Chemistry Laboratory Safety Rules Web Quest

 

Introduction: Each day people around the world use materials bought at local stores to use at home and are injured because they to not read the safety precautions. From cleansers to pesticides, chemicals are ever present in our lives and should be treated with care. Our laboratory activities put you in new and unique situations, handling equipment and materials, which can be dangerous to both you and your classmates, if adequate rules are not observed. These safety rules in the laboratory are referred to as protocols. No one wishes to be injured or injure others, and there are severe penalties for breaking rules even without resultant injuries, from failing an individual lab to being barred from lab entirely (which will result in being barred from the Regents and lead to failure in the course).

            Your job is to develop a set of safety rules for our laboratory, based upon what is available on the Internet, your own research and experiences. This will be the first in a yearlong series of Web Quests, each of which will count as an exam. At later dates you will produce Power Point presentations based on each of your individually assigned five elements. Finally, by Memorial Day 2001, you will produce Word and Power Point presentations based on a public policy analysis of the chemicals used to combat the West Nile Virus.

 

Task: You will develop, as an individual and part of an assigned team, a product, which will establish standards of behavior and protocols for our class’ laboratory activities. One group will create a Word document and the other a Power Point presentation. Both will be responsible for a verbal presentation of their product.

 

Process: On Day 1, November 20, assigned pairs of students will investigate Internet sites regarding established laboratory rules in the computer lab. They will save the information on their computer and isolate relevant rules. For example, you will not be handling radioactive materials, so rules regarding them can be deleted.  Save the information on their computer and isolate relevant rules. For example, you will not be handling radioactive materials, so rules regarding them can be deleted. You will do so by entering the file in which the rules are saves, highlighting them, and hitting the delete key. If in doubt, you can bookmark the rule for later discussion. You must print out a hard copy of your product before leaving the lab with your name on each page.

            On Day 2, November 22, you will meet with an assigned product group in recitation class to merge your individual rule set into an agreed upon single set. These rules should be prioritized within clear categories (e.g. – general behavior versus protocols for specific materials). Since you have been primarily looking at rules designed for college students, be aware that you will need to add an awareness of “common sense” rules regarding your behavior tat have been previously related to you.

You will separately submit committee assignments, which should include, but not be limited to: chair, recorder, evaluators, and verbal presenter. The Word committee must also specify layout and typist assignments. The Power Point committee will also specify specific slide assignments. Before Day 3, a hand written version/design must be completed and submitted. Sources beyond the Web Quest are required.

            On Day 3, TBA, projects will be completed in the computer lab, from previously hand written documents. If additional time is sought, Mr. Gresko and Ms. Coleman must be notified prior to the end of the period, with an estimate of how much computer time you will need. Ms. Coleman will have the final word regarding the availability of computers in her lab room. In no case will there be extensions beyond the Christmas vacation. Projects will be saved at the computer sites and hard copies submitted.

            On Day 4, TBA, both teams will make verbal presentations (no reading) and site evaluations.

 

Resources: 1            Http://pc65.frontier.osrhe.edu/hs/science/clab.html

2      Http://physchem.ox.ac.ukmsds/incompatables.html

3      Http://chem.vt.edu.rvgs/actt/lab//safety_rules.html

4      Http://flinn.sci.com

5      Http://wwitch.unl.edu.safety/hslabcon.html

6      Http://chemistrycoach.com/home.html

7      Http://uwm.edu/dept/ehsrm/lab/

8      Http://uvic.ca/ohs/labsafety.html

9      Http://towson.edu/nsweeting/safeorg.html

10  Http://yale.edu/oehs

 

Teams:                        Day I Pairs                                         Resource Sites

            J. Baez & S. Forgenie            --------------------------            1, 5, 10

            C. Cruz & K. Modoo            -------------------------     2, 6, 8

            M. Mora & Jen. Santiago  ---------------------            3, 7, 5

            S. Gonzalez & S. Grant  -----------------------            4, 9, 1

            M. Mejia & Jon. Santiago  --------------------            5, 10, 2

            S. Eaves & G. White  --------------------------            6, 9, 7

            R. Choudhury & A. Wright ------------------            7, 8, 4

            E. Perales & K. Winston & E. Alvarado----            8, 1, 2, 3, 4

 

Day 2 Committees

Word Document Committee                              Power Point Committee

            Forgenie                                                           Alvarado

            Grant                                                               Baez

            Modoo                                                                        Choudhury    

            Jen. Santiago                                                           Cruz    

            Jon. Santiago                                                           Eaves

            White                                                               Gonzalez

            Wright                                                             Mejia

                                                                                    Mora   

                                                                                    Perales

                                                                                    Winston

 

Evaluation Rubric:            Item                                         % of Project Grade

            Print out of selected rules Day 1 ---------------            20

            Participation Day 2 ------------------------------   20

            Product content comprehensiveness  ----------            20

            Creativity and appearance (including

Grammar & spelling)  ---------------------------  20

Review of Web Sites  ----------------------------   15

Verbal  ---------------------------------------------   5

 

Conclusion: Each site must be evaluated. The review process will begin as a class discussion and will result in a written document by each student before the end of the period. The review will include a racking of the sites (best to worst) with a cited criteria and comments on each site, as well as suggestions for further activities.