My Notes
Categories
This game is modeled after the New York Times (NYT) "Connections" game, in which players are presented with 16 words or phrases and the objective is to sort the words into four groups of four words that are all connected in some way. The game can be done by students individually, in small groups, or even together as a whole class. This game aims to help students practice and/or review the major classes of ligands. In the game, students are presented with 16 ligands, all belonging to four different classes. In this game, those classes are sigma only, pi donor, pi acceptor, and multidentate/chelating.
In playing this game, students will be able to:
1) Classify ligands according to their bonding behavior
2) Compare and differentiate ligand types based on their interactions in coordination compounds
3) Apply ligand bonding concepts to analyze patterns among ligands and justify groupings using appropriate inorganic chemistry terminology
The game is done on a computer. One option would be for the instructor to project the Connections game from their computer for the entire class to do together (if the class is small enough). Another option would be for individual students to play the game on their own computers.
Prior to this activity, students had been instructed on bonding modes and different types of ligands and had completed a homework assignment with some related questions. During the activity, the game was projected for the entire class (about 12 students), and students worked together in previously established problem-solving groups. Groups discussed the puzzle independently and notified me when they were prepared to make a guess about a category. To make a guess, the group was required to identify the four ligands they believed belonged together and explain the underlying connection among them, which in this case is the "type" of ligand. After all connections had been correctly identified, students were asked follow up questions about each class of ligands, how they influence bonding and reactivity, and other related concepts.
Evaluation
In my class, this was not a graded activity, but I would imagine that points could be given based on how many attempts a student makes to complete the puzzle.
The website I used to create the Connections game was ideal for my application because students can make any number of guesses that they want. Some websites for creating your own Connections games more closely follow the NYT game where you get 4 guesses before you "lose" and the answers are revealed. In my class, the most frequent misconception arose from a few ligands that could be grouped either with "multidentate ligands" or "pi acceptor ligands."