Activities
- Worksheet with descriptions and atoms to label
.
- "Atoms and Matter"
crossword puzzle
.
- Use the "Dream Journey
Into the Atom" poster
to complete the accompanying worksheet.
- "Atomic Structure" worksheet
.
- Have students use the
internet to do this "Chemistry Scavenger Hunt"
.
- Have students to the
"Atomic Structure and Theory" Magic
Square.
- Do this "Atoms and Elements" crossword
puzzle. The author tells you to set your printer options to
print the background. To do this, select "Tools" in your
browser, then "internet options", select the "advanced" tab and scroll
down to "Printing" and place a check in the box, "Print background
colors and images."
- Print this "Electron
Configuration"
chart for your bulletin board or use to make an overhead
transparency.
- Good PowerPoint
presentation of "Electrons in Atoms"
(NOTE: The htm version doesn't seem to work in
the Mozilla Firefox browser.).
- Have students write a
childrens' book on an element with this "Atomic Structure" WebQuest.
- Try this Teacher's
Domain (you must sign up for free) activity, "The Strange World of Electrons," which includes
3
videos.
- "Atomic Musical
Chairs"
is middle schools activity for discovering the structure
of atoms.
- Do this "Atomic Structure"
crossword puzzle.
- In the "Molecular Structure and Geometry" exercise from Patrick Gormley,
students will assign geometry, molecular structure, and hybridization
to five substances using the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsiion
(VSEPR) theory.
- Have your
students play Mrs. J's "Electron Configuration Battleship"
.
- Do Mrs J's "Patterns in Electrons"
worksheet (includes periodic table).
- The "Hog
Hilton"
activity is a clever way of demonstrating the way in
which electrons fill orbitals. It was sent to the Google HSChem
group by Carole Henry of Soutwest High School in San Antonio,
TX.
- Have students do this "Configure Your Electrons"
worksheet.
Labs
- In the "Electrons in
Atoms"
lab students use a dart to determine where electrons
will fall outside the nucleus. Students can use Excel to
graph their results or the teacher can copy and paste the "Generic
Graph" found in my Management Tips section on the Chemistry home
page into the student copy of the lab report. Here is an example
one of my student groups did .
- If using darts in your classroom is out of the
question, try the "Quantum Mechanics and Split Peas"
lab with teacher
instructions . This was
contributed by Caryn Sugden of Greenwood, IN from the NSTA
Listserve .
- Show this "Flame Tests" demonstration of seven elements and have
students complete Abigail Freiberger's "Flame Test
Demonstration"
worksheet that goes with it.
- In the "Nuts and Bolts
Lab"
students will nuts and bolts as models of atoms, and use
them to visualize and study some of the properties of atoms and
compounds.
-
Simulate Rutherford's experiment with "Rutherford's Roller"
.
- Rosemarie Smith of the NSTA Listserve
contributed this "Seeing the Light"
lab that investigates the emission of
light by radient objects.
Links

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