Eighth Grade Science
Unit 3 : Organizing the Elements
Chemical Building Blocks Textbook: pgs. 76 – 106
Standards:
3. Each of the more than 100 elements of ___________ has distinct properties and a distinct ______________ structure.
All forms of matter are composed of one or more of the elements.
3a. Students know the structure of the _____________ and know it is composed of ___________, neutrons and
_________________.
3b. Students know that ________________ are formed by combining two or more different elements and that compounds
have properties that are different from their constituent elements.
3c. Students know atoms and molecules form _____________ by building up repeating patterns such as the crystal
structure of NaCl or long-chain polymers.
3f. Students know how to use the periodic table to identify _______________ in simple compounds.
7. The organization of the periodic table is based on the __________________ of the elements and reflects the
________________ of atoms.
7a. Students know how to identify regions corresponding to metals, __________________, and inert gases.
7b. Students know each element has a specific number of ______________ in the nucleus (the ____________
__________________) and each isotope of the element has a different but specific number of neutrons in the
_________________.
9. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations.
9a. Students will plan and conduct a _______________ ___________________ to test a hypothesis.
9b. Students will evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of data.
9c. Students will distinguish between variable and controlled parameters in a test.
Academic Vocabulary:
1. Nucleus
2. Protron
3. Neutron
4. Electron
5. Atomic mass unit
6. Valence electron
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Visuals
Periodic Table
Metals and Non-Metals observation
Activities
Internet Periodic Table Activity
Organizing the Elements Worksheet
Properties of a Missing Element Activity
Metals Worksheet
Elements brochure
More Properties of Metals worksheet
Metals and Non-Metals observation
Non-metals and Metalliods worksheet
Essential Questions
To be given at the end of unit
Assessments
Vocabulary quiz will be ________________
Volcano Documentaries will be due ____________
Volcano Test will be on _____________________
Conductor
Alloy
Malleable
Ductile
Corrosion
Magnetic
13.
14.
15.
16.
Reactivity
Diatomic molecule
Metalloid
Nonmetal
Use a car as an analogy for a molecule; for instance, say that you have a Porsche 911
Turbo and ask them how many tires (T), doors (D), and engines (E) they have. Then write
on the board:
T4D2E
Ask them if the car would be the same if you changed the number of tires, doors, and
engines. Note that if there is no number, then there's one of those things there. (If there
weren't any, you wouldn't write it at all.)
Then state that you can change the number of cars by doing the following:
3T4D2E
Have students draw their own analogues -- what would be the formula for a tractor trailer?
Could they draw a T3E?
Apply this system to these compounds.
What elements are in these compounds? How many of each?
O2
2 oxygen atoms
CO2
one carbon atom
2 oxygen atoms
Draw "C02" like this
O------------C-----------O
(It's up to you whether you teach students patterns of atom placement in molecules.)
Draw 3C02 as three separate CO2 molecules:
3CO2
O------C------O O------C------O O------C------O
Draw FeO2, the chemical formula for iron oxide or rust, like this:
O---------Fe-----------O
Now you draw 3FeO2 :
An Elemental Tale: The Gold Dust Kid
The Kid mounted his trusty steed, old [B] ___________. His
shooting [Fe] ____________ strapped to his side, he headed
out for the bright [Ne] ____________ lights of Toronto, aiming
to rob the mid-day stage. There was sure to be a load of
precious [U] ______________ aboard, and probably [K]
____________, too. Inhaling a deep breath of [O] __________
he coughed on the [S] ____________ from the nearby
mills. Since the [Hg] ______________ was climbing, he
quenched his thirst with some H2O, tasting the [Cl]
____________ all big cities like Brockville had. As he headed
north his bones ached from [Ca] _____________deposits built
up over the years of riding the [Zn] ____________ trail.
Overhead a [He] __________-filled balloon floated in the
breeze; the sun beat down like burning [P] ____________.
Soon he spotted the stage, guarded only by a sheriff with a
[Sn] ____________ badge. "Halt," he yelled. "or I'll fill you full
of [Pb] ____________." The sheriff drew his gun, but alas, was
too slow. The Kid's gun, blazing like flaming [Mg]
______________ did the [Cu] ____________ in. Anyone who
drew on the Kid should know his life wasn't worth a plugged
[Ni] ______________. A [Pt] ____________ blonde riding
beside the [Al] ___________-framed coach rode for her life
when the Kid pulled out some [N] ____________ compounds,
preparing to blow the safe to atoms.
Suddenly, a shout rang out, "Hi Ho [Ag] ___________ and a
masked man on a white horse raced across the [Si]
____________ sands like [Na] ______________ skittering on
H2O. A [H] ___________ bomb would not have stopped the
lawman; the Kid had met his doom. The rest of his life was to
be spent behind [Co] ___________ steel bars, a warning to all
who flirt with danger. Your first detention may be the initial step
in a [C] ____________ copy life of the saga of the [Au]
____________ dust Kid. Author unknown