On the first day, they will look at the number of protons, electrons, and neutrons in the atoms of each element.
Tell students that the class will focus on the first 20 elements over 2 days. Explain the meaning of the numbers and letters in the boxes in the periodic table.The Elements by Tom Lehrer with animation by Mike Stanfill Meet the Elements by They Might be Giants Since they were working with actual samples of elements such as copper, mercury, sulfur, etc., they called it the periodic table of the elements. The people who developed the periodic table could have called it the Periodic Table of the Atoms but they did not have a firm understanding of atoms at that time. This piece of pure carbon is a sample of the element carbon. For instance, a piece of pure carbon is made up of only carbon atoms. An element is a substance made up of all the same type of atom. Explain to students that an atom is the smallest particle or “building block” of a substance. Note: It is often confusing for students to see the terms “atom” and “element” used interchangeably as if they are the same thing. The 100 or so atoms of the periodic table, in different combinations, make up millions of different substances. It’s kind of like the alphabet in which only 26 letters, in different combinations, make up many thousands of words. The periodic table shows all the atoms that everything in the known universe is made from. Explain that each box contains information about a different atom. Tell students that this is the periodic table. Engage Introduce students to the periodic table.This is an online version of the periodic table card game from this lesson that you can assign as class work or homework after students have played the game in the classroom. Divide the class into 10 groups of 2 or 3 students each.įor Lesson 4.2, students can play the Periodic Table Game, Game #1. For Lesson 4.3, you will need the atom name card, taped in the same location in the room, and the four cards beneath it. Tape each of the 20 atom name cards to a spot in the room where students can place the cards that match that atom nearby. You will also need the card in the upper right corner. For this lesson you will need the 5 cards for each element from the left side of each sheet. Laminate each page and cut out the cards. About this Lessonīoth this lesson and Lesson 4.3-The Periodic Table and Energy Level Models both use the atom description cards. The activity sheet will serve as the “Evaluate” component of each 5-E lesson plan. Evaluationĭownload the student activity sheet, and distribute one per student when specified in the activity. They will also be able to explain the meaning of atomic number and atomic mass. Students will identify different atoms by the number of protons in the nucleus and realize that the number of electrons equals the number of protons in a neutral atom. Students will then watch several videos of some interesting chemical reactions involving some of these elements. They will try to correctly match cards with information about an element to each of the first 20 elements. Students will focus on the first 20 elements. They will be introduced to the basic information given for the elements in most periodic tables: the name, symbol, atomic number, and atomic mass for each element. Students will begin to look closely at the periodic table.