Customer Reviews

Inquiry-Based Experiments in Chemistry (American Chemical Society Publication)

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3 star:		(1)
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The strength of this book is that it lays out 35 detailed Chemistry experiments that are not cookbook labs. It has concrete examples of how to have students design their own procedures to solve a problem. When I first started reading the book I was very excited and thought I would definately use it. The farther I read though, the more disappointed I got that the labs do not include real-life connections. Most students are not inherently interested in "Calculating the Heat of Solution," but could become more engaged if the author made a connection between each topic and a real-life problem. I think that a book that is far superior is "Teaching Inquiry-Based Chemistry," by Gallagher-Bolos and Smithenry. It really explains how to get the students engaged in real-life inquiry-based problem solving and describes how to get them to do it as a community of learners.

I'm a third year science teacher and just wanted a break from reinventing the wheel. This book has 35 great labs that are designed to get the students to think and also get them to understand the content too. These are not cook book labs which was exactly what I was looking for. There are thought provoking questions provided and a sample lab write-up with sample data for each experiment. Also the author includes additional suggestions, common misconceptions and safety information. If you want a book with ready to use labs that are inquiry-based, this is a great find.

This was the type of information I've been searching for. Simple, easy to set up and implement. IF you are into iquiry based lessons / labs this is an excellent book. With little effort I was able to implement these experiments right away.

This book is an excellent tool for encouraging students to engage in the process of scientific thought. Each category of experiment has several versions so that student groups are working on different tasks. The experiments require students to design their own methods and really get kids thinking.

Very interesting and useful book for chemistry teachers in high school and college. I recommend to put in practice the strategies proposed by the author. The American Chemical Society publications are of high quality.