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Periodic Table

The beginning of the school year for chemistry teachers means… #1: atomic structure, and #2: how to read the periodic table. Looking for some fresh ideas? Here is a list of resources you can use to introduce and explore the periodic table. 

periodic-table-puzzle

1. ORGANIZING A STORE: Before diving into the periodic table and how it is organized, you can ask students how a grocery store is organized. What are the sections of the store? What foods go together in certain aisles? Then you can relate it to the periodic table- elements in the same family have similar characteristics. 

2. TARSIA PUZZLE: Tarsia puzzles are a great way to review vocabulary terms. Students arrange the puzzle so the vocabulary word is on one triangle, and the matching definition is on the complementary triangle. You can find the puzzle here. ​


peridic-table-bingo

3. BINGO: One way to familiarize students with elements on the periodic table is by playing bingo. You can find more information at this blog post

4. BATTLESHIP: I came across this periodic table battleship idea and thought it looked so fun! I haven’t tried it with students but I bet they would love it. You can find the directions here


Periodic-table-lesson-plans-middle-school

5. THE NAME GAME: Here is a fun name game you can do with students! It is a free lesson you can download from Biology Roots on TpT. 

6. BUILD A TABLE: Looking for a class project (and some free classroom decor?) Have students research an element and build a periodic table on your classroom wall. You can find this free lesson from Crazy Science Lady on TpT. 


Periodic-table-choice-board

7. PERIODIC TABLE INTERACTIVE GAME: Looking for some digital options? Check out this game where students have to click on given elements. 

8. CHOICE BOARD: Choice boards are great end-of-unit activities students can work on. If you have students that finish their work quickly and have some time to fill, check out this digital choice board. 


Periodic-table-podcast

9. PODCAST: The Royal Society of Chemistry has an interactive site where students can click on an element and listen to a podcast episode. You can check it out here

10. PTABLE: Looking for a deeper dive into the periodic table? Head to ptable.com. Aside from just the basics, you can check out an element’s electronegativity value, melting point, boiling point, density, and more. (You can also download some lesson ideas that go with this site here). 


11. 3D PERIODIC TABLE: This website has a 3D periodic table where students can analyze different trends. It’s really fun to play around with! 

Moving onto polarity and electronegativity next? Check out this blog post with more resources!

Rock on,

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Hi, I'm Becca!

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