Week 10 Reflection- Final Blog

        In this final unit of SG Chem 2A, our class learned about the concept of balancing equations. We learned that just as there are patterns in the way elements bond and the types of compounds they make, there are patterns in the way compounds are rearranged during chemical reactions. After hearing this, I decided that knowing these patterns must make it easier to predict or even determine the outcome of a chemical reaction, and I wanted to learn more about what exactly these patterns were. To begin our exploration of balancing equations, our class began with a reaction equations worksheet. Right away, I understood the idea that there must be the same number of atoms on one side of an equation as there is on the other, but I wasn't completely sure how to go about completing the problems. The class was then introduced to the help of diagrams, and I found that they really helped make the problems a lot easier to solve. After using the diagrams as an aid through the worksheet, I picked up on the process of the problems very quickly, and I was soon able to complete the equations easily without the diagrams. Attached are some examples of balanced equations:

When the class became used to balancing equations, we moved on to learn about different patterns of chemical reactions. The first reaction we learned about was a combination, or synthesis, reaction. When I first heard the words, I knew that the equation would deal with compounds combining in some sort of way. I soon learned that a combination reaction is a chemical equation with fewer product molecules than reactant molecules, meaning that the reactant molecules combined. We also learned about decomposition reactions, where the chemical equation has fewer reactant molecules than products molecules. Other chemical reactions we learned about were single replacement and double replacement. A single replacement reaction involves one element replacing another in a compound, and a double replacement reaction involves a trade of "partners" between aqueous ionic compounds. The last reaction we learned about was a combustion reaction, which is a combination with oxygen so that most or all of the products contain oxygen. All of these reactions made sense to me right away, and I think I would be able to identify them with ease. Overall, throughout this unit, I found that the concepts connect to other units we have learned this trimester in many ways. Chemical equations can include elements, mixtures, compounds, and pure substances, which were some of the main ideas we covered in the first unit. In addition, some of the chemical formulas we balance are ionic compounds, which means the signs of the elements still have to be taken into consideration in order for the overall charge of the compound to be zero.

        During the course of this trimester, I believe I have had various strengths, as well as various weaknesses. Overall, I feel like my greatest weakness was understanding the labs we completed. Since we often did labs at the beginning of each unit to introduce some of the main ideas, I found that I was always confused about what exactly we were doing. I always understood the procedure and the process, so I knew what we were doing in that respect, but I was never sure what the results were telling us. I think my strengths included the math portions of the concepts we learned, such as calculating molar mass and balancing equations, as well as understanding the main ideas of each unit. I also think my strengths included the blog reflections each week, and I think they were a great way to enhance my comprehension of each concept we learned. There were a few things I would have done differently in order to improve my grade in this class. At the beginning of the trimester, I would have spent more time adding my thoughts and connections to my blogs in order to earn the extra points. In addition, I would have studied harder for the Unit 5 Test, especially on the concept of finding empirical formulas because that was one of the questions on the test I messed up. Overall, I really liked the style of this class and the way it was organized. I believe the white boarding and group discussions were a huge help in enhancing my understanding of the various concepts, and I appreciated the time we got to spend with our table groups. Although I found group work to be a great help, one recommendation of improvement to this class would be to have more teacher-directed lessons on the concepts we learn. This would help the class make sure they are doing all of the problems right, because I know that often times myself I found that I wasn't sure if I was doing a certain problem in the right way or not. Some recommendations for the blogging assignment would be to maybe make them mandatory every other week, and every week in between could be extra credit. That way, if a student is too busy one week, they wouldn't have to worry about it. I really think that the blogs helped though, so they should definitely be a continued assignment for this course!