In high school, I did not do very well in chemistry. Not having a good foundation in grade school didn’t help, so I felt lost most of the time in my sophomore-year chemistry-physics class. It was frustrating at best and humiliating when I didn’t understand what was happening, and it appeared everyone else did. It felt like intellectual drowning, and I could barely keep my head above water. I did not pursue advanced chemistry in college because I felt so bad during that high school year.

In my first year as an assistant at Rogers Park Montessori, my head teacher, Lupy Cepeda, allowed me to create exciting follow-ups for book groups and other reading comprehension lessons. I made many follow-ups based on what I wished I could have done in the classroom when I was younger. Then, later in the year, she said we had to do a chemistry component, and I felt an instant pang of anxiety stemming from high school. I knew I would have to reteach myself to introductory chemistry so the students would have a better foundation than what I had. So, after lots of reading, I started developing a series of lessons that would become “The Atom Workshop.”

It took several iterations of the lessons before I began to feel comfortable with the basic chemistry principles. First, that was through relearning everything and then knowing it well enough to teach. Finally, as I taught myself chemistry using the periodic table, I realized I could scaffold knowledge to build upon itself logically. This is the approach I took with the Atom Workshop. This series of lessons will provide individualized grade-level lessons for your upper elementary. Afterward, it will bring all the students together to showcase their knowledge of building molecules.

Fourth graders focus on using the periodic table to derive the subatomic particles of an atom. Next, fifth graders dive deeper into using the periodic table to understand electron energy levels and valence electron placement. Finally, sixth graders look at the different types of electron bonds, either by sharing or giving away valence electrons. The Atom Workshop lesson is a repeatable three-year cycle that builds upon the knowledge of last year. Many students tell me this was one of their favorite lessons, which was an honor to hear, especially from a guy who barely passed high school chemistry.

Materials: 

·      At least one excellent Periodic Table

·      As many atom boards (sometimes called Bohr boards) as you can get.

o   Realistically, three is pretty good, but the more, the better. For example, one year, a class made atom boards as a woodworking project, so each student had their board. It required a large piece of wood, accurate measuring for the energy circles, and a drill with a large rounded head to make the semicircles to represent the electrons.

·      You can use lots of things to represent the subatomic particles. A fan favorite is the candy Skittles, but a more sanitary option would be colored marbles. I typically use red for protons, white/transparent for neutrons, and blue for electrons. I don’t have a good reason for the red, but white/clear is “neutral,” so it might help the students think neutron. When one thinks of electricity, especially special effect lightening, it usually has a bluish hue; therefore, I want the students to think of electricity and electrons.

Age: This lesson is best for upper elementary, but this game could also be fun for middle school.