[shulien]

i am terribly having a hard time on how to approach this lesson.  most of my students are not getting the technique in balancing.  

can you please suggest activities which were successful among your students?  this lesson has been for 3 days and still they are having hard time doing the balancing.  i could not move to MOLE-MOLE and MASS-MASS Calculations.

[Mitch]

A good review on how to use the Harjadi method to balance chemical equations: http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/1997/Nov/PlusSub/V74N11/p1363.pdf

A cupcake analogy to stoichiometry: http://www.jce.divched.org/cgi-bin/JCE/jce-idx.pl?type=goto&volume=61&issue=12&page=1036

[AWK]

http://www.chemtutor.com/react.htm
http://www.chemtutor.com/redox.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_equation

[arnyk]

The way I was taught:

1) Write the skeleton equation.
2) Balance elements other than H and O
3) As a group, balance any polyatomic ions
4) Balance H
5) Balance O
6) Check that ratios are in lowest term

Well that's how I jotted down the notes...in a practical sense I always went about it intuitively rather than systematically.  Balancing H's and O's last seem to work though.  Also if the given equation is correct, then it will balance easier.  Sometimes I find one impossible to balance  and then realize that it isn't even right to begin with.

[Osh]

a nice trick for if u have half a chemical,which doesnt exist, just double everything.all your numbers should come out whole