Organize the NC Standards 8.P.1.

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Elements Grade 8 Physical Science

Throughout the guide, teaching tips are in red.

Activity Description & Students work for two 50-minute class periods to organize element cards and
Estimated Class Time look for patterns in the periodic table that hint at principles of its organiza-
tion. Students perform a task similar to Mendeleev’s, except that they work
with a different set of elements, some of which were unknown in Mendeleev’s
day. The exercise is intended to expose students to the names and properties
of many of the most familiar elements so that they can begin to see how the
elements relate to each other.

Objectives Students will demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the following

ideas and content:

 elements are composed of one kind of matter

 elements have specific measurable properties
 the periodic table is arranged by grouping elements with similar proper-
ties
Students demonstrate this knowledge and understanding by developing their
own organizational scheme for a set of assorted element cards and by analyz-
ing the current Periodic Table to look for organizational patterns.

Correlations to 8.P.1.1 Classify matter as elements, compounds, or mixtures based on how

the atoms are packed together in arrangements.
North Carolina
Science Standards 8.P.1.2 Explain how the physical properties of elements and their reactivity
have been used to produce the current model of the periodic table of
elements.

Brief Science In 1869, Dmitri Mendeleev designed a set of cards with descriptions of ele-
ments, and sorted them until he arranged the elements known at the time into
Background
the first periodic table. He arranged his table according to criteria such as
atomic mass, physical properties, and chemical properties. He even left gaps in
his table where the pattern suggested that yet undiscovered elements should be.
Later, when these elements were discovered, it helped to confirm his system.
Mendeleev did this work before atomic theory had been developed and accepted.
In fact, his work, was fundamental to understanding atomic structure.
As of 2012, the standard form of the periodic table has 118 confirmed ele-
ments arranged by increasing atomic number (the number of protons in an atom
of an element). The 7 horizontal rows, or “periods,” are based on the number of
electrons in the outer shell of the element. The first element in a period has one
electron in the outer shell and the last element in a period has a full outer elec-
tron shell (the un-reactive noble gases). As you move down the table, the periods
are longer due to increased electron shell capacity. The Lanthanides and Acti-
nides are often shown below the table because they would make the last two pe-
riods longer than is practical on a chart.
The table is organized in 18 columns, or “groups.” Elements in a group have
similar numbers of electrons available to engage in chemical reactions. As a re-
sult, they show many chemical similarities. Larger groups, or “blocks,” group
elements with similar characteristics together. These have names such as metal-
loids, transition metals, halides, or noble gases.
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Part 1 — Organize the Elements (50-minutes)

Materials Materials for groups of 2 or 3 students

 element sorting card set (34 white element cards)

Preparation Make sure each team has an element card set available. An area with large tables
or floor space is helpful for this activity.

Procedure 1. To introduce the activity, tell this brief history of Mendeleev. “In our history
of chemistry so far, we saw that people once believed that everything was
made of 4 basic things, and that this system proved less useful as chemists
discovered more kinds of matter. Eventually, chemists started to think that
matter was made of small pieces that fit together in many combinations. By
1869, when Dmitri Mendeleev started his work, scientists had found that
some matter could be broken down into pieces that all had the same charac-
teristics. They called these substances elements, and they named them and
made symbols for them. Elements could be solids, liquids, or gases, but al-
ways made of only one thing. Mendeleev had 63 known elements to work with
when he decided that some principle must exist to organize them. To find
that principle, he wrote down the properties of the elements on cards and
started to work.”
2. Tell students that their job is to read their element cards, and like Mendeleev,
group similar elements together in ways that make sense.
3. As you circulate among the groups, encourage students to break down larger
groups into smaller ones. No hints are necessary as there is no correct an-
swer. Your role is to keep them observing and thinking of new groupings. For
example, solids, liquids, and gases is an obvious first grouping. These groups
can be broken into sub groups based on other criteria. Depending on time,
there are several things to do with students’ grouped element sets:
 Ask students what they notice about the element cards and what character-
istics they used to sort.
 Ask a team to list the elements in one of their groups out loud and chal-
lenge the class to come up with the sorting characteristic for that group.
 Ask teams to move from their table and look at another team’s classifica-
tion scheme to identify characteristics the other team used to group ele-
ments.

This is a good breaking point.

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Part 2 — What Mendeleev Did (50-minutes)

Materials Materials for the whole class

 ability to project BLM 1 and 2
 large version of the periodic table (hidden until the end of the activity and
supplied by teacher).

Materials for groups of 2 or 3 students

 element sorting card set (34 white element cards)
 newly-discovered element card set (6 yellow cards)
 handout version of BLM 1 (optional)

Preparation Make sure teams have large tables or open floor space available.

Procedure 1. Project BLM1 and ask teams to arrange their cards in this order. A paper copy of
BLM 1 can be helpful for this.
2. After students arrange their element cards, explain that this is the scheme,
still used today, that Mendeleev developed. Challenge them to look at the ar-
rangement and find criteria that Mendeleev used to set it up. Push them to
find as many patterns as they can.
3. Tell students that part of Mendeleev’s genius was to intentionally leave spaces
in the table for elements that he hypothesized would be discovered. The gaps
actually helped scientists look for and find these elements. Pass out the yellow
cards and tell students that these new elements were just discovered. Ask
them to put the new elements where they belong in the table.
4. Project BLM 2 and ask students what clues they used to place the new ele-
ments.
Wrap-Up
1. Reveal a larger version of the periodic table and talk with the students about
what the numbers and symbols mean. This is a good time to describe the idea
of an atom and fit it into the periodic table. Mention that in many ways, this
table helped to shape atomic theory.
2. The most important points are:
 In chemical reactions, electrons are the active parts of atoms.
 Reactions tend to make stable arrangements of electrons by filling shells as
much as possible.
 Discuss the ideas of rows and groups with the class, giving examples of
how the reactivity of different elements relates to the atomic theory.
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BLM 1
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BLM 2
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Appendix

Common Student Preconceptions About This Topic

Children have difficulty distinguishing between elements, compounds, atoms,
and molecules for reasons having to do with basic language. For example, ele-
ments are described as “pure” substances, meaning, “made of only one thing.”
For many children, the term “pure” means “without harmful contents,” or
“clean, bright, and as-it-should-be.” In addition, children have difficulty with
the idea of “substance.” For example, some middle school children see ice and
water as different substances. In general, most children’s characterization of
matter is at a macroscopic level, not a microscopic one. They tend to view
chemical combination as a kind of mixing, with only a hazy idea of internal
microscopic chemical bonds. For example, many think that burning is like
evaporation, only faster because of the heat. Although they know that oxygen
is necessary for combustion, they have little sense that it interacts with the ma-
terial that is burning.