Why does the Periodic Table have such a strange shape?

Introduction

                                        

                                    Periodically I wonder - Why the weird shape?

 

                                                    The Big Question for this Unit

     How does the funny shape of the Periodic Table relate to the reactivity of different elements?

Task

Your Mission

In this activity, you will learn about the significance of the strange shape of the Periodic Table and how the shape relates to the reactivity of elements from different locations in the Table. You will be looking at why the elements are arranged is such an odd shape. You’ll learn names for different groupings, explore what you can know about an element based on its relative location and discover new information that will answer the big question above!

 

Web Quest Questions to Answer

  1. What is the Periodic Table?

  2. What are the vertical columns in the Periodic table called?

  3. What are the horizontal rows in the Periodic table called? Why do they end and a new one begins?

  4. What “blocks” are the Periodic Table broken into? Why do the blocks have the names that they do?

  5. What is meant by “periodic trends”?

  6. What are valence electrons, where are they located?

  7. How do valence electrons relate to the Group numbers in the periodic table?

  8. Which part of the Periodic Table has the most reactive elements? Which side has the least?

  9. What is the reactivity trend as you move down a group?

  10. What is the reactivity trend as you move across a period?

  11. How does the funny shape of the Periodic Table relate to the reactivity of different elements? Be sure to incorporate information from the answers to questions 1-10

  12. Tell which website(s) provided were the most useful (see which ones you sited the most in your notes - let me know if it was one you found on your own :)

Process

Web Quest Directions

  1. Visit all of the websites to learn about the Periodic Table

  2. Make a Document to list the questions and answers to each question

  3. Please write answers in your own words

  4. In class we will assign slides to be produced for a class presentation at the end of the unit

 

Useful Resources

Search these websites to find clues to help you answer the questions above about the Periodic Table:

1. OpenEd

2. YouTube

3. Mad Science Network

4. WikiBooks

5. Khan Academy

 

Extension

  1. Develop a feasible experiment to test the accuracy of one of the trends that you discovered in your exploration of the periodic table and its shape. If approved, have fun working in the lab!!

Evaluation

Prepare the following items for submission to Mrs. Bachman for assessment: 

  1. Make a Document to list the questions and answers to each question. Please write the answers in your own words.

  2. Prepare the slide with your partner that you were assigned in class in order to produce the class presentation at the end of the unit. Be sure to use the shared google slide doc Titled "Periodic Table Unit 2".

Conclusion

Standard addressed

Next Generation Science Standards 9-12; HS-PS1

 

HS-PS1-1 Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.

HS-PS1-2 Construct and revise an explanation for the outcome of a simple chemical reaction based on the outermost electron states of atoms, trends in the periodic table, and knowledge of the patterns of chemical properties.

Teacher Page