Element Brochures
CHARLES BEYL
by Daryl Kuhn
hen I introduce the periodic table to my seventh
graders, I want them to
learn how to use this valuable
resource, but I don’t expect them
to memorize the entire chart. To
help familiarize my students with
the information available from the
table, I have them create element
brochures. This activity teaches
students how to navigate the periodic table and gives them a chance
to sharpen their research skills. The
nature of this activity allows students of all ability levels to achieve
spectacular results.
W
Teacher preparation
Make a two-sided photocopy of the
brochure page that accompanies
this article for each student. Write
the names of different elements,
one for each member of your class,
S C I E N C E
on small slips of paper and put
them in a fishbowl. Before you
begin the activity, explain how to
use the periodic table to determine
an element’s symbol, atomic number and weight, physical state at
room temperature, and group name
(metal, nonmetal, metalloid, or
noble gas).
As students enter the room,
hand them a folded instructional
brochure and a folded blank brochure to work on and ask them to
select an element from the fishbowl. The brochure explains in
detail what information they will
need to research and where to
place that information on the brochure. After students read the
brochure, answer questions that
they may have about the project.
Then, take your class to the library
to give them time to research their
S C O P E
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O C T O B E R
elements. Students are only allowed
to conduct research at this time—
brochure construction is done at
home.
When the brochures are complete, create a scavenger hunt
based on the information that
students gathered (see Figure 1 for
a sample based on the elements I
assign my students). The scavenger
hunt encourages students to review
their classmates’ brochures and, in
the process, learn about the other
elements. Display the brochures
around the room to show off your
students’ creativity and to give
everyone easy access to each other’s
brochures.
Daryl Kuhn is a science teacher at
Edmunds Middle School in Burlington,
Vermont.
1 9 9 6
Chemistry Assignment
On the back cover, include
• Your name and the assignment due date
• The name of your printer/publisher (use your
imagination)
For this assignment, you will be creating a
brochure about an element that is assigned to you.
Your element is __________________.
• Is the brochure neat and easy to read?
• Is all the required information there?
• Are spelling and grammar correct?
• Is the brochure colorful? Will the reader
want to pick up your brochure and read it?
• Can you add any finishing touches to your
brochure to improve it?
Use your textbook and resources from the library
to locate information about your element.
Refer to this sample brochure for the information
you need to include.
Set up your brochure in the format described.
The assignment is worth three grades, so include
all the required information and do your best! Your
brochure should be fun and interesting to read.
The assignment is due ___________
fold line
fold line
The cover should include
• The element name
• The element symbol
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Remember to check over your brochure after
you have finished it.
Check for the following:
O C T O B E R
1 9 9 6
ELEMENT BROCHURE
S C O P E
• Describe the uses of your element.
• Draw or provide a color picture of it. (You
may need to be creative here. Show a picture
of its use if you cannot draw how the element
occurs in nature.)
S C I E N C E
This page should include
introductory information:
On the middle and right-hand pages, include
information about your element:
On this page, include
• An electron shell diagram.
• The number of electrons are in each shell
around the nucleus.
S C I E N C E
• The atomic mass
• The atomic number
• Who discovered the element
• When it was discovered
• How it was named
• What its natural state is
• Its melting point
• Its boiling point
• The group it belongs to in the periodic table
(noble gas, metal, and so forth)
• Some of its characteristics, such as
color, odor, whether it’s dangerous—explosive,
radioactive, or noxious
• Any interesting facts about the element
S C O P E
24
O C T O B E R
Remember to check all your facts.
Is there anything you can add to improve
your brochure?
Be creative . . . Have fun!
1 9 9 6
fold line
fold line
Element scavenger hunt
Name _____________________
Period _____
Use the element brochures around
the room to identify each element
described. Answers may be used
more than once.
I am an element that . . .
1. has 27 electrons in its orbital
diagram.
2. is used in swimming pools to
keep out bacteria.
3. is used in incandescent lamps.
4. is used in aircraft gas turbine
engines.
5. was discovered by Charles
Wood in South America.
6. melts at 1455°C and boils at
1499°C.
7. is a dangerous gas released by
rocks and soil.
8. is a shiny black solid, but gives
off a purple vapor when heated.
9. has a W for its symbol.
10. is represented by Thomas
Answers
1. Cobalt
2. Chlorine
3. Tungsten
4. Cobalt
5. Platinum
6. Nickel
7. Radon
8. Iodine
9. Tungsten
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Jefferson on a coin.
11. can be used in surgical
instruments.
12. is a solid found in marble,
limestone, chalk, and milk.
13. has a name that means lazy in
Greek.
14. is a silvery-white metal used in
flares, fireworks, and photographic
light bulbs.
15. was isolated in 1808 by Sir
Humphry Davy.
16. is used in fluorescent lights
with argon.
17. is a silvery metal and more
than 4 million tons are produced in
the United States each year.
18. supports all plant and animal
life.
19. was isolated by Martin Henrich
Klaproth in 1789.
20. has a name that means hidden
one in Greek.
21. is used in nuclear fission and is
radioactive, poisonous, and
explosive.
Nickel
Platinum
Calcium
Argon
Magnesium
Calcium
Krypton
Aluminum
Oxygen
Zirconium
S C I E N C E
S C O P E
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
25
22. is a silvery metal used for food
storage, roofs, and poles.
23. is a noble gas used in light
bulbs and photographic pictures.
24. is a black solid contained in
every organism.
25. has a name that comes from a
Greek word meaning stone.
26. can be found formed as
diamond.
27. is an alkali metal that can be
cut with a knife.
28. is a metal used to make
silverware, jewelry, and coins.
29. is explosive and is the lightest
of all metals.
30. has a name that comes from
the goddess of moon, Luna or
Diana.
31. is the lightest of all elements
(atomic number = 1) and is a
flammable gas.
32. is used to make batteries,
enamels, dyes, and in its carbonate
form is used in a drug to treat
depression.
33. is found in aircrafts, automobiles, welding, and cooking
utensils, and is used to transmit
electricity.
34. is a solid and forms rust when
reacted with air.
35. is a halogen gas that is yellow
and explosive.
36. can be dangerous if inhaled or
absorbed through the skin.
37. is a yellow solid and has a gas
form that smells like rotten eggs.
Krypton
Plutonium
Tin
Xenon
Carbon
Lithium
Carbon
Lithium
Silver
Lithium
O C T O B E R
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
1 9 9 6
Silver
Hydrogen
Lithium
Aluminum
Iron
Fluorine
Lead
Sulfur