Australia's Science Forum

After being a middle school (year 8,9 and 10) for ten years, we are finally moving to upper school next year and offering Human Biology and Chemistry for year 11.
Could anyone please help and let me know what sort of special equipment we will need to run these two courses that we probably dont have already for middle school?
Thanks very much
Jen

Do you have a class set of good Microscopes?
How many fume cabinets do you have? you should have that many Quickfit distilling/reflux set-ups and heating mantles, get a tame teacher to go through syllabus and make up a chem list then see what you have.

Thanks Ocker,
we have microscopes but only distillation equipment for one demonstation set up. I'm not sure what heating mantles are?? I think we will buy our chemicals as we go along as delivery is usually pretty quick. I hadnt thought about a fume cupboard. I have one in my prep room which the students can look through from the other side but are not able to use it themselves. Do year 11 and 12 students use fume cupboards themselves much?
any more suggestions eagerly accepted.
jen

Yes for all pracs using organics

Data loggers with pH probes and temp probes.
Spirit lamps

I would add a good set of molecular model kits for them, as well as good glass measuring cylinders, volumetric flasks. and water bottles(juniors seem to destroy them here)
25ml Pipettes and bulbs, check that you have all the equipment for titrations....
Trish

We purchased 4 good balances this year (max 400g/readability 0.01g), and these have been invaluable for the senior classes

In addition to what Ocker said:
We have senior molymod kits, and have just bought a BRIGHT atom model kit [southern biological].
50mL burettes, 250mL and 100mL volumetric flasks, and a few 500mL,1L and 2L volumetric flasks.We use hotplates, not bunsens , and have one stirrer hotplate [mine in prep room] and a magnetic stirrer unit.
we use heaps of the plastic disposable specimen jars,and the disposable plastic 3mL pipettes.
Data Loggers are essential - with sensors of temp,pH, light intenstiy, sound, geiger-muller, drop and bublle counter..
a stock of plastic storage containers 1L and 2L and staff here like the schott bottles with the blue screw lids..250mL and 500mL...
We have DNA Models - 2D and 3D, RNA 2D, amino acid 3D, and various carbon molecular models.
expensive to set up I know - but sometimes if youa re buying a lot of equipment, places will give you an extra discount
Good luck