Summary

In this project, students will “adopt” an element and create a baby book about their “new baby” while they research and learn about the element.

Grade Level

Middle or high school

NGSS Alignment

This project will help prepare your students to meet the performance expectations in the following standards:

• Science and Engineering Practices:
  • Developing and Using Models
  • Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

Objectives

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

• understand basic concepts and structure of the Periodic Table.
• determine the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons for an element.
• draw a Bohr Model of a given element.
• understand that elements are arranged in groups/families and that the elements in these groups/families have similar electron configurations and properties.

Chemistry Topics

• Elements
• Periodic Table
• Atomic Structure
• Atoms

Time

Teacher Preparation: 15 minutes

Lesson: 1-2 classes

Materials

• student handout of directions
• Periodic Table for each student
• Laptops/iPad (internet access)
• construction paper/paper
• markers
• rulers
• staplers
• tape/glue sticks

Safety

No specific safety precautions need to be observed for this activity.

Teacher Notes

• Have students select an element from between #2 (He) and #20 (Ca). This will make it easier to keep track of students. There will obviously be some repetition with multiple students selecting the same element, but each book should be an original, individual creation, so they will all look different from each other.
• Students who choose an element from Group 1A, should know that they do not include Hydrogen (H) in their “family portrait” since it is not an alkali metal.
• Allow students plenty of choice on how to draw the “baby picture” and the “family portrait.” I allow them to use whatever idea they have to represent the body/bodies as long as they have the correct numbers in the picture(s).
• For page 1 of the book, make sure to stress to students that they want to write this as if they are writing a story about their “baby” or as if they were writing a letter to their “baby.”
• For the poem/song/rap, you can be as flexible as you want with how students complete this section. I have students consult with our English/Language Arts staff for ideas and help if needed.
• For page 7 on how much the “child” will earn in its lifetime, I stress to students that I am looking for how much their “child” is worth as the element that it is, not just writing a random number. Have students actually look up the prices of elements online. They could talk about how much the element is worth on the open market, they could discuss how much a lifetime supply of the element is worth (depending on the element chosen), or they can look at the cost of the element within the products it is used in around the world.
• Some teachers may want to allow students to work in partners for this project.
• Teachers may want to create additional requirements for the book depending on the level of the students.
• Website suggestions are included on the student handout.

Cross-Disciplinary Extensions

Connect to Reading
Students will be conducting research in order to answer questions about the element they adopt.

Connect to Writing
Students will be writing as part of the assignment. They will be creating a narrative story as well as a poem/song/rap about their “baby.”

Connect to Social Studies
Students will be researching the history of their element as well as the uses and value of their element.