“The new aim of science education in the United States is for all students to become proficient in science by the time they finish high school. The argument-driven inquiry (ADI) instruction model was designed as a way to make lab activities more authentic and educative for students and thus help teachers promote and support the development of science proficiency.”

The 30 lab investigations in the new NSTA Press book Argument-Driven Inquiry in Chemistry, Lab Investigations for Grades 9-12 follow the ADI instruction model. Authors Victor Sampson, Patrick Enderle, Leeanne Gleim, Jonathon Grooms, Melanie Hester, Sherry Southerland, and Kristin Wilson organize the book into two parts. Part I describes the 8 stages of the ADI instructional model and the development and components of the ADI lab investigations. Part II contains the lab investigations, including notes for the teacher, student handouts, and checkout questions.

The investigations included in the book are not meant to replace an existing curriculum but rather to transform the laboratory component of a chemistry course. A teacher can use these investigations as a way to introduce students to new content or as a way to give students an opportunity to apply a theory, law, or unifying concept introduced in class in a novel situation.

Here are a few examples of the lab investigations:

Structure and Properties of Matter

Introduction Lab

• Molecular Shapes: How Does the Number of Substituents Around a Central Atom Affect the Shape of a Molecule?
• Temperature Changes Due to Evaporation: Which of the Available Substances Has the Strongest Intermolecular Forces?

Application Lab

• Melting and Freezing Points: Why Do Substances Have Specific Melting and Freezing Points?
• Density and the Periodic Table: What Are the Densities of Germanium and Flerovium?

Chemical Reactions

Introduction Lab

• Characteristics of Acids and Bases: How Can the Chemical Properties of an Aqueous Solution Be Used to Identify It as an Acid or a Base? (Free lab)
• Reaction Rates: Why Do Changes in Temperature and Reactant Concentration Affect the Role of a Reaction?

Application Lab

• Composition of Chemical Compounds: What Is the Empirical Formula of Magnesium Oxide?
• Designing a Cold Pack: Which Salt Should Be Used to Make an Effective but Economical Cold Pack?

The book also includes Standards alignment matrixes, options for implementing ADI lab investigations, investigation proposal options, a peer-review guide, and an instructor-scoring rubric.

This book is also available as an e-book.