Let’s be real. Vocabulary isn’t exactly the most exciting part of teaching chemistry. But students need to understand the difference between elements and compounds, solutes and solvents, and ionic and covalent bonds before they can really understand what’s happening in chemistry class. And there are a LOT of words to learn!
My high school chemistry students were expected to learn roughly 300 vocabulary terms throughout the school year. That’s a lot of definitions, especially when many of those words are completely unfamiliar or have different meanings outside of science. Over the years, I collected a handful of strategies for teaching chemistry vocabulary that helped my students move beyond memorizing definitions and actually understand the terms they were learning. Here are some of my favorites!
Start with a Chemistry Vocabulary List
Before you can teach vocabulary, you need to decide which words your students actually need to know. I recommend starting with your final exam and chemistry standards. Look for the vocabulary students will need to understand in order to answer questions, explain concepts, and solve problems. Once you’ve made your master list, break it into smaller lists by unit.
I’m a big fan of unit mapping, and I always liked giving my students a student-friendly unit map at the beginning of each unit. The vocabulary words were listed right at the top, so students knew exactly what terminology they would be learning. Breaking the list into smaller chunks also makes 400 vocabulary words seem a little less intimidating!
Need a Chemistry Vocabulary List? Don’t want to spend hours compiling vocabulary terms for your chemistry curriculum? I’ve already done some of the work for you! Grab my FREE High School Chemistry Glossary to use as a reference when planning your units, introducing new terminology, or helping students review important chemistry concepts. My students kept a copy in their binders, or in their interactive notebooks for use all year long. It also works well if you have ELL or Special Education students that may need the extra help.
Students need to define the words
One of my favorite strategies was assigning vocabulary as homework at the beginning of each unit. Because I divided my vocabulary into units, students typically had around 20 words to define at a time. I usually gave them about a week to complete the assignment. (I’d grade it right at my desk for a really quick grade!)
I required students to handwrite their definitions. Because I knew they could copy and paste from the internet, but that wasn’t the skill I wanted them practicing. Of course, simply copying a definition by hand doesn’t guarantee understanding. That’s why this was only the first step!
I also made a point of discussing words with multiple meanings. For example, a saturated solution and a saturated hydrocarbon are two very different things. Students need to understand how the meaning of a word changes depending on the chemistry concept they’re studying.
Have Students Redefine the Words in Their Own Way
This is where the vocabulary really starts to become meaningful. As we worked through a unit, I encouraged students to revisit their original definitions and rewrite them in their own words.
Sometimes they wrote a simpler definition. Other times they drew a picture or diagram to help explain the concept. I wasn’t looking for students to recite a textbook glossary word for word. I wanted them to truly understand what the vocabulary meant.
For example, a student might describe a saturated solution as a solution that is “full of dissolved stuff.” That’s much more useful than memorizing a complicated definition they don’t actually understand!
Try It With Chemical Bonding Vocabulary!
Chemical bonding is a great unit for practicing vocabulary because students need to distinguish between terms like ionic bonds, covalent bonds, cations, anions, and electronegativity. I’ve put together a FREE Bonding Vocabulary Activity Pack that you can use to help your students practice the terminology they’re learning.
Use Chemistry Vocabulary During Every Lesson
Vocabulary practice shouldn’t end when students turn in their definitions. Throughout my guided notes, I’ve incorporated vocabulary terms into the lessons themselves. Sometimes I used formal definitions, but other times I explained the words in everyday language. I wanted students to understand what a term meant before worrying about whether they could repeat its textbook definition perfectly.
Another easy strategy is to use vocabulary as an exit ticket. At the end of a lesson, ask students to define one or two important terms in their own words. You can even have them share their definitions with a partner. Now they’re writing, speaking, and hearing the vocabulary! These little opportunities for repetition add up over the course of a unit.
Play Chemistry Vocabulary Games
This is my favorite part of course. I love incorporating games into chemistry class, and vocabulary games are especially useful because students can practice the same terms repeatedly without feeling like they’re completing another worksheet. Here are four of my favorite classroom vocabulary games.
Vocabulary Heads Up
This is a simple game that requires very little preparation. Write vocabulary terms on small cards and have students work in pairs. One student holds a card against their forehead without looking at the word. Their partner describes the term without saying the actual vocabulary word. The student holding the card has to guess the term based on their partner’s clues. Then they switch roles! I love this activity because students have to explain what a word means rather than simply recognize its definition.
Dominoes
Dominoes are especially helpful when students are learning words that are easy to confuse. Think about solute and solvent, or ionic and covalent bonds. Create domino cards that contain vocabulary terms and definitions. Students connect matching terms and definitions until they’ve completed the trail. I like to walk around the classroom while students work. It gives me an opportunity to see which vocabulary terms they’re struggling with before we get to the unit test. And yes, I laminate my dominoes! I want to prep them once and use them for years. Or you can fold over a page in an interactive notebook and paste it down to make a pocket. Then students can keep their own set of cards and redo this at home to study for a test!
Vocabulary Memory or Go Fish
Memory is another easy vocabulary game that students can play independently or in small groups. Create matching cards with vocabulary terms on one set and definitions on the other. For Memory, students place the cards face down and flip over two at a time, looking for matching terms and definitions. For Go Fish, students use the same cards to collect matching pairs. Both activities encourage students to recognize and explain vocabulary terms, and you can reuse the cards for multiple activities.
Bingo
Vocabulary Bingo is one of my favorite activities before a chemistry test! I usually put around 30 vocabulary words on the board and have students choose 24 to write on their Bingo cards. Then I randomly select terms and read their definitions aloud. Students have to identify the matching vocabulary word on their boards. This works particularly well as a self-assessment activity. Students quickly discover which words they recognize and which ones they need to study a little more.
One way to make Bingo more challenging is to read examples or descriptions instead of formal definitions. For example, instead of reading the definition of a covalent bond, you might say, “The type of bond within water molecules.” Students still need to identify the correct vocabulary term, but now they’re applying what they’ve learned!
Keep Revisiting Vocabulary Throughout the Unit
One of the biggest mistakes we can make when teaching vocabulary is treating it as a one-time assignment. Students define the words, turn in their papers, and then we move on. But chemistry vocabulary is something students need to use throughout the entire course.
I like to incorporate vocabulary into guided notes, classroom discussions, review games, and assessments. You can also bring back terminology from previous units when it connects to a new concept. For example, students learn about electrons during atomic theory, but they’ll need that knowledge again when they study chemical bonding, reactions, and oxidation-reduction. The more opportunities students have to use the terminology in different contexts, the more comfortable they’ll become with it.
Free Chemistry Vocabulary Resources for Teachers
Looking for a few resources to make teaching chemistry vocabulary easier? I’ve got you covered! Start with my FREE High School Chemistry Glossary, a handy reference for important chemistry terminology throughout the school year. Then grab my FREE Bonding Vocabulary Activity Pack to give your students some additional practice with the terminology they’re learning during your chemical bonding unit.
And if you’re looking for more ready-to-use chemistry teaching resources, be sure to check out my Kelsey Chemistry Shop! You’ll find guided notes, chemistry activities, review resources, and more.
