There has long been a Saint Louis area discussion group devoted to high school chemistry teachers. It goes by the acronym SLACKERS (St Louis Area Chemistry Knowledge Educational Resource Sharers, which seems kind of forced to me, but at least it’s pronounceable). Bob Becker at Kirkwood High School is the coordinator (and more details about their calendar below). Meetings of the group have always landed at one venue or another on the western shore of the mighty Mississippi, and that has not always been attractive to HS chem teachers in Illinois.
Now, those Illini HS chem teachers have taken matter(s) in their own hands and formed a discussion group, Think Like a Proton, that does not require an interstate bridge crossing to attend.
The inaugural coordinator is Elisabeth Knierim at Belleville Township High School, email eknierim@bths201.org. Elisabeth describes the discussion group as “a share-a-thon for teachers to exchange their ideas about chemistry activities, demos, and labs! The hope is to share ideas about best practices and discuss awesome ways to engage students in chemistry in an informal setting.”
Monthly meetings have been set for the Fall semester. All take place from 5:30 to 7:30 pm at the SIUE STEM Resource Center, Science East Room 1276. The September meeting is obviously history, but feel free to jump in any time. All are welcome; the events are free; but please let Elisabeth Knierim know you are coming.
September 20 topics
- Classifying Matter
- Conservation of Mass
- Physical/Chemical Properties/Changes
- Separating Mixtures
October 11 topics
- Periodic Trends
- History of the Atom
- Atomic Structure
- Isotopes
November 8 topics
- Electromagnetic Spectrum
- Quantum Model
- Electron Configuration
- Introduction to Lewis dot structures
December 6 topics
- Bonding
- Naming
- VSEPR Shapes
- Polarity
Interested in attending? Please come ready to share an idea about that month’s topic or something that you will be doing in the next month that you are excited about. We will be in a science classroom, so if you would like to actually model the demo, lab or activity, you may do so. Feel free to share copies of handouts (electronically or hard copy) with other attendees.
On the other bank of the Mississippi, SLACKERS meet once a month, alternating on Wednesdays and Thursdays. They don’t have a schedule of topics for the fall, yet, but you can join them by contacting Bob Becker, the group coordinator.
They met the first time this semester on Sep 26 at 7 pm at Kirkwood High School, 801 West Essex, Kirkwood. Refreshments were provided! Bob Becker shared a few things and provided some free take-aways too! When the venue is Kirkwood High School, you can find the group in Room SC-210. Park on the Dougherty Ferry lot and follow the signs.
Meetings convene at 7 pm, on the following dates for the remainder of the year:
Thurs, Oct 25
Wed, Nov 7
Thurs, Dec 13
Wed, Jan 16
Thurs, Feb 21
Wed, Mar 13
Thurs, Apr 11
Wed, May 9
“Computers and the physics of complex biological systems”
