I Love This Class Because ... (Brooks) j a

The Brooks faculty offers classes that range from poetry seminars to a course in zoology and animal behavior. Syllabi, course descriptions and assignments change across our academic departments, but one constant remains: The intellectual curiosity, drive to learn and excitement to engage that Brooks students bring to every class on campus. Here, the Bulletin showcases just a few of the classes that Brooks students love, and asks students what about the class draws them in.

Honors Chemistry

(taught

by Pete Moccia)

FROM THE COURSE CATALOG:

Designed with the belief that science is best learned through first-hand experience and discussion with peers, this course uses a theme-based curriculum designed to ground the study of chemistry in the natural world and everyday life. Guided inquiry promotes scientific reasoning, critical thinking and a greater understanding of concepts. The course consists of six possible units — alchemy, smells, weather, toxins, fire and show time — each organized around a specific body of chemistry content that students can relate to common life examples. The ultimate goal is to lead students to think like scientists and understand the nature of scientific discovery. The course promotes the development of the skills and scientific literacy that students need to become citizens who can make informed decisions about their health, the environment, energy use, nutrition and safety.

I like chemistry in general because it’s cool how elements combine to create something new. Mr. Moccia makes this class fun. We did a lab last semester where we heated up oxygen inside a balloon to the point where the balloon exploded. That was pretty cool, it helped us learn the concept well, and after that the entire class was asking for more explosions.