Inquiry-Based Experiments in Chemistry

Students taught with inquiry-based methods have been shown to make significant progress in their ability to formulate hypotheses, make proper assumptions, design and execute investigations, understand variables, record data, and synthesize new knowledge. The inquiry-based approach encourages curiosity and openness, and fosters a stronger sense of responsibility and satisfaction in the students who are taught with it. This text presents a series of experiments that are intended to serve as the solid basis for a first-year chemistry or physical sciences course, using an inquiry based approach. Each chapter provides: 1)instructions for an experiment; 2) teachers notes that give the instructor more in-depth information about the technical nature and intellectual objectives of the experiment; and 3) a sample lab report that provides representative data and lists a composite of sources of typical errors.