Chemistry, 5th Edition

Do your students always understand the underlying chemical reasoning behind the problems they are solving? 

McMurry/Fay presents chemical concepts with quantitative discussions to bring in to sharp focus the connection between chemical reasoning and math.  Three types of problems are designed to help students apply solid chemical reasoning to solving problems. 

• In-chapter “Worked Key Concept” examples give students their first exposure to working through problems on a conceptual level.
• In chapter “Key Concept” problems give students an immediate opportunity to solve problems that test their understanding of chemical concepts.
• End-of-chapter “Understanding Key Concept” problems give students an opportunity to test that they understand all of the major concepts in the chapter before moving on to the multi-concept problems that require this understanding.

How adept are your students at seeing the connections between the various topics presented in general chemistry?

Most topics in general chemistry are not isolated ideas, but pieces of a greater body of knowledge that are interconnected.  McMurry/Fay helps students build a comprehensive understanding of chemistry through topic references.   

Topic Connections that begin with “Remember…” explain how individual topics are related, and give sufficient information so students either don’t have to “flip back”, or know when they should.

How proficient are your students at pulling together the various modes of information they encounter in a text (the words, the graphics, and the numeric data)?

McMurry/Fay’s design uniquely integrates explanatory narrative with key principles by connecting the various modes of information, words, numbers, and graphics.     

• A bolded statement of principle is the first step in connecting the text with the graphic.
• “Text-Graphic Integration Objects” combine expository text with illustrations and graphs as a single presentation of information.  Students do not need to search for a graphic described in the text, or for the text that fully explains a graphic.  In addition to the integration, these objects appear precisely where they fit within the overall presentation. 
• Messages and labels are written directly onto the graphic and serve as an effective and economical way to explain the data.
• Assimilating prior concepts is a stepping stone to multi-concept exam problems.

How do your students use the textbook?

The new layout and design of McMurry/Fay is built in response to conversations with students about their study habits and use of science textbooks.  McMurry/Fay maps to students’ behavior, rather than challenges it.

• Students may not read the text like a novel, but often need to reference information easily and in a meaningful way.  . 
  • Highlighted key principles and information integration allow easy access to sections that show meaning more immediately when a topic is being referenced.  This is particularly important when students need a refresher while in the middle of solving a problem.
• Students need to see how topics in chemistry are related, bu