Today, we explored the Periodic Table and how it is organized. To introduce the idea of its organization, we began with a fun activity: each group was given the mission, should they chose to accept, to help identify an unknown suspect based on the rest of the family's pictures. The suspects demonstrated certain patterns, which the students quickly found--each one was wider than the previous, they have different numbers of antennae and fingers, they have 1, 2, or 3 arms, and different body patterns and facial expressions. As they started to look at the different groupings they could make, a chart immerged, which rows and columns that followed certain rules. And the spot that didn't have a card was their missing suspect! Once they had drawn what he looked like, I gave them the card so they could see how close they got (they all did great with this!) I was impressed with how quickly they began to see the different patterns and links between the drawings--even the youngest class only needed a little guidance to keep them on the right track. And then we watched a couple videos to help the kids see the link between this organized chart and how the actual perioidic table is organized in similar ways. The arms represent the different electron valences, the fingers are the electrons, the antennae are the electrons in the outer valence. Then, we looked at what those outer electrons mean for the various atoms--how the atoms can bond with one another based on those electrons valences trying to become complete. We found the atoms on the table and looked at how we could easily tell how many electrons they were missing to have a complete outer shell. We made carbon dioxide or water molecules in each class so they could see how those atoms combined. In the youngest class, after talking about how the hydrogen bonds make water molecules stick together, we tried this out ourselves, putting as many drops of water as we could on a penny and seeing how it made a dome. If any of the kids are interested in memorizing the elements of the periodic table, this song might be a fun way to do it. The youngest class played around with the atoms, making their own molecules, none of which are found in nature, I'm guessing ;) We'll just call it atom art. We also used these flash cards to organize the first 18 elements and see where they are found in real life. Finally, the youngest class revisited the states of matter. We read Dr. Suess' Bartholomew and the Oobleck, and then played with our own oobleck, trying to decide if it is a solid or liquid. Additional ActivitiesVideos:
Crash Course Chemistry: The Periodic Table Still a little confused about the periodic table? This video goes over the creation of the periodic table and how it is organized. Sci Show: Will the Periodic Table Ever Be Complete? This is a look at what do we know about the elements, and what we don't. They Might Be Giants: Meet the Elements Another fun song about the elements. Books: Periodic Table Lift-the-Flap book Lift the 125 flaps in this informative book and discover which elements are crucial to life, which are smelly, explosive or radioactive, and lots more. Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe This beautiful book goes over each element, as well as general information about the Periodic Table. Activities: Build an Atom Check out the virtual atom building game included in this post (scroll down a ways) or print out a periodic table to color code. Check out some of the alternative ways of arranging the elements in this article.
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May 2020
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