Classroom Resources: Atomic Structure

1 – 25 of 40 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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  Covalent Bonding, Ionic Bonding, Model of the Atom, Valence Electrons, Lewis Structures | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Chemists in the Lab Game

  In this activity, students will play a game that is modeled after Settlers of Catan to explore how atoms of certain elements combine in fixed ratios to form molecules.

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  Physical Properties, Atoms, Model of the Atom, Electron Configuration, Valence Electrons, Subatomic Particles, Lewis Dot Diagrams, Electrons | Middle School, High School

  Project: Atomic Holiday Ornaments

  In this project, students will design an atomic holiday ornament for a chosen element, along with a certificate of authenticity to display on a “Chemis-tree”. Students will also have the opportunity to vote on the ornaments created by their classmates.

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

  Lesson Plan: Modeling Atomic Theories with Food

  In this lesson, students will create an initial model of an atom (using various food items) drawing from the knowledge that they brought into the class. They will then use the same materials to work through an interactive note-taking lesson on how the model of the atom evolved over time. Having completed the interactive notes, the students return to their original models and adjust as needed.

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  Elements, Periodic Table, Atoms, Model of the Atom, Isotopes, Atomic Mass, Subatomic Particles, Electrons | Middle School, High School

  Lesson Plan: Acting Out Atomic Structure

  In this lesson, students will model the location and behavior of protons, neutrons, and electrons that make up the structure of atoms, focusing on the first 18 elements on the periodic table. Students will model different elements first by adding protons and neutrons (colored balls) to make the nucleus (a basket). Then, the students themselves will represent the electrons that are always moving around the nucleus yet remaining within their designated energy level. This activity is easiest to complete outside or in a large open room to allow for enough room.

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  Observations, Electricity, Atoms, Model of the Atom, Subatomic Particles, Electron Transfer, Electrons, Electrons | Middle School, High School

  Lesson Plan: Understanding Static Electricity

  In this lesson, students will complete a series of activities to explore how the imbalance of charges in materials creates static electricity and how those materials interact with others around them. They will describe the relationship between atomic structure, specifically the role of protons and electrons, and static electricity.

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  Model of the Atom, Electron Configuration, Atomic Theory, Valence Electrons, Subatomic Particles, Atomic Radius, Ionization Energy, Electrons, Orbitals | High School

  Activity: Bohr Model vs. Quantum Mechanical Model

  In this activity, students will compare two models of the atom using cognitive scaffolding to move from the more simplistic Bohr model to the more abstract and accurate quantum mechanical model. They will examine experimental data and use it to explain periodic trends that cannot be accounted for with the Bohr model.

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  Atoms, Model of the Atom, Electron Configuration, Valence Electrons, Electrons, Orbitals , Ions | High School

  Activity: Electron Configuration and Orbital Diagrams

  In this activity, students will learn how to apply the Aufbau principle, Pauli exclusion principle, and Hund’s rule to model electron configurations and orbital diagrams. They will use colored flat marbles to represent different directional spins of electrons as they fill orbitals based on energy level. They will then look for patterns in the electron configurations and orbital diagrams of various atoms and ions.

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

  Demonstration: The Hoopla about Atoms

  In this demonstration, students use a hula hoop that has a ball in the center (hung from a string) to simulate Rutherford’s gold foil experiment.

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  Atomic Spectra, Model of the Atom, Isotopes, Atomic Theory, Subatomic Particles, Emission Spectrum, Electrons, Orbitals , Ions | High School

  Lesson Plan: Atomic Structure Unit Plan

  The AACT high school classroom resource library has everything you need to put together a unit plan for your classroom: lessons, activities, labs, projects, videos, simulations, and animations. We constructed a unit plan using AACT resources that is designed to teach Atomic Structure to your students.

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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, Radiation, Half Lives, Subatomic Particles, Radioactive Isotopes | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Marie Curie Video Questions

  In this activity, students will watch a short video and learn about Marie Curie, her Nobel Prizes, radiation experiments, and discovery of new elements.

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

  Project: Element Project

  In this project, students will become familiar with and have a workable understanding of atomic structure. The students will also create and construct a model of an atom.

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

  Project: The Scientists Behind the Atom

  In this project, students will create a digital (or paper) book about the scientists who contributed to our understanding of the atom.

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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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  Elements, Periodic Table, Atoms, Model of the Atom, Valence Electrons, Atomic Mass, Subatomic Particles | Middle School, High School

  Activity: Mystery Elements

  The students will work in cooperative groups to construct Bohr models of "mystery" elements and record missing information about each element. Students will also create a new "mystery" element card for a classmate to analyze and determine its identity.

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  Periodic Table, Model of the Atom, Valence Electrons, Subatomic Particles, Electrons, Ions | Middle School, High School

  Lab: Sweet Model of the Atom

  In this lesson, students will use different candies to represent electrons, protons, and neutrons to gain a better understanding of atoms, ions, and isotopes.

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  Periodic Table, Model of the Atom, Subatomic Particles, Atomic Radius, Ionic Radius, Electrons | Elementary School, Middle School, High School

  Animation: Atomic & Ionic Radii Animation

  In this animation, students will have an opportunity to visualize atomic and ionic radii. They will look at the different sizes of atoms in the third period and the atoms in the sixth group. They will also look at an atom and its cation as well as an atom and its anion. **This video has no audio**

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  Periodic Table, Model of the Atom, Quantum Numbers, Electron Configuration, Subatomic Particles, Electrons | High School

  Animation: Orbitals Animation

  In this animation, students will visualize how orbitals are superimposed upon one another within an atom, in three dimensions. The orbitals depicted in this animation are 1s, 2s, 2p, 3s, 3p, 4s, and 3d. **This video has no audio**

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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.