Using Crash Course Chemistry in Google Classroom

Using Crash Course Chemistry in Google Classroom

Crash Course Chemistry works especially well in Google Classroom when students have editable copies of the lesson files and teachers have a clear system for distributing, collecting, and checking work. The challenge is making sure teachers and students work from copies they own, not from the shared originals.

A Simple Google Classroom Workflow

  • Open the shared Google folder from the Google Classroom Link PDF.
  • Select the files you need and make your own copies.
  • Organize copies by week, unit, or assignment type.
  • Assign daily episode materials through Google Classroom.
  • Use assessment teacher guides and answer keys for review and grading support.

Why the Shared Folder Needs Copy Instructions

Teachers should not edit the shared originals. They need to copy files into their own Google Drive first. This matters most for Google Forms because responses should collect in the teacher's account. It also prevents accidental edits to master files and makes it easier for teachers to customize assignments for their own students.

Print and Digital Flexibility

A digital workflow is helpful, but many chemistry teachers also need paper options. Editable files let teachers shorten questions, print packets, use selected review activities, or adapt a lesson for a substitute. The best curriculum package supports both workflows without forcing every classroom to operate the same way.

Where the Final Week Fits

Week 12 is especially important in a Google Classroom setup because students may need catch-up time before the final assessment. A synthesis day helps students complete missing work and connect the final two episodes. A final-review day then gives teachers discussion, review games, model repair, and multiple-choice strategy options before the final assessment.

Helpful Next Steps

Video note: Crash Course videos are not included. These teacher-created resources are designed to support instruction with the publicly available Crash Course Chemistry videos. This product is not affiliated with or endorsed by Crash Course.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should teachers download and re-upload every file?
No. In most cases, making copies inside Google Drive is cleaner than downloading and re-uploading.

Can teachers customize the materials?
Yes. Teachers should make their own copies first, then edit those copies for their classroom needs.

Use the Complete 12-Week Crash Course Chemistry Course Map

The finished curriculum organizes all 46 Crash Course Chemistry episodes into 12 weeks and three units. Weeks 1–11 use four episode lessons plus one weekly assessment. Week 12 closes the course with Episode #45 Polymers, Episode #46 The Global Carbon Cycle, a synthesis/catch-up lesson, a final-review and application lesson, and the cumulative Final.

  • Unit 1: Episodes #1–16 — atomic structure, measurement, reactions, stoichiometry, solutions, and gases
  • Unit 2: Episodes #17–32 — thermochemistry, bonding, molecular structure, solutions, equilibrium, acids/bases, and kinetics
  • Unit 3: Episodes #33–46 — solids, electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry, organic chemistry, polymers, and carbon systems

Unit assessments are optional checkpoints. The required course sequence remains 60 instructional days, with the cumulative Final on Day 60.

Preview the complete 12-week pacing in the free Educator Planning Guide.

See the full Crash Course Chemistry curriculum.

Standards and AP Chemistry positioning

The episode Teacher Guides preserve NGSS physical-science/chemistry support and science-literacy connections tied to the actual student task. Those references should not be interpreted as a claim that a single video worksheet completes an entire NGSS performance expectation. The curriculum can also support AP Chemistry review where topics overlap, but an authorized AP course requires the current College Board framework and hands-on inquiry laboratory work.

Laboratory safety

For demonstrations or laboratory extensions, use current school procedures and a formal hazard/risk process such as the American Chemical Society RAMP framework: recognize hazards, assess risks, minimize risks, and prepare for emergencies.

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