| Teaching Guide
Please refer to the module Teaching
Guide for additional information.
Lesson summary
Instructional use
Pre-lesson activity
Standards covered by this lesson
Selected bibliography
Assessment
Lesson summary
This lesson familiarizes students with the main groups of the periodic
table: alkali metals, alkali earth metals, transition metals, other metals,
nonmetals, and noble gases. The lesson narrator is hydrogen, the first
element. Hydrogen and the noble gases serve as "judge and jury"
while the groups make their case as to why they should be the first in
the Periodic Table of Elements. The first element from each group describes
the property of its group and common uses to persuade readers that they
are more important than the other groups. Throughout the lesson, students
are asked to write their opinions about whether the different groups made
a strong enough case to deserve getting a new position on the table. The
lesson includes access to an Interactive Periodic Table of Elements for
students to engage in hands-on exploration of the periodic table.
Instructional use
This lesson includes multiple voices and would be an excellent choice
for involving students in reading aloud as different characters. Use a
projector to display the lesson to the classroom and have students take
turns reading different parts, such as hydrogen, lithium, boron, etc.
For other instructional use scenarios refer to the module Teaching
Guide.
Pre-lesson activity
It is recommended that teachers preview the lesson to identify
concepts that may need to be reviewed before students begin. Teachers
may also wish to create a vocabulary/spelling list for terms found in
this lesson.
The Periodic Table of Elements consists of rows, called periods, and columns,
called groups. Students may benefit from a review of how to read tables
by columns and rows.
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Standards covered
by this lesson
Refer to the module Teaching
Guide for list a Language Arts goals covered by all WebDocent lessons.
Grades 7-8 Science
Illinois State Goal 11
Have a working knowledge of the processes of scientific inquiry and technological
design to investigate questions, conduct experiments, and solve problems.
Illinois State Goal 12
Have a working knowledge of the fundamental concepts and principles of
the life, physical, and earth/space sciences and their connections.
Selected bibliography
Albert Stwerka, A Guide to the Elements, rev. ed. New
York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Patricia L. Barnes-Svarney, The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference.
New York: The Stonesong Press Inc. and The New York Public Library, 1995.
Assessment
Refer to the module Teaching
Guide for an explanation of the online journal for assessment purposes.
See the Additional
Activities page for ideas for extending the lesson offline.
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