PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS ACTIVITY—INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES
EARTH MATERIALS—PROF. LAURA WETZEL
Homework:
Give each student one, or more, of the pre-formatted cards with specified elements.
92 elements = 23 pages with 4 elements on each page.
Distribute these evenly among the students—some can do extras or I can assign more than one
student to do some of the elements.
Collect the homework, and then make as many copies of the cards as needed, with a maximum
of four total, one set for each lab table. Cut up the pages after making copies.
Optional: Use the Period Table quick study cards for after they have completed the exercise.
Optional: Use a few of the Ward’s cards to look up the mineral info.
Space Needed:
Each 4 x 8 foot lab table is perfect for the 92 elements:
18 cards across x 4.3” per card = 77.4” = 6.45’
9 cards down x 5.5” per card = 49.5” = 4.125’ (While this is a little longer than 4 ft., the last row
is just the 3 actinide elements.)
Homework Below:
If you do not use pre-formatted cards for the elements, then students can simply use index cards
and hand write multiple copies as needed.
PROPERTIES OF THE ELEMENTS—HOMEWORK
EARTH MATERIALS—PROF. LAURA WETZEL
Create an index card for each element you have been assigned. (The list is on the next page.)
Include the following information prominently displayed on one side of the index card:
Element name
Element abbreviation
Atomic number
Atomic mass
Electron configuration (e.g., Carbon: 1s22s22p2)
Element classification:
alkali metal, alkaline earth metal, transition metal, post-transition metal,
lanthanide, actinide, metalloid, halogen, noble gas, other non-metal
Common chemical properties
On the other side of the index card indicate the following information:
Your name
Element name
Element abbreviation
Major uses for the element
Names and chemical formulae of four minerals containing the element OR an explanation
indicating why there are not six minerals containing the element (e.g., element is not
naturally occurring on Earth, element has a short half-life, element is liquid at room
temperature).
Arrange all information neatly and consistently in the same format on each card. Organize the
information in a manner that makes sense to you, which means that your cards may not be
organized in the same way as those created by others.
On one additional index card indicate your name, the names of the elements you were
responsible for, and the sources of your information.
These cards will be used in an exercise in class, so it is crucial that you complete them by the
deadline.
NOTE: Because we have _______ students in class, we need ________ copies of each
element card. In this way, we will be able to spread out people in multiple groups. Simply
make your original cards and then write the necessary number of duplicates to bring to class.
Last modified by LRW on February 6, 2013.
Elements (1-92)
To randomly assign elements, we will go around the room, with each person receiving an
element in each round. Absent individuals will also be assigned elements.
Actinium Holmium Radon
Aluminum Hydrogen Rhenium
Antimony Indium Rhodium
Argon Iodine Rubidium
Arsenic Iridium Ruthenium
Astatine Iron Samarium
Barium Krypton Scandium
Beryllium Lanthanum Selenium
Bismuth Lead Silicon
Boron Lithium Silver
Bromine Lutetium Sodium
Cadmium Magnesium Strontium
Calcium Manganese Sulfur
Carbon Mercury Tantalum
Cerium Molybdenum Technetium
Cesium Neodymium Tellurium
Chlorine Neon Terbium
Chromium Nickel Thallium
Cobalt Niobium Thorium
Copper Nitrogen Thulium
Dysprosium Osmium Tin
Erbium Oxygen Titanium
Europium Palladium Tungsten
Fluorine Phosphorus Uranium
Francium Platinum Vanadium
Gadolinium Polonium Xenon
Gallium Potassium Ytterbium
Germanium Praseodymium Yttrium
Gold Promethium Zinc
Hafnium Protactinium Zirconium
Helium Radium
Notes:
References
Elements can be sorted in various ways:
http://www.science.co.il/PTelements.asp
Basic history of Periodic Table:
Student paper: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/158
Sortable table:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_elements
Other Periodic Table Sources:
http://www.lenntech.com/periodic/elements/
http://www.webelements.com/
chemicalelements.com
http://education.jlab.org/itselemental/
http://periodictable.com/ (This is the poster I have of all the elements in their pure state. The
website is clickable with embedded info.)
Provides geological information for each element in the Periodic Table:
http://www.webelements.com/geology.html
Chemistry Info:
http://chemistry.about.com/
http://chemistry.about.com/od/famouschemists/p/mendeleevbio.htm
Mineral Information:
http://www.galleries.com/minerals/by_class.htm
Misc Info:
http://chemistry.about.com/
This Day in Science History - February 8 - Dmitri
Mendeleev
February 8th is Dmitri Mendeleev's birthday. Most people
associate Mendeleev the first accepted periodic table of the
elements. His table ordered the elements by increasing atomic
weight where columns of elements had similar chemical
properties and is the immediate forerunner of the modern
periodic table.
Mendeleev was also the man responsible for making Russia
"metric". As Director of Russia's Bureau of Weights and
Measures, he was instrumental in bringing the metric system
to Russia.
In his personal life, he was famous for his "grooming".
Mendeleev was widely known for his long hair and wild
beard. He would only cut his hair or trim his beard once a year. He had one minor scandal where
he was labeled a bigamist for a legal technicality for not waiting the required seven years after a
divorce before marrying his second wife.
