Outline
Note: These ideas are not explicitly part of the IB Chemistry course but are part of my own approach to teaching and learning in IB Chemistry.
At the core of the concept-based approach outlined in the new IB Chemistry guide is the ability to transfer concepts across different areas of the course. From some of my own thinking with colleagues over the years, I have found it useful to identify some of the concepts that underpin the chemical knowledge throughout the course.
There are 7 concepts that feel particularly important for a deep level of understanding in chemistry:
At the core of the concept-based approach outlined in the new IB Chemistry guide is the ability to transfer concepts across different areas of the course. From some of my own thinking with colleagues over the years, I have found it useful to identify some of the concepts that underpin the chemical knowledge throughout the course.
There are 7 concepts that feel particularly important for a deep level of understanding in chemistry:
- Particles
- Charge
- Electrostatic forces
- Potential energy
- Kinetic energy
- The conservation of mass and energy
- Entropy (technically only required for HL students)
Resources (link)
Here is a slide deck that can be used as an introduction to each of the 7 core concepts. I tend to visit each concept at the beginning of the course and then refer back to the concepts frequently throughout.
Here is a set of Google Form quizzes that can be copied and used as quick checks for understanding of each concept: LINK
Mapping the core concepts throughout the course
Below is an attempt to map some of these core concepts throughout some of the main content areas in chemistry. Note that it is a work in progress!
