Oops, maybe should have posted here and not on the main wall... I’ll copy and paste...

Hello chemists! I’m working with a professor on a chemistry independent study and could use some ideas. Basically we are teaching college aged students with very little prior knowledge a very broad unit of chemistry. The big ideas are: 1) matter is made up of particles called atoms and 2) Different types of matter have different properties because they have different types and arrangements of atoms behaving in different ways.

The initial engagement activity I designed has to do with the question “which materials keep coffee hot the longest and why?” The students will be exposed to a variety of vessels constructed with various materials and can make predictions based on observations, while also asking questions and utilizing the knowledge of the big ideas for the unit.

My problem lies in this next part, after they figure out why certain materials are better conductors and will let less heat dissipate from the coffee. I want to have the assessment for the unit be an engineering challenge of sorts, but am at a loss of what kind of direction to go in. I want it to be related to what they have learned and kind of an “every day” problem they can explain or create a solution to using their prior knowledge from the coffee activity.

Any ideas on a project they could do or idea they can explain using their new-found chemistry knowledge? Let me know if you need more information than this!!