Teacher’s guide

A Swedish version of the lesson is available at nobelprizemuseum.se

This is a step-by-step timetable for the Nobel Prize lesson – a ready to use lesson on the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. The lesson is designed to take 45 minutes.

A new tool in the chemist’s toolbox
The 2021 chemistry laureates have studied how chemical reactions work and how they can be accelerated. Working independently of each other, they have developed a method that is cheaper, more efficient and more sustainable than previous methods. This method is called asymmetric organocatalysis.

Teacher’s Guide (PDF 30Kb)

1. Warm-up (5 min)
Ask your students the following questions.

• What is the Nobel Prize?
• Why is it called the Nobel Prize?
• Are you familiar with any Nobel Prize laureate?

2. Show the video about Alfred Nobel and the Nobel Prize (5 min)

3. Slideshow (15 min)
Show the slides, using the speaker’s manuscript.

Slideshow (PDF 2,3 MB)

Speaker’s Manuscript (PDF 300 Kb)

4. Show the interview with an expert in the field  (2 min)

5. Student worksheet (10-15 min)
Let your students work individually with the questions and then discuss their answers with a classmate.

Student Worksheet (PDF 150 Kb)

6. Conclusion (5 min)
Summarise what you and the class have understood, and what you have not understood. You can work with the latter on another occasion.

Links for further information
Press release for the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Popular information for the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry