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ACTIVITY in Valence Electrons, Lewis Dot Diagrams. Last updated March 25, 2020.

Summary

In this activity, students will create a mini periodic table of elements using Lewis dot diagrams to represent each element up to calcium.

Grade Level

High school

Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students should be able to

  • Understand what valence electrons are.
  • Draw Lewis dot diagrams for elements.
  • Recognize that elements in the same column have the same number of valence electrons.

Chemistry Topics

This lesson supports students’ understanding of

  • Valence electrons
  • Lewis dot diagrams

Time

Teacher Preparation: 10 minutes 

Lesson: 45 minutes

Materials

  • Student activity sheet

Safety

  • No safety precautions need to be observed in this activity.

Teacher Notes

This sections includes any information the teacher might need, including

  • This activity could be modified to include transition metals.

•    Valence electrons
•    Lewis dot diagrams

For the Student

Lesson

Given:

  • A periodic table with all electrons drawn for elements up to Ca.
  • A blank periodic table with symbols up to Ca, where students should draw only valence electrons for those elements.