Students will be able to:
- define rock, mineral, and gemstone and give examples of each
- describe the different shapes of mineral crystals and give examples of each
- describe how crystals are characterized
- describe the sources of different colors in minerals and gemstones
- describe some of the ways that chemistry is used to identify the composition and properties of minerals
- describe the properties and uses of a variety of minerals and gemstones
- share their own minerals, rocks, and gemstones from their collections with the class

I am a certified chemistry teacher (grades 7-12) with 6.5 years of experience in the classroom. I have also taught freshman college chemistry and worked in various science outreach settings including museums and science summer camps. From these experiences, I have worked with a lot of different types of learners at various stages of interest, ability, and motivation- from preschoolers wide-eyed at everything in science to high school students simply taking the class as a requirement to college freshmen chemistry majors passionate about the course with never ending questions. I can tailor my teaching style to fit the learner, and I do what I can to make it approachable by anyone.