (5 minutes) focusing on misconceptions held about vapor pressure.
Students will individually read their pre-activity answers and adjust/modify their ideas (10 minutes). Comparison of pre and post definitions should demonstrate that students acquire a deeper understanding of vapor pressure.
The text provides the background and content needed to successfully discuss ideas of vapor pressure. Read out loud techniques will be practice, individually or within a group.
Group work will give students the opportunity to use the term of vapor pressure with a more meaningful understanding. Scenarios provide a prompt for discussion.
Scenarios focuses on previous students’ misconceptions as found in chemical education research. It is important for instructor to provide a final discussion after group work, debunking vapor pressure incorrect ideas.
This activity could work remote synchronously or face to face as students discuss in their groups.
Pre-activity (5 minutes)
Read their text (15 minutes)
Participate in a group discussion (15 minutes)
Instructor discussion (5 minutes) : 3 main faulty ideas of Vapor Pressure are addressed in the research paper. instructor should address 3 main faulty ideas:
(1) vapor pressure of a liquid depends on the total number of vapor particles
(2) once the liquid–vapor equilibrium is established, the number of vapor particles is fixed and does not change regardless of the external effects on the system.
(3) vapor pressure is exerted only onto the surface of the liquid.
Lastly, students will individually read their pre-activity answers and adjust/modify their ideas. This write up will be turn in for a grade (10 minutes).
A) OER texts (used for reading)
Libretext: https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/General_Chemistry/Map%3A_Chemistry_-_The_Central_Science_(Brown_et_al.)/11%3A_Liquids_and_Intermolecular_Forces/11.5%3A_Vapor_Pressure
Openstax: https://openstax.org/books/chemistry-2e/pages/10-3-phase-transitions
B) Journal from Chemistry Education Research and Practice: Prospective chemistry teachers' mental models of vapor pressure. Chem. Educ. Res. Pract., 2014,15, 366-379
https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2014/rp/c4rp00024b
3 main faulty ideas of Vapor Pressure are addressed in this paper (instructor should address these 3 during final discussion):
(1) vapor pressure of a liquid depends on the total number of vapor particles
(2) once the liquid–vapor equilibrium is established, the number of vapor particles is fixed and does not change regardless of the external effects on the system.
(3) vapor pressure is exerted only onto the surface of the liquid.
C) Pre-activity (Revisions of this sheet will be graded)
Pre activity Vapor Pressure.docx
D) Group Activity worksheet
Group Activity Vapor Pressure.docx
Thanks to the Stem Learning Community 2020 group B for the fruitful discussions.
