Periodic Table of the Elements Activity
Skills and concepts that students must have mastered
How the activity is situated in the course
I use the activity as a review in the first week of my Earth Materials class so that students may learn or recall basic concepts such as atomic mass, atomic number, isotopes, electron configurations, element classifications, and common chemical properties. Elemental characteristics are then linked to mineral compositions. Homework is done to prepare for the in-class activity, which takes about 1 hour.
Content/concepts goals for this activity
Higher order thinking skills goals for this activity
Other skills goals for this activity
Description of the activity/assignment
Student Handout Periodic Table Activity (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 979kB May5 14)
Element Card Homework (Acrobat (PDF) 89kB May6 14)
The Element Card Homework file contains card forms for the first 92 elements in alphabetical order, four elements to a page. Each student is assigned a subset of the elements so that the class, as a whole, fills out cards for all elements. For example, if there are 23 people in the course, then each student is assigned four elements (one page). Students turn in the homework, and then the instructor is able to make as many copies as necessary for the in-class activity. I have four tables in class, so I need four complete sets of the 92 elements, with the paper cut so that each element is one "card."
The Student Handout Periodic Table Activity contains the instructions and questions for the in-class activity.
Determining whether students have met the goals
Download teaching materials and tips
- Instructor's Notes for Periodic Table Activity (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 86kB May5 14)
- Answers to Select Questions (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 127kB May5 14)