National Chemistry Week is one of my favorite times of the school year. It is the week that includes October 23rd, which of course is Mole Day! For me, it usually falls around the same time that my students are learning Periodic Table, and they finally get to understand it’s masterpiece. The problem with National Chemistry Week is that my students haven’t learned anything about the mole yet. I don’t teach moles until right around the halfway mark, with it acting as transition between micro (actually pico) and macro chemistry. There are so many plans out there of what to do with students when they know what a mole is, but not so much information on ways to celebrate Mole Day and National Chemistry Week with pre-mole students, so here are my best National Chemistry Week Activities.
Decorate Your Room for National Chemistry Week
In order to really celebrate anything, you’re going to need some decorations. Maybe that is streamers, balloons, posters (bonus points if student made) or maybe it is something as simple as stringing a “National Chemistry Week” Banner in your classroom. Decorations can really set the stage for a great week. Your students will walk into your room and instantly feel the excitement.
Start Each Day with a quote from a scientist
We all know that scientists are some of the smartest people around. All of that time in the lab gives scientists insights into patience and human nature that nobody else is lucky enough to receive. The lessons that can be taught from just a sentence or two of their wisdom can really change a kid’s perspective. The quotes you choose can be super deep, or somewhat superficial. You can target specific quotes for your students knowing their individual strengths and struggles. I like to have my students interpret these quotes, or put them in their own words for my Do Now assignment. The bell ringers don’t have to be all chemistry all the time. Our job is to teach them, which will sometimes include teaching life lessons.
Break out your collection of chemistry tee shirts
Your second cousin definitely got you a chemistry tee shirt when they drew you for the family secret Santa, and because all they know about you is that you are a chemistry teacher, of course a chemistry tee shirt is the perfect choice. “I wear this shirt periodically” is so overrated – amiright? Now I will say, I’m certainly a fan of the chemistry tee shirt and the cute puns that come with them, but I can’t say that I’ve bought very many of them on my own. (Beaker mugs and molecule jewelry are just the same!) Now is the perfect time to put that collection to use without looking like a total nerd (unless you’re into that – you do you baby boo!) You best believe I’m taking this opportunity to break out all the nerd gear I have!
Turn your worksheets into activities
Worksheets are boring – we all know it. Turn everything you can into a game for the week and see how excited your students are for chemistry class! This will work for whatever you are teaching in chemistry – you don’t have to adjust your content at all!
- Cut a worksheet into pieces and paste on the wall as a gallery walk.
- Print one copy of a worksheet per row or table, and have them pass the paper down the row in a race. First team to finish the paper wins a prize (it can be as simple as a sticker or a high five, or maybe a HW pass if you’re feeling generous)
- Create a card sort (I have a few in my store if you want to check them out): Have students physically sort cards into groups. Read more about how I use card sorts in this post.
- Use the Magic Answer Checker and paired games to turn any worksheet you already have into a self assessment game!
Do something a bit more interactive
There are plenty of interactive ways you can celebrate National Chemistry Week! I love to use Pixel Arts and Escape Rooms in my classroom to get kids SUPER engaged in what we’re learning. There are LOADS of pixel art activities available in my TPT store. They’re all 20 questions long and are in Google Sheets. The spreadsheet will immediately let the students know if their answer is correct or incorrect. While they’re answering questions some colored blocks lift away revealing a secret image. My favorite part about them is that I don’t have to grade it – the sheet does it all for me!
Escape rooms are also super fun. I’ve done a few in my classroom, but I only have one currently available in my TPT store. That one is on balancing chemical equations. This activity is done in Google Sheets, since it allows blocking movement to questions before finishing other questions. My escape room does have an in person element though! I put questions in the cabinets, under my chair and even in a worksheet I put on my bookcase. In the activity on TPT there’s lots of options for where you’d like to hide these questions, since I know not every classroom is built the same way. My students LOVE these escape rooms I make and I’m going to add some more to TPT.
Take a break from content and do something fun for Mole Day
This is my favorite of all the National Chemistry Week Activities (save the best for last of course)! I am not saying put on a movie just for the heck of it. If you are learning about gas laws, take a break and make slime. It’s a polymerization, has nothing to do with your schedule, but it IS chemistry, and it is fun. It can break up the monotony of what you’re doing and add a little excitement back. Tie-dye some shirts and talk about covalent bonding. Do the elephant’s toothpaste experiment and talk about heat flow, kinetics and catalysts. You are still teaching, you’re just taking some time to shake it up. There is nothing wrong with that. You can turn anything into a great activity for mole day for students who haven’t learned the mole yet.
I hope this list of National Chemistry Week Activities helps you to turn your classroom into a chemistry wonderland during National Chemistry Week and Mole Day. In my TPT store, have a bundle of some fun activities for National Chemistry Week you can check out here!
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