Title: Periodic Table
Objectives
 Teacher will assess student knowledge of atomic structure, valence electrons, and organization of the
periodic table to provide immediate feedback to students about their understanding for reinforcement
 Students can describe the organizational pattern of the periodic table and place an unknown element in
its correct group according to valence electrons
 Students can predict reactivity of an element based on its valence electrons/group and the behavior of its
neighboring elements
Teacher notes and overview of daily lessons
-There will be a quick assessment (15 mins) at the beginning of class. Students will peer correct in order to give
immediate feedback to students about what they know/don’t know and what the teacher needs to reinforce
before wrapping up with a test the following week.
-At this point students have a basic understanding of the components of an atom, charges, structure, and valence
electrons. They have begun to explore patterns in the arrangement of the periodic table due to the energy shells
and valence electrons.
Today they will see how the valence electrons determine how elements
interact with each other. In reality it is not just the valence electrons as other shells have further
out energy levels, but we will simplify for the moment to valence electrons.
-Prime students by asking them about how the elements are arranged and patterns that they recognize so far and
probe them about what might be similar about elements with the same # valence electrons.
-Students will watch a funny video of elements at a party to help them think about how they interact/react.
Watch the video with leading questions the 2nd time around and focus them on the alkalis (group 1) and the
nobel gases (group 8)- why do these elements behave the way that they do? Explore a full shell v. a 1- shell.
-There is another video provided to watch Na and K interact (alkalai)
-The NOVA special “Hunting Elements” is great for a clip on how Mendeleev organized the periodic table and a
clip on the nobel gases, alkalai metals, and halogen gases. There are video questions provided if the teacher
would like to have students follow along with responses.
Detailed Daily Plan
Material
Time: 100 min Lab period or could be one hour period (depending on how much of the NOVA special you want
to show)
Materials (per station or group of students)
-Test
-Colored pencil to peer grade
-Computer and projector
- 3 video links
-Optional Video Questions for “Hunting Elements”
Warm-up/Entry Task
1. 5 minutes to review notes and 15 minute quiz. Have students exchange papers and peer grade and sign
the bottom of the quiz. Return to students so that they can review and then turn into tray for teacher to
record scores.
2. Thus far we have learned about atomic structure and a little bit about the periodic table. What patterns
have we noticed about how the periodic table is arranged? (atomic number increased as you move right,
period tells # of shells, group tells the # of valence electrons. So what is the big deal about valence
electrons? Today we are going to focus on elements in Group 1 and Group 8. Remember how we said
elements act like your friends with personalities that sometimes mesh well and sometimes are explosive?
Well we are going to watch a little element party:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIv210RAkIs&feature=related )
a) What did you notice about how the elements interacted?
b) Watch video again and notice how noble gases (He, Ne, Ar, Rn) interacted and how K and H20
interacted
c) Turn and talk: Why do you think the noble gases are not reactive and the K and H20 were very
reactive? What do you know about their group #? What does this tell us about their valence
electrons?
3. Let’s look at the periodic table. The other elements close by will react in a similar way. Think about
going into the grocery store- If you are looking for lettuce, do you go to the frozen food aisle, the
bakery, the meat department, or the produce section? Everything has its place so that it is easier to find it
quickly.
4. Mendeleev in Russia decided to organize the elements into a BIG table based on their physical and
chemical properties. Let’s investigate a chemical property of Na and K. A chemical property is how they
behave when atoms rearrange. What did you see about K and its chemical reaction in the video? Now
we will watch a demonstration of K in water but also with a nearby element in the same column
(GROUP), Na.
5. Show video of K and Na reactions: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m55kgyApYrY&feature=related
Because they are in the same GROUP, they share similar properties (how they behave with water). That
was group ___? (1). That means that they have 1 valence electron. Let’s investigate group (8)- these are
called the Nobel Gases. Everyone wants to be like one (8 is the magic number for valence electrons).
6. Noble gases like Ne don’t react with other elements but when you run
electricity through them, their electrons get excited and fluoresce.
