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The computer will randomly pick an element and present the student with that element's data from the Periodic Table of Elements. They will use that information to answer the question that the computer asks about the number of protons, neutrons, electrons or nucleons (particles in the nucleus) that an atom of that element contains.

Type: Educational Game

This is the final lesson 3 in the Atom Structure Unit. This lesson allows students to program in Scratch and switch the costumes based on the operational conditions placed on the sprite. The final product in this lesson will showcase the students' conceptual understanding of the atomic structure in a computer science medium.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson 2 of 3 in the Atomic Structure unit. This lesson helps students sketch atoms by placing electrons, neutrons, and protons by referring to the periodic table. This lesson also helps students upload/draw costumes on Scratch to create animated objects.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson 1 of 3 in the Atomic Structure unit. This lesson helps students determine charge, structure and location of different components of an atom. This lesson also allows students to sketch the first 18 elements from the periodic table.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this Model Eliciting Activity (MEA), students will use their knowledge of the organization of the periodic table and the basic properties of atoms to determine which elements should be used to develop compounds with two atoms of different elements. Students must determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in a neutrally charged atom of an element using the periodic table. They must also determine which elements will likely bond together using their location on the periodic table. Students completing this MEA will develop two short essay responses to a client in the scientific industry.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be able to explain what an atom is and what its subatomic particles are. Students will be able to read and locate the number of protons for each element on the periodic table. Knowing the location of the protons, they will gain knowledge about the electrons and the neutrons. They will also be able to model an atom and properly locate the protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students learn the charge and location of subatomic particles by dressing as them and creating an atom model in the classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson provides students with the basic foundations of atomic theory and a simple understanding of the periodic table. It provides an easy-to-understand Prezi presentation before leading students into an easy and fun atom building simulation. Assessments are scored by the progam. A vocabulary website is also provided. It can be used on iPads or in a computer lab.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson will teach the concept of differences between stable atoms, ions, and isotopes. The students will take their knowledge of the atomic theory and will build models of varying atomic forms.

Type: Lesson Plan

Through this engaging activity students work as a group to create models of isotopes with stickers and construction paper. Students also use models created by their peers to analyze the number of subatomic particles and determine isotopes' names. All worksheets and data collection sheets are included.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students take visitors on a trip through time to view the development of the atomic theory. During the presentation they list scientists who contributed to our understanding, give dates, and display diagrams that represent the atom in various stages of its development.

Type: Lesson Plan

Follow the story of how the model of the atom has changed over time in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Explore atoms--the smallest unit of matter--and how they are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Many students are initially daunted by the periodic table, but this science teacher has an idea to chip away at their intimidation by building atomic models.

Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Type: Perspectives Video: Teaching Idea

In this activity, learners use colored candy to represent subatomic particles and make a model of an atom (Bohr model). This activity will help familiarize learners with subatomic components of an atom as well as nuclear notation of the periodic table.

Type: Teaching Idea

This article is intended to support reading in the content area. The article provides a chronological description of the development of the atomic theory. Beginning with debates by Greek philosophers in the sixth century B.C., the various beliefs about atoms are explained. For around 2000 years, the subject lay dormant, until John Dalton developed his atomic theory in the 1800s. Delving into tests of Dalton's theory, the author explains how scientists, over time, developed what we now know as the modern day atomic theory.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. This text examines how humans and all things around us are made of elements created in stars. The article references fusion, the powerful collision of enormous stars, and the intense explosion of supernovas. All of this is tied to the creation of heavier elements that hurtle through space, to be reassembled as distant solar systems.

Type: Text Resource

Students determine the number of protons, electrons, neutrons, and nucleons for different atoms

Type: Video/Audio/Animation

A collection of crossword puzzles that test the knowledge of students about some of the terms, processes, and classifications covered in science topics

Type: Video/Audio/Animation

Build an atom out of protons, neutrons, and electrons, and see how the element, charge, and mass change. Then play a game to test your ideas!

Type: Virtual Manipulative

This Flash interactive activity explores atomic structure at a pace that middle school students can easily understand. It contains 26 animated pages that depict the atomic nucleus and the three primary subatomic particles: electrons, protons, and neutrons. It gives learners a taste of the particles' properties, such as charge and mass, without introducing advanced terminology.

Type: Virtual Manipulative