Periodic Table Trends and Alignment with the NGSS
PS1.A-"The periodic table orders elements horizontally by the number of protons in the atom's nucleus and places those with similar chemical properties in columns. The repeating patterns of this table reflect patterns of outer electron states."
|
In this lesson, students will design an experiment to uncover the trends that build the structure of the periodic table. Students will investigate the reaction of certain elements and based upon the reactivity, formulate explanations regarding atomic radius, ionization energy, and electronegativity.
|
Periodic Table Trends Lesson Plan
Start of Class:
To start class, write the goals for the day up on the board. The goals for this day are to be able to design a scientific experiment to test/explain periodic table trends. Additionally, take attendance and return the students’ packets turned in on day 1 of the lesson which were reviewed and graded. By adding an additional day in between days 1 and 3, I was able to connect the lessons more coherently for the students so that they could transition to periodic table trends.
The instructor also needs to split up the class into groups. The groups will be divided based on ability level so that the groups will be able to work more independently. My hopes for this activity is that the students are all working together designing their experiment. If I group all of the higher ability students together, that leaves the lesser ability students struggling. I want the students to use this as an opportunity to teach each other and challenge their teamwork skills.
Introduction of Lesson:
This lesson will be introduced using a bell ringer activity. I am going to use the educational tool, “Poll Everywhere” to have a mini introduction quiz at the start of the class. The students will be tested on what they learned in yesterdays class. In addition, the students will have come to class watching a video describing electronegativity, ionization energy, and atomic radius. The video will have given the students a background about what these terms are, not how they are presented on the periodic table. The quiz questions will include:
The students’ responses will be anonymous so that I can assess how much explanation the students will need after I receive the polls. Hopefully the students have described the difference between an atom and an ion correctly based on the first day of the lesson plan. I will ask the class discussion questions based on the results of the poll. If many students did not describe the electronegativity correctly, I will start with something that they did know to build their confidence. Questions will resemble:
The goal for this discussion is to get students thinking about the definitions of these words so that they can design an experiment to test their predictions of each periodic table trend which will lead to them being able to describe the trend by their own experiments.
After the discussion, ask the students to take out their science notebooks for the class activity for the day and pass out the activity worksheet.
Lesson Instruction:
The students will be in charge of designing an experiment to test periodic table trends for upcoming years. I will give them the prompt that they need to design the experiment within the allotted time, but they are doing this in four different groups. The groups will be previously divided ahead of time. Instruct the students that each of the three terms that were described in the beginning of class are represented on the periodic table in a certain trend. The students are in charge of designing an experiment that tests and helps students explain the periodic table trends. I will give the students a rubric containing the outlines of the scientific method. At this point, the instructor must state that the students are to use the scientific model to enhance their experiments. They do not have to follow the strict order nor necessarily have all of the same components, but it is a stepping stone to get them thinking about what they will create.
In addition, there will also be a table that I will stay at throughout the period. At the table, there will be sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and phosphorous. I will tell the students that I am able to show the students the reactivity of all the elements if they so choose. They must walk up to the table and instruct me of which element they would like to see the reactivity. The attached worksheet for the students gives more insight into the premise for the activity and states the prompt for the students. The idea for this type of activity came from the resource listed below:
Periodic Table Trends Experiment Resource
This laboratory experiment is designed for an advanced chemistry class, so I chose to instead do the reactions myself and have the students design an experiment to help incorporate engineering practices into the lesson for the day. The students will be graded upon their inclusion of the different parts of the scientific method and also whether or not they used the classroom resources to get the correct type of trend that is associated with each term.
After the students are finished designing the experiment which should not take them more than the whole time allotted for this exercise, I will go over the periodic table trends using a periodic table. This has to be done to validate the students’ activity because I do not want them walking out of the classroom with misconceptions about what they discovered was the trend for the periodic table. Tell the students that the electronegativity and ionization energy increase across the periodic table and decrease down a periodic table. Tell them that the atomic radius increases across a periodic table and increases down.
Assessments/Checks for Understanding:
Other than the write-ups that the students will turn in once the class ends, the assessment for the day is going to come from the exit slip/mini-quiz that I provide for my students. The exit slip has a picture of the periodic table on it and the students are in charge of writing down the periodic table trends with arrows pointing in the direction of increase. This will help me gauge how successful the activity was for the students and it will also allow me to see how the students are understanding the periodic table trends.
Closure/Wrap-Up/Review:
After everyone has finished with their mini-quiz, I will address the goals for the class one more time to let the students and myself check whether or not the goal was completed. I will do this by asking students if they have think we met this goal today, to raise their hands. I will call on someone who is raising their hand and someone who is not. For each, I will ask him/her why he/she thinks we did – ask the periodic table trends – and why he/she thinks we did not and to provide evidence why based on the days activities.
I think this is a good habit to develop all throughout schooling because students need to be accountable for the goals teachers set throughout a given class period. Teachers additionally need to be responsible, but if educators are outlining goals for their students it helps students grow individually when the time comes for them to make bigger decisions and goals for themselves on their own.
Self-Assessment:
Self-assessment will occur during the mini-quiz portion of the class. There will be 2 additional questions on the bottom of the sheets of paper that state:
1. What are your opinions of this activity?
2. Is there any trend that is still confusing? If yes, which one and why?
These questions will allow me further insight into how the activity went for the students and whether or not I can use this activity again in further lessons on this subject.