Watch the NOVA video: begin at minute 40-48
to discuss noble gases, alkalai metals, halogens, and reinforce valence
electrons: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/huntingelements.html#mep-related-links
****OPTIONS FOR NOVA VIDEO: Begin at Minute 26 to look at zooming into an atom, Minute 32 to begin
at Periodic Table and Minute 39 to begin at Noble Gases. Can have students follow along by answering video
guide questions
7.
EXIT SLIP: Rubidium (Rb) is an alkali metal in Group 1 and Chlorine is a halogen in Group 7. If they
are very far from each other on the periodic table, why might they behave similarly?
Hunting the Elements Video Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
How were they able to see the atoms?
How did Mendeleev arrange the periodic table without knowing about atoms or protons?
How did Mendeleev figure out atomic mass without being able to weigh one atom of each element?
How does this video relate to what we did in our testing properties lab?
Why don’t noble gases like to react with others?
What is similar between the alkali metals and the halogen gases? Why do they behave similarly?
What happened when explosive sodium combined with poisonous chlorine gas?
What is something else you would like to study about the elements?
Hunting the Elements Video Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
How were they able to see the atoms?
How did Mendeleev arrange the periodic table without knowing about atoms or protons?
How did Mendeleev figure out atomic mass without being able to weigh one atom of each element?
How does this video relate to what we did in our testing properties lab?
Why don’t noble gases like to react with others?
What is similar between the alkali metals and the halogen gases? Why do they behave similarly?
What happened when explosive sodium combined with poisonous chlorine gas?
What is something else you would like to study about the elements?
Hunting the Elements Video Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
How were they able to see the atoms?
How did Mendeleev arrange the periodic table without knowing about atoms or protons?
How did Mendeleev figure out atomic mass without being able to weigh one atom of each element?
How does this video relate to what we did in our testing properties lab?
Why don’t noble gases like to react with others?
What is similar between the alkali metals and the halogen gases? Why do they behave similarly?
What happened when explosive sodium combined with poisonous chlorine gas?
What is something else you would like to study about the elements?
Hunting the Elements Video Questions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
How were they able to see the atoms?
How did Mendeleev arrange the periodic table without knowing about atoms or protons?
How did Mendeleev figure out atomic mass without being able to weigh one atom of each element?
How does this video relate to what we did in our testing properties lab?
Why don’t noble gases like to react with others?
What is similar between the alkali metals and the halogen gases? Why do they behave similarly?
What happened when explosive sodium combined with poisonous chlorine gas?
What is something else you would like to study about the elements?
THE ATOMIC QUIZ (10 points)
Name ________________________________
Period ___________________
1. What does the atomic # tell you about an atom? (1 point)
2. What does the atomic mass tell you about an atom?- be specific (1 point)
3. What are valence electrons? (1 point)
4.
Draw the atomic model of Fluorine in the box below. (4 points)
Label the following parts:
 Nucleus
 Electron shells/cloud
Write the
 Protons
CHARGE of
 Neutrons
these parts
 Electrons
too!
Period 2
Group 7
5.
Choose one part of your Fluorine atom in the box above to give evidence about. Draw an arrow pointing
to the one part of the atom that you choose, and in the space below explain the evidence we discussed in
class that scientists used to find out about this part of the atom. (1 point)
6.
Oxygen is in the same Period (row) as Fluorine but one column over to the left (Group 6). What can you tell
about oxygen from its position next to Fluorine? (1 point)
7.
Look at the early models of the atom below. Describe one way in which this model changed due to a more
advanced understanding of the atom: ( 1 point)
5.10 REFLECTION QUESTIONS ON THE ATOM
(answer these in your journal with the title and date above)
1. What things about the atom or periodic table am I confident explaining?
2. What things about the atom or periodic table am I unsure or confused about?
3. What is something I would like Ms. Frame to reteach or help me understand better before our test on the atom
and periodic table next week?
4. What has been my favorite activity, lab, or thing to learn about the atom or periodic table and why?
5. Why have we been spending time talking about the VALENCE ELECTRONS? Why might they be very
important?