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Teaching the periodic table is a central part of chemistry. This might involve memorizing the symbols of the elements, learning about the properties of the families, or understanding its general organization. This year, The International Year of the Periodic Table, marks its 150th anniversary (see "On the web"), and represents a good opportunity to highlight its history.
The underlying patterns described by periodic law, such that the table is organized horizontally by the number of protons and vertically by similar chemical properties in addition to the repeating patterns associated with those electrons found in the outermost shell of an atom correlate with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) Disciplinary Core Idea (DCI) Structure and Properties of Matter (PS1.A) (NGSS Lead States 2013). Furthermore, observing patterns and the relationships underlying them is one of the key crosscutting concepts found in the NGSS (see NGSS connection box, page 35).
The following lesson requires about two traditional class periods or one block period and follows the 5E Instructional Model designed by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study (Bybee 2014) with the added Elicit stage proposed by Eisenkraft (2003). Students first emulate Dmitri Mendeleev's own experience with organizing the elements through a puzzle activity, using patterns to make predictions. Then after reading a non-fiction text about his contributions (Bryson 2008), students gain a foundational understanding of the patterns within the periodic table before spending time exploring the properties of the families.
Elicit
Start class by asking students about their experiences with puzzles, if they like puzzles, and what kinds of puzzles they like. Students spend time sharing about their experiences with puzzles and connecting them to their own interests. Explain that today they will be working on some different kinds of puzzles.
Students should have experience with the ideas of Carol Dweck and understand the difference between having a growth mindset and fixed mindset, and what it means to have a mastery response or a helpless response (Dweck 2006; Mindset Works 2016). This is important because many students find science challenging, and having these conversations in the beginning starts to create a culture that welcomes mistakes as part of the learning process. Students are informed that the puzzle will be challenging, and they need to draw on their growth mindset....