To start class, write the goals for the day up on the board. The goals for this day are to be able to design a scientific experiment to test/explain periodic table trends. Additionally, take attendance and return the students’ packets turned in on day 1 of the lesson which were reviewed and graded. By adding an additional day in between days 1 and 3, I was able to connect the lessons more coherently for the students so that they could transition to periodic table trends.
The instructor also needs to split up the class into groups. The groups will be divided based on ability level so that the groups will be able to work more independently. My hopes for this activity is that the students are all working together designing their experiment. If I group all of the higher ability students together, that leaves the lesser ability students struggling. I want the students to use this as an opportunity to teach each other and challenge their teamwork skills.
Introduction of Lesson:
This lesson will be introduced using a bell ringer activity. I am going to use the educational tool, “Poll Everywhere” to have a mini introduction quiz at the start of the class. The students will be tested on what they learned in yesterdays class. In addition, the students will have come to class watching a video describing electronegativity, ionization energy, and atomic radius. The video will have given the students a background about what these terms are, not how they are presented on the periodic table. The quiz questions will include:
- What is the difference between an atom and an ion?
- What is electronegativity?
- What is ionization energy?
The students’ responses will be anonymous so that I can assess how much explanation the students will need after I receive the polls. Hopefully the students have described the difference between an atom and an ion correctly based on the first day of the lesson plan. I will ask the class discussion questions based on the results of the poll. If many students did not describe the electronegativity correctly, I will start with something that they did know to build their confidence. Questions will resemble:
- What is something that someone learned in the video about ionization energy? (If more enticing is needed, break up the word ionization so that students realized they have seen the word, “ion” before.)
- What is something new someone learned about electronegativity? (Again, breaking up this word is useful because students will see the word, “electron” and then know that the term has something to do with electrons.)
The goal for this discussion is to get students thinking about the definitions of these words so that they can design an experiment to test their predictions of each periodic table trend which will lead to them being able to describe the trend by their own experiments.
After the discussion, ask the students to take out their science notebooks for the class activity for the day and pass out the activity worksheet.
Lesson Instruction:
The students will be in charge of designing an experiment to test periodic table trends for upcoming years. I will give them the prompt that they need to design the experiment within the allotted time, but they are doing this in four different groups. The groups will be previously divided ahead of time. Instruct the students that each of the three terms that were described in the beginning of class are represented on the periodic table in a certain trend. The students are in charge of designing an experiment that tests and helps students explain the periodic table trends. I will give the students a rubric containing the outlines of the scientific method. At this point, the instructor must state that the students are to use the scientific model to enhance their experiments. They do not have to follow the strict order nor necessarily have all of the same components, but it is a stepping stone to get them thinking about what they will create.
In addition, there will also be a table that I will stay at throughout the period. At the table, there will be sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and phosphorous. I will tell the students that I am able to show the students the reactivity of all the elements if they so choose. They must walk up to the table and instruct me of which element they would like to see the reactivity. The attached worksheet for the students gives more insight into the premise for the activity and states the prompt for the students. The idea for this type of activity came from the resource listed below:
Periodic Table Trends Experiment Resource
This laboratory experiment is designed for an advanced chemistry class, so I chose to instead do the reactions myself and have the students design an experiment to help incorporate engineering practices into the lesson for the day. The students will be graded upon their inclusion of the different parts of the scientific method and also whether or not they used the classroom resources to get the correct type of trend that is associated with each term.
After the students are finished designing the experiment which should not take them more than the whole time allotted for this exercise, I will go over the periodic table trends using a periodic table. This has to be done to validate the students’ activity because I do not want them walking out of the classroom with misconceptions about what they discovered was the trend for the periodic table. Tell the students that the electronegativity and ionization energy increase across the periodic table and decrease down a periodic table. Tell them that the atomic radius increases across a periodic table and increases down.
Assessments/Checks for Understanding:
Other than the write-ups that the students will turn in once the class ends, the assessment for the day is going to come from the exit slip/mini-quiz that I provide for my students. The exit slip has a picture of the periodic table on it and the students are in charge of writing down the periodic table trends with arrows pointing in the direction of increase. This will help me gauge how successful the activity was for the students and it will also allow me to see how the students are understanding the periodic table trends.
Closure/Wrap-Up/Review:
After everyone has finished with their mini-quiz, I will address the goals for the class one more time to let the students and myself check whether or not the goal was completed. I will do this by asking students if they have think we met this goal today, to raise their hands. I will call on someone who is raising their hand and someone who is not. For each, I will ask him/her why he/she thinks we did – ask the periodic table trends – and why he/she thinks we did not and to provide evidence why based on the days activities.
I think this is a good habit to develop all throughout schooling because students need to be accountable for the goals teachers set throughout a given class period. Teachers additionally need to be responsible, but if educators are outlining goals for their students it helps students grow individually when the time comes for them to make bigger decisions and goals for themselves on their own.
Self-Assessment:
Self-assessment will occur during the mini-quiz portion of the class. There will be 2 additional questions on the bottom of the sheets of paper that state:
1. What are your opinions of this activity?
2. Is there any trend that is still confusing? If yes, which one and why?
These questions will allow me further insight into how the activity went for the students and whether or not I can use this activity again in further lessons on this subject.