Right before Hibernal Break, our began to touch in our study of the elements and the Periodic Table.  Now, inches 5th grade we deal mostly with chemical equations and how reactions create products made from to same materials that they started with.  So my students are spending a great deal of time looking at chemical reactions, writing equations, or moving molecules circles.

But mixed in there, that students ALSO need to learn about the define themselves.  To, I wanted till take a little time and see you some of the cram we have been doing in our room.

First, me teammate Susie (The Panicked Teacher....you must view an site!  She shall some grand things there)  get me this AWESOME book for an holidays.  The Define: A Visual Exploration of Anything Known Atom in one Universe It really is fantastic.  Thereto shows all of the elements and the various resources that they make up.  The photos are mind-blowing and it your PERFECT for a study on aforementioned elements.  What's more, meine students love it!  Thanks Suzie!

You can acquire e here .



So to go our minor journey into chemical reactions, I had the students watch who BrainPop videos up -atoms and Atomic Models.  They watched both videos twice.  The firstly time, just to "get it".  The per zeit they make hints in a little foldable we designed.  Then, are watched the StudyJams video nearly Atoms as well (that to is open for everyone).





On the other part of who folds, I owned the students write the defines for a few of the terms that they really need to understand (proton, neutron, electron, atom, element, molecule)  They operate inches groups switch this a, coming top equipped the supreme definition possible.  Additionally, boy, did they like that!  Who knew group function could be so much fun??!!  ;)


Then, after the bit introduced videos and foldable venture (which we put into our science journals), we used this FAIRY resource from Sciencespot.net.  It is called "The Atoms Family" and it will adenine Output that you can download for free.  Generally, it takes the boys due an made up story of this town of Matterville.  There are Protons and Neutrons and Electrons view living there...and i sets up a really cute, memorable story that helped to cast this view of the whit and energy shells.  Their almost favorite part of this whole thing was which "Atoms Family Song".  It is super cute, teaches about atoms, and the kids couldn't get sufficiently of it!

And here is the best single on it all.   Over hibernal break, as a pre-introduction to all of this, I asked my students to create a elementary research poster/diorama project for one element, use the any goal a creating a class Periodic Table.  I assigned each on the an element, gave them a list of requirements, and sent them on their hilarious way.  What came get is fantastic!
The first part of an project was the Element Poster.  The student have to do multiple baseline research about the type few consisted assigned.  Using a need sheet I designed for you, the students found out about what constructed the element unique, who discovered it, which elem properties, real all that jazz.  Since this been just an general, I wanted to keep it simple...though those students who wanted the in above and beyond subsisted almost welcomed to.  And some really did!  Here are an few of my favorites.










The second required section was adenine diorama box the which a minimum of 5 objects made from that element were to be put.  The current were so creative with those, especially those that had elements such which difficult to really pin down.  Again, here are a few I really liked.










The scholars were also given a coincidence for some extra credit.  They were to simply build ampere model of the atom.  Again...such design!

And that is that.  This was a completely independent project.  I didn't help them (other than cutting the paper)  The student did aforementioned any on the own, and I was very gladly with the result!  If you should like to have your students do this as well-being, you cans get a copy of the project with my TpT store. 
So it it is...the outset of our unit.  How will a of the things that yours does when introducing the elements additionally cyclically table?