This Story Will Make You Smarter About Moles
By Brycin Vachon
Despite a lot of ominous posters about moles in the science room wing, Poland Regional High School does not have a mole infestation. As a result of these posters, more students may now know what they didn’t know two months ago …. Namely, what is a mole? These kids may be ahead of many teachers who don’t know what a mole is. I didn’t. Now I do.
From creative posters such as “HannaMoleTana '' to informational posters about how many moles are in a certain item, it’s fair to say that moles have overrun room D206.
The chemistry room, where the boss is Ms. Smith, still has evidence of a creative project in which she asked students to find how many moles are in a specific item or thing, from how many moles are in a celsius, to how many moles are in soda. This little project leads to a big mole project in February, and is a way for students to show their creativity, rather than just doing a test on paper. Thus, weird and intriguing pieces of work that hung up all around the room.
But why bother with posters all around her room? And what the heck is a mole, anyway?
Do our teachers even know what it is? Do you know what a mole is?
When I enrolled in chemistry I could not say what a mole is, but fortunately I know how to do what I am told to do. A mole, according to Ms. Smith, is primarily used in chemistry as a numerical quantity for anything that is particle-sized. She says they are super important in chemistry, as they help quantify really small substances. I am not going to argue with her. For one thing, I learned that moles are used to create different concentrations in labs.
Ms. Smith started using this project as a teaching tool around a decade ago and decided that she would continue to do it every year while teaching here. She got the idea from a teacher at Oxford Hills Comprehensive HIgh School, and adapted the course content to fit our curriculum.
“I think it helps people understand how big moles actually are, as they are so huge, and many people don’t realize that,” said Ms. Smith.
Students who have done this project seem to have a good time with it, as it can help them show their creative side. People in my class, when I did this project last year, laughed when they saw other people's projects. Student Maya Balkir did her mole project on “how many moles are in a pack of twizzlers?” When talking about the project Maya said that she enjoyed the work, as it allowed her to be creative. “If I were given the opportunity, I would rather do this sort of project (rather than) just a regular paper and pen test,” Maya said.
According to Ms. Smith, perhaps 20 percent of the teachers at PRHS know what a mole is. She thinks that math and science teachers would know what it is, but most other teachers would have forgotten what it is – if they ever learned about moles in the first place.
When I asked PRHS teachers if they knew what a mole was, it seemed like Ms. Smith’s guesstimate of 20 percent may have been correct, But at least one non-science teacher sounds like an authority on this matter – Mr. Hayashida, who teaches AP Calculus.
I asked the question but before I could even finish, Hayashida confidently interjected “6.02 x 10^23!” as if he already knew what the question was before I asked it. And he sounded like he knew what he was talking about.
So if you don't know anything about moles and are completely confused about these projects surrounding Mrs. Smith's room, don’t feel bad, many people in this school feel your pain. And remember, you’re not Mr. Hayashida. You probably need to read the posters before you produce an answer.
By Brycin Vachon
Despite a lot of ominous posters about moles in the science room wing, Poland Regional High School does not have a mole infestation. As a result of these posters, more students may now know what they didn’t know two months ago …. Namely, what is a mole? These kids may be ahead of many teachers who don’t know what a mole is. I didn’t. Now I do.
From creative posters such as “HannaMoleTana '' to informational posters about how many moles are in a certain item, it’s fair to say that moles have overrun room D206.
The chemistry room, where the boss is Ms. Smith, still has evidence of a creative project in which she asked students to find how many moles are in a specific item or thing, from how many moles are in a celsius, to how many moles are in soda. This little project leads to a big mole project in February, and is a way for students to show their creativity, rather than just doing a test on paper. Thus, weird and intriguing pieces of work that hung up all around the room.
But why bother with posters all around her room? And what the heck is a mole, anyway?
Do our teachers even know what it is? Do you know what a mole is?
When I enrolled in chemistry I could not say what a mole is, but fortunately I know how to do what I am told to do. A mole, according to Ms. Smith, is primarily used in chemistry as a numerical quantity for anything that is particle-sized. She says they are super important in chemistry, as they help quantify really small substances. I am not going to argue with her. For one thing, I learned that moles are used to create different concentrations in labs.
Ms. Smith started using this project as a teaching tool around a decade ago and decided that she would continue to do it every year while teaching here. She got the idea from a teacher at Oxford Hills Comprehensive HIgh School, and adapted the course content to fit our curriculum.
“I think it helps people understand how big moles actually are, as they are so huge, and many people don’t realize that,” said Ms. Smith.
Students who have done this project seem to have a good time with it, as it can help them show their creative side. People in my class, when I did this project last year, laughed when they saw other people's projects. Student Maya Balkir did her mole project on “how many moles are in a pack of twizzlers?” When talking about the project Maya said that she enjoyed the work, as it allowed her to be creative. “If I were given the opportunity, I would rather do this sort of project (rather than) just a regular paper and pen test,” Maya said.
According to Ms. Smith, perhaps 20 percent of the teachers at PRHS know what a mole is. She thinks that math and science teachers would know what it is, but most other teachers would have forgotten what it is – if they ever learned about moles in the first place.
When I asked PRHS teachers if they knew what a mole was, it seemed like Ms. Smith’s guesstimate of 20 percent may have been correct, But at least one non-science teacher sounds like an authority on this matter – Mr. Hayashida, who teaches AP Calculus.
I asked the question but before I could even finish, Hayashida confidently interjected “6.02 x 10^23!” as if he already knew what the question was before I asked it. And he sounded like he knew what he was talking about.
So if you don't know anything about moles and are completely confused about these projects surrounding Mrs. Smith's room, don’t feel bad, many people in this school feel your pain. And remember, you’re not Mr. Hayashida. You probably need to read the posters before you produce an answer.
