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- Age
or Grade:
Juniors/Seniors
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- Estimated
Length:
10+ minutes (can be used as an engagement or closing activity)
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- Prerequisite
knowledge/skills:
Students were introduced to Bohr's model of an atom (location of protons, neutrons, and electrons) and are familiar with the periodic table
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- Description
of New Content:
Challenge students to link what they have learned about Bohr's model and the periodic table
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- Goals:
Students will be able to build Bohr's models of Hydrogen, Helium, Lithium, and Beryllium using M & Ms
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- Materials
Needed:
- 1 ziploc bag of M & Ms, 3 colors, 5 of each color per group (groups of 2)
- scrap paper
- periodic table
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- Procedure:
- Opener: Review with students Bohr's model of an atom (draw on the board).
- Development:
- Pass out bags of M & Ms (tell students not to eat until the end of activity) and paper .
- Write on board what each color M & M represents (red = protons, brown = electrons, blue = neutrons).
- As a class, make a model of Hydrogen on their scrap paper (from the periodic table, students know Hydrogen has 1 proton and 1 electron--they haven't learned how to determine the # of neutrons, but they guess it has 1). Make sure students put protons and neutrons in a nucleus and electrons orbiting the nucleus.
- Instruct the students to make a model of Helium on their own. Check that all groups can do it.
- Repeat for Lithium and Beryllium (Beryllium is the first element that # neutrons does not equal # protons; students will have 4 protons, 4 electrons, and