A Glowing Recommendation: A Project-Based Cooperative Laboratory Activity To Promote Use of the Scientific and Engineering Practices

One of the most mystifying products on the market for people at any age is the glow stick: a plastic tube that, when snapped, creates a flood of bright, brilliantly colored light without the use of electricity or significant production of heat. In this case, the chemiluminescence reaction also provides an exciting phenomenon through which we can engage students in the Scientific and Engineering Practices. This laboratory project has been developed both to pique students' interest about the task at hand and to have them practice science in a more authentic way than a traditional "cookbook" experiment. In completing this project, students will not only gain an understanding of the factors affecting the rate of the chemiluminescence reaction but also be able to create their own procedures, analyze and interpret their data, and construct an evidence-based argument from their results.