Classroom Resources: Atomic Structure

1 – 15 of 15 Classroom Resources

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  Atoms, Model of the Atom, Atomic Theory | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Animation Activity: Building Blocks of Matter

  In this activity, students will view an animation that introduces them to the idea that everything is made of atoms, and that since atoms are so extremely small, even small objects contain vast numbers of atoms. They will see several examples to illustrate this point. Then they will be given a brief overview of the evolution of how people thought about atoms from the ancient Greeks through Dalton.

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  Introduction, Elements, History, Periodic Table, Atoms, Model of the Atom, Atomic Theory, Matter | Middle School, High School

  Animation: Atoms: The Building Blocks of Matter Animation

  In this animation, students will be introduced to the idea that everything is made of atoms, and that since atoms are so extremely small, even small objects contain vast numbers of atoms. They will see several examples to illustrate this point. Then they will be given a brief overview of the evolution of how people thought about atoms from the ancient Greeks through Dalton.

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  Inferences, History, Model of the Atom, Atomic Theory, Atomic Radius | Middle School, High School

  Lesson Plan: Indirectly Measuring the Atom

  In this lesson, students will try to determine the radius of one circle and the total area of multiple circles on a piece of paper by indirect measurement. They will relate this to the experiment done by Ernest Rutherford in which he bombarded a gold foil with Alpha particles.

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  Physical Properties, History, Periodic Table, Model of the Atom, Atomic Theory, Atomic Mass, Subatomic Particles, Chemical Properties | Elementary School, Middle School, High School

  Activity: Mendeleev Video Questions

  In this activity, students will watch a video and answer questions about Dimitri Mendeleev. They will learn about his contribution to chemistry, including his organization of the periodic table and awareness to leave gaps for elements that weren’t yet discovered.

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  History, Model of the Atom, Atomic Theory, Subatomic Particles, Electrons, Orbitals | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Neils Bohr Video Questions

  In this activity, students will answer questions while watching a video about Niels Bohr and learn how he redefined thinking about the atom and the electron. His model of the atom advanced our understanding of subatomic particles and holds an important place in the history and development of atomic theory.

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  History, Model of the Atom, Atomic Theory, Subatomic Particles | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Ernest Rutherford Video Questions

  In this activity, students will watch a video about Ernest Rutherford. They will learn about his great contributions to chemistry, including his study of alpha particles and his use of the gold foil experiment. They will also find out that he won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his studies on radioactive substances.

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  History, Radiation, Pros Cons of Nuclear Power, Atomic Theory, Subatomic Particles, Radioactive Isotopes | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Lise Meitner Video Questions

  In this activity, students will complete a short series of questions as they watch the Founders of Chemistry video about Lise Meitner. The video tells the story of Lise Meitner, a pioneering female scientist in the field of nuclear chemistry, who was denied a Nobel Prize but has an Element named in her honor.

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  History, Atoms, Radiation, Pros Cons of Nuclear Power, Atomic Theory, Radioactive Isotopes | Middle School, High School

  Video: Lise Meitner Video

  This video tells the story of Lise Meitner, a pioneering female scientist in the field of nuclear chemistry, who was denied a Nobel Prize but has an Element named in her honor.

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  Model of the Atom, Atomic Theory, Subatomic Particles | Middle School, High School

  Lab: Investigating the Sizes of Atomic Particles

  In this lab, students will use yarn and peas to compare the sizes of the three subatomic particles and will see that most of an atom is empty space.

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  History, Model of the Atom, Atomic Theory, Subatomic Particles, Electrons | Elementary School, Middle School, High School

  Video: Niels Bohr Video

  This video tells the story of Niels Bohr, a great scientist who redefined how we think about atoms and the electron. Bohr’s model of the atom helped to advance understanding of subatomic particles, and holds an important place in the history and development of the atomic theory.

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  History, Model of the Atom, Atomic Theory, Subatomic Particles, Radioactive Isotopes | Middle School, High School

  Video: Ernest Rutherford Video

  Rutherford's initial research was studying alpha particles, which he hypothesized were helium nuclei. With the help of Hans Geiger, Rutherford conducted the gold foil experiment, which justifies that the nucleus of an atom is a dense collection of protons and contains the majority of an atom’s mass. It also inferred that most of the atom is empty space and electrons are not located in the nucleus. He won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1908 for his studies on radioactive substances.

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  History, Periodic Table, Model of the Atom, Atomic Theory, Atomic Mass, Subatomic Particles | Elementary School, Middle School, High School

  Video: Dimitri Mendeleev Video

  This video tells the story of how Dimitri Mendeleev organized the periodic table, even leaving gaps to be filled in with elements that weren't yet discovered.

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  Interdisciplinary, History, Model of the Atom, Culminating Project, Atomic Theory | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Scientist Infographic

  In this activity, students will design and publish an infographic focused on a well-known scientist and their contribution to the development of the atomic model.

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  Atoms, Model of the Atom, Isotopes, Atomic Theory, Atomic Mass, Subatomic Particles, Ions | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Simulation Activity: Building an Atom

  In this simulation, students manipulate the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons in an element and determine how these effect the mass number, atomic number, and other properties of an atom.

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  Elements, History, Atoms, Isotopes, Atomic Theory, Subatomic Particles | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Atomic Structure RAFT

  In this activity, students choose from a number of activity options in order to best display their understanding of atomic structure. The RAFT model will be followed for this assignment, which means the students choose their assignment and may modify the assignment based on Role, Audience, Format, and Topic.