Purpose: You are an author trying to increase the popularity of your children's reference book series. To do this your
publisher has indicated that there are entirely too few science books written specifically for children on the topic of the
periodic table. Your publisher wants you and your writer friends to write a series of books on the periodic table that will
include all of the basic information about the table of the elements and the information you can glean from it, while making
chemistry appeal to a young audience.
Product: Write a children's book appropriate for a fifth or sixth grade child on the topic of the periodic table. The format of
the book should include:





Cover: The book's cover should have the name of your topic, your name, and the class.
Table of Contents: one or two pages long and listing the interesting stuff you put in your book.
Basic Information: organization of the table, families and properties of the families, metals, nonmetals,
metalloids, periodic law, noble gas electron configurations, periodic table trends, atomic radius, ionic charges,
ionization energy, electro-negativity, octet rule, valence electrons. (minimum 6 pages)
"Periodic Table Fun for Kids": design a homework assignment for your readers. Be creative. Use one of the
clue words from the “Clue Words Poster” (develop, analyze, distinguish, etc.)
Glossary: Your glossary should include at least ten (10) words included in your book with appropriate definitions
and pronunciation key. Color-code the words of the glossary where they appear in the book. This is where
descriptions of words like ionization energy, periods, etc. will take place. Don't waste space on the book pages
with wordy explanations of terms you can fit in the glossary. (2-4 pages)
Resources: Check out the following resources to help you research your project:




Textbooks
Websites
Encyclopedias
Anything else you can find
Process: Make a list of everything you need to know about your topic. Use the checklist provided as you construct your
book. Points will be deducted for missed information. The grading rubric is included in the checklist so you have an idea
of what you should include for your grade.



Checkpoint #1 – create a design plan of you book. (i.e. general content and set-up of each page)
o DUE (Oct. 28th – even / Oct. 31st – odd)
Checkpoint #2 – turn in rough draft (i.e. a completed version of your book.)
o DUE (Nov. 3rd – even / 4th – odd)
Checkpoint #3 – turn in final draft (i.e. the edited final copy of your book.)
o DUE (Nov. 10th – even / Nov. 9th – odd)
Learning Advice:
Be sure that your project is:





Accurate: now is not the time to make stuff up. While creativity is appreciated, don't lose points supplying
incorrect information.
Neatly done: It doesn't need to be done on the computer, however, hand written books need to be written neatly
with clear printing. White out is a bad thing. If you make a mistake on a page, start over!
Correctly spelled: One point will be deducted per misspelled word. If you are not sure about the spelling, look it
up, or use spell check.
Colorful: but not distractingly so.
On time: No late projects will be accepted. If your group does not turn it in on the due date, you will have 1 week
to turn it in for up to 70% credit.
Evaluation: Refer to the checklist as to how your project will be graded. The project is worth 100 points and will be a
test grade. Take it seriously, and be creative, but thorough.
Got it?
Point
Value
Topic in your Book
2
A clever title on the cover of your book.
1
Your name on the cover of your book.
1
The name of your class and period on the cover of your book
5
Table of contents.
4
How was the original Periodic Table organized and compare it to today’s version, include
discussion of Periodic Law?
4
Include a discussion of the 3 main groups (metals, metalloids, and nonmetals) on the table. In
your discussions, include major properties of the 3 regions. You might include a diagram or pic
of the table showing the different regions.
6
What are the families and discuss some of their important properties? You might include a
diagram or picture of the table broken up into each family.
5
List some of the properties and some common uses of some of the most important elements in
each group.
6
What are valence electrons and why are they important? Show the noble-gas notations of a
group of elements to illustrate a common number of valance electrons.
2
How do we determine the number of valence electrons an element has?
4
How can we shorten electron configurations to concentrate more on the valence electrons?
4
What is the Octet Rule? And how does it relate to how “active” an element is?
4
How can we use the valence electrons and the octet rule to predict the charge an element will
obtain?
8
How is the radius of an element determined, and what tends to happen to the size of an atom as
we go across a period and then as we go down a group on the PT?
8
What is ionization energy, how does it relate to the charge of an ion, and what tends to happen
to this energy as we go across a period, and as we go down a group on the PT?
8
What is electronegativity, how does it affect a chemical bond, and what tends to happen to this
property as we go across a period, and as we go down a group on the PT?
5
Find another periodic trend other than atomic radius, ionization energy, and electronegativity.
Explain it and discuss what it tends to do as we go across a period and as we go down a group
on the PT.
3
Picture of the Periodic Table
15
Glossary of a minimum of ten words in your book
5
Colorful
100
Periodic Table Children’s Book Project