Chemistry in the ER- a Review

One of the complaints many students voice about chemistry is that it is abstract and doesn't apply to their lives. A seasoned chemistry teacher will have a long list of ways chemistry touches our lives all of the time. However, words often fall on deaf ears. An alternative is to show students specific examples of chemistry in action to help them see the depth and scope of the topics that chemistry covers. Help your students see that chemistry really is the central science.

Clips on the site address many current issues, such as lead exposure, anorexia, cigarette smoking, pesticides, and alcohol. More specific chemicals addressed include benze, carbon monoxide, and antifreeze.

Chemistry in the ER is a website devoted to helping teachers integrate chemistry and the popular TV show, ER, in their classroom. The site contains 30 video clips varying in length from 1 to 8 minutes and are labeled according to the chemical depicted in the segment. The clips have been edited to show enough of the show to get the chemistry point across.

Additionally, when you click on a specific segment, the web author suggests an article from ChemMatters, Discover, or elsewhere that would make a great additional reading assignment for students. Additionally, clicking on the segment will also reveal a short synopsis of the video clip, the episode name, and the episode number, in case you want to track down the full episode.

The website is very interactive, allowing instructors to create an account and keep track of which clips you want to use. There is also a discussion forum about how you can or do use ER video clips to teach chemistry in your class.

Also, if you have your own clips of ER episodes that would be a good fit for the site, you can upload and share them with other teachers.