Virginia Department of Education 
Average Atomic Masses
Facilitate learning by using small objects to teach the principles of atomic mass in your science class. Pupils determine the average mass of varying beans as they perform a series of competitive experiments. They gather data and...
Virginia Department of Education 
Elements and Electron Configuration
It's electronic! Pupils uncover elements and their electron configurations as they explore mass, groupings, correct charges, and sliding theory. Young scientists learn creative ways to remember various elements and correctly...
Curated OER
Up and Atom
"Up and Atom" is a mini-unit introducing middle-schoolers to the wonders of elements. Participants draw atom models, examine the periodic table, compare samples of metals to nonmetals, identify unknown elements, and more! The beginning...
Curated OER
UP AND ATOM
If you are willing to sort through this outline and overlook the portions relating to inaccessible videos, you will find a wealth of support for your introductory chemistry unit. Narrative is presented to help you help learners navigate...
LABScI
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table of Elements: The Secret Agent Lab
Food always gets attention! Model atomic structure using fruit loops to represent the subatomic particles. After building models, scholars create ionic bonds using their models. Finally, they use these concepts to create a periodic...
Curated OER
Relative Masses
Students investigate relative mass using 8 different items. In this relative masses lesson plan, students discuss as a class John Dalton's atomic theory. They take the masses of the 8 items and record their data. They discuss relative...
Cornell University
Atomic Bonding
Explore the connection of surface area to bonding within atoms. Learners complete lab investigations to model changing surface area with different sizes and concentrations of atoms. A flour fireball demonstration follows the labs to...
Curated OER
Understanding the Mole
Learners develop an understanding of the mole and molar masses of elements. For this mole lesson plan, students use beans to find their relative masses and draw parallels to the atomic masses of elements. Learners work in teams and each...
Curated OER
The Structure of the Periodic Table
Students investigate the periodic table, the structure of the atom and the subatomic particles. In this periodic table lesson plan, students complete 5 activities in order to better understand atoms and the periodic table. They use...
Curated OER
Organization of the Elements and Periodic Table
Students identify how to relate the position of an element in the periodic table to its atomic number and atomic mass.  They also identify and interpret how to use the periodic table to identify metals, semimetals, nonmetals, and...
Curated OER
Elements and the Periodic Table
Pupils are introduced to the elements on the Periodic Table and what is meant by element.  Using the Table, they identify the name, atomic mass, number and symbol of each element.  To end the lesson, they discover the characteristics of...
Curated OER
Density and Mass
Learners experiment to find which liquids are more dense.  In this density and mass lesson, students predict and then test objects to observe and measure their density. learners observe which items sink and float. Students complete...
Pingry School
The Periodic Law
Time to put the knowledge to the test! Young scholars take what they know about the periodic table and build their own from scratch. Using clues from 26 different elements, they place elements in a blank periodic table. The clues include...
Curated OER
Composition of the Atom
Students investigate the structure of the atom and its composition. In this atom structure lesson, students find the area of cut out circles and drop pens into the circles. They count the number of marks in the circles and relate their...
Curated OER
Mining an Ore
Students investigate how to determine the percent composition of a mineral in an ore. For this mining an ore lesson plan, students use chocolate chips cookies to represent an ore and they remove precious minerals (the chocolate chips)...
Curated OER
Periodic Table of Elements
Beginning chemists examine a collection of elements and compounds as they are introduced to the periodic table. The lesson plan is not cohesive and does not provide detailed instructions on how to teach it. However, it does includes a...
Chymist
Empirical Formula of a Compound
Because of the work of John Dalton, we are able to write formulas for compounds. The hands-on experiment has scholars prepare a compound from its elements. Using mass data, individuals write the empirical formula for the compound.
Columbus City Schools
Magnificent Mendeleev: An Elemental Tale
Discover how the periodic table tells the story of its elements. Learners begin by studying the makeup of several mixtures. Their analysis leads to a discussion of elements and the periodic table. As they dig deeper, they understand the...
Curated OER
Using several learning modalities to teach about the Periodic Table.
Pupils identify how to relate the position of an element in the periodic table to its atomic number and atomic mass.  They identify how to use the periodic table to identify metals, semimetals, nonmetals, and halogens, and also, alkaline...
Curated OER
The Average Atom - Isotopes
Seventh graders, in groups, complete an Isotopes model and notice that atomic masses are decimal numbers. These masses are an average of all the isotopes of that element.
Curated OER
An Alien Periodic Table
Learners construct a periodic table based on the physical and chemical properties of elements. In this chemistry lesson, students share their work with the class and explain why they classified the elements that way.
Curated OER
The Causes of Differences in Density
Students explore the causes of differences in density.  Students choose objects, measure the mass and volume, and calculate the density of each.  They perform additional density experiments to model atoms and their correspondence to...
Curated OER
The Nucleus / Nuclear Reactions and Elementary Particles
Students describe how radioactivity relates to alpha and beta particles. Using their properties, they write a descriptive paper about the gamma rays and alpha and beta particles. They calculate q-values and the half-life of a given...
Curated OER
Beads, Balls, and Beakers
Students analyze the amount of space required to pack round objects. In this geometry lesson, students practice using space economically by practicing packing spheres into beakers. They then translate this concept to molecules being...