Reading Apprenticeship Inspired Assignment or Lesson
Reading Apprenticeship Inspired Assignment or Lesson
Learning Outcomes:
• Students will identify and explain molecules capable of hydrogen bonding.
• Students will explain why hydrogen bonding affects boiling points, melting points, solubility, and state of matter.
• Students will apply their understanding of hydrogen bonding to explain phenomena in biology or other fields.
Pedagogy Goals:
• Students will engage with the textbook as a tool for learning.
• Students will develop critical thinking skills by annotating the text.
• Students will participate in class discussions to share their insights and perspectives.
• Students will extract key information, identify patterns, and make distinctions between different intermolecular forces.
Metacognitive Goals:
• Students will develop self-awareness of their learning process through reflection on their annotations.
• Students will practice working effectively in groups and sharing and refining their perspectives.
This activity can be incorporated into the middle of a general chemistry course, after students have a basic understanding of atomic structure, periodic properties, and chemical bonding. Students should be familiar with the concepts of atomic size, electronegativity, bond polarity, and have been introduced to intermolecular forces.
Students demonstrate their understanding with the following tasks…
MCQ polling: In-class polling questions that ask students to reflect on a question related to intermolecular forces and hydrogen bonding.
In-Class discussion: Think-pair-share or small group discussions for students to explain their thinking, ask questions, and engage in peer-to-peer learning.
Post-activity quiz: Short quiz (3 to 4 questions) or a reflection question posted on Canvas for students to complete.
Students self-assess their understanding through the following tasks…
Reading reflection: Students are provided in-class time to reflect on their understanding of intermolecular forces, identify areas where they need further clarification when they are performing the Reading Apprenticeship activity.
Peer feedback: Students can provide feedback to each other on their understanding of intermolecular forces, helping them identify areas for improvement.
Big ideas:
• Intermolecular forces are non-covalent forces between molecules. They are weaker than chemical bonds within molecules.
• Different types of intermolecular forces exist. These depend on the atoms and functional groups present in the molecule.
• Intermolecular forces influence the physical properties of substances. They affect boiling points, melting points, and solubility.
Misunderstandings addressed:
• Students might mistakenly think that intermolecular forces are the same as covalent or ionic bonds within molecules.
• Students might underestimate the significant impact of intermolecular forces on the physical properties of substances.
• Students might have a preconceived notion that strong intermolecular forces should always lead to a solid state. While hydrogen bonding is a strong intermolecular force, it does not solely determine a substance state.
This activity occurs in real-time, in a large general chemistry course (200 students).
1. Instructor will begin by explaining the purpose of the activity and how it can help students deepen their understanding of the topic.
2. Distribute the printed handouts containing the excerpt from the textbook to all students.
3. Provide students with 7-8 minutes to read the excerpt silently and annotate the text. Encourage them to use the following annotation strategies ( see Reading and Annotation Strategies):
Highlighting: Mark important information or key terms.
Underlining: Emphasize key ideas or arguments.
Symbol Use: Using symbols such as:
? for unclear passages
! for surprising or impactful moments
*** ** for significant points
Margin notes: Write comments, questions, or connections they make.
4. Ask students to turn to the person next to them (partner) and discuss their annotations for 5-7 minutes. Encourage them to share their insights and ask questions. This section can be simplified and be less time-consuming by assigning 1’s and 2’s to students as explained below:
Prompt: "Turn to your partner and discuss your annotations. If you're a 1, share your insights first. Then, 2s, listen carefully and ask clarifying questions. Switch roles after 5-7 minutes."
Prompt: "Form groups of four. 1s and 2s, share your annotations with each other first. Then, 3s and 4s, do the same. After 5-7 minutes, regroup with your original partner and discuss any new insights."
Before the activity, explicitly state what you want students to focus on during the discussion (e.g., key themes, challenging passages, personal connections, the questions on the handout).
Use a timer or a visual cue to signal the end of the discussion time.
5. Facilitate a class discussion, inviting students to share their thoughts and insights based on their annotations. Ask questions to guide the discussion:
What is the unique characteristic of hydrogen bonding compared to other types of intermolecular forces?
How does hydrogen bonding affect the boiling point and melting point of a substance?
Can you provide examples of substances that exhibit hydrogen bonding?
Optional: How does hydrogen bonding contribute to the structure and properties of biological molecules like DNA and proteins?
Optional: Are there any limitations or exceptions to the strength of hydrogen bonding?
These questions would be useful if printed on the reading handout so that students can reflect on them during the activity.
6. Award students participation credit for uploading their "talked to" text on a Canvas submission page. Another post-activity option is to develop a Google Form or polling quiz to solicit responses from students on the topic.
Additional questions to encourage student reflection and discussion:
"If hydrogen bonding is so strong, why is water a liquid at room temperature instead of a solid?"
The strength of hydrogen bonding decreases with increasing temperature. As the temperature rises, the kinetic energy of molecules increases, making it easier to overcome the intermolecular forces and transition to the gaseous state.
While hydrogen bonding is strong, it is not strong enough to completely overcome the kinetic energy of water molecules at room temperature which allows them to move freely and maintain the liquid state.
"How do the properties of water differ from those of methane (CH4), which has a similar molecular weight but lacks hydrogen bonding?"
Water has significantly higher boiling and melting points compared to methane due to the strong hydrogen bonds between water molecules.
Water is denser than methane at room temperature. This is partly due to the efficient packing of water molecules through hydrogen bonding, which creates a more compact structure.
Water has a higher surface tension than methane. This is a result of the cohesive forces between water molecules due to hydrogen bonding, which create a "skin" on the surface of the liquid. Water is more viscous than methane (resists flow more readily). The hydrogen bonds between water molecules contribute to this increased viscosity.
"How does the physical state of H2O differ from H2S which possesses dipole-dipole interactions but not hydrogen bonding?"
"Based on your understanding of intermolecular forces, predict which substance will have a higher boiling point."
"If a new molecule is discovered with a structure similar to water, but with a different central atom, how might its properties differ?"
"Design an experiment to test the effect of hydrogen bonding on the solubility of different substances in water."
Reading and Annotation Strategies
Active Reading Strategies
Preview: Skim the text to get an overview.
Predict: Make guesses about what the text will be about.
Question: Formulate questions to guide your reading.
Visualize: Create mental images of the text.
Clarify: Identify and address any confusion.
Summarize: Condense the main ideas.
Connect: Relate the text to personal experiences or other texts.
Annotation Strategies
Highlighting: Mark important information or key terms.
Underlining: Emphasize key ideas or arguments.
Symbol Use:
? for confusion
! for surprise
*** ** for importance
Margin Notes: Write comments, questions, or connections.
Numbering: Sequence ideas or events.
Bracketing: Group related ideas.
Diagramming: Visually represent relationships.
Remember: Annotating is a personal process. Choose the strategies that work best for you to deepen your understanding of the text.
Excerpt from the textbook: Chemistry: 2e by OpenStax, Chapter 10, Section 10.1 "Intermolecular Forces": Hydrogen Bonding https://openstax.org/books/chemistry-2e/pages/10-1-intermolecular-forces
Printed handouts of reading excerpt for students to annotate
Guide for instructors: https://readingapprenticeship.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/rl-team-tool-5-06-talk-to-text-inquiry.pdf
