There are probably a million ways to teach mole ratios. But there are also a bunch of teaching mole ratios mistakes. That said, I feel like I’ve kind of gotten it figured out. When I first learned stoichiometry it was IMPOSSIBLE to understand. I made myself I full page list of steps trying to decipher it. It was really like being Lara Croft reading an ancient map for a treasure. But this treasure wasn’t something I was interested in, since stoichiometry was absolutely miserable for me. So as a high school chemistry teacher it was super important to me to actually translate quickly and easily how stoichiometry is done. I’ve gotten it down to four simple steps. But when I teach mole ratios there’s a few things I make sure to keep it simple and easy to understand. Here’s some of the ways I went wrong with it while I was figuring things out.
Lumping into Stoichiometry
Mole ratios are a single skill. They don’t necessarily have to be tied into a full lesson on stoichiometry. I’ve learned now that it makes WAY MORE SENSE to teach stoichiometry kind of piecemeal. I do one lesson on moles and formula mass. Then percent by mass and a lesson on hydrates. Next comes gram and mole conversions (another stand alone skill). Then I’ll teach mole ratios. Then we string it all together with a single lesson on stoichiometry. Which at that point is EASY. The kids already have all the skills needed, so they just need to carry information from one ratio to the next piece.
When mole ratios are taught during the stoichiometry lesson, they’re so much tougher to understand. And really for no reason. We all spend DAYS teaching stoichiometry and getting our students the practice they need to actually understand it well. So why not just take them through in baby steps? I’ve done both and I’ve found that baby steps work best for me and my students.
I’ve also found it’s a LOT LESS overwhelming for kids to learn stoichiometry in baby steps.
Not Making it Fun
It is incredibly easy for stoichiometry to be boring and monotonous. You know that it’s very repetitive. Now just imagine learning mole ratios for the first time. Yeah… I felt the same way. It’s not fun! And you and I know not only is it easier to teach something when it’s fun, it’s also easier to learn it. For that reason when I teach mole ratios, I make sure to do my best to make it fun.
My go-to ole reliable mole ratio activity is (you guessed it) a pixel art. It is a self-grading Google sheet with 20 mole ratio questions. The kids get to try their hand at 20 questions based on four different equations (already balanced for them). The Google Sheet will IMMEDIATELY tell them if their answer is correct or incorrect. What i love about this is: 1) I don’t have to do the grading. But 2) the kids don’t sit around for the entire class, get the answers at the end AND THEN learn that they’re struggling or did the whole thing wrong. Plus 3) the kids who lack self confidence don’t need me to verify a bunch of answers for them.
Overcomplicating it
Teaching mole ratios mistakes: it’s too complicated. It’s just like teaching fractions to a 3rd or 4th grader. I know that kind of diminishes mole ratios, but hear me out. When you were learning fractions you probably related it to cooking or baking. Half a cup is a real measurement! And then you’d learn how to double or half a recipe. And you’d do some fraction math in order to achieve that. Mole ratios are the same thing. A chemical equation is really just a recipe, and mole ratios are just like doubling or halving that recipe.
When you teach mole ratios just like your students learned fractions in fourth grade, they are more attracted to the idea of learning it. It’s a lot less intimidating. Plus if you have a small class (or a big thick wallet) you can buy your class cookies in order to relate the idea to recipes. That one kind of goes back to making it fun!
Now that you are avoiding teaching mole ratios mistakes, your students will be ready when you are ready to move onto stoichiometry and putting all the skills together, this Mole Map would be perfect for you. You can get a free copy sent to your inbox by clicking this link.
Play it Back
Sometimes students need to hear the content again. Or hear it from a different voice. If that’s the case, I have a YouTube channel where I am teaching my ENTIRE chemistry curriculum. Of course, you can subscribe to the channel. But my favorite way teachers are using this content is to post it to their Google Classrooms. If you are collecting resources for your students to study from, these videos would be a great addition. There’s no fear that the content will be too advanced for them or lead to confusion. This is easy, simple, high school chemistry level content, perfect for your students. Check it out!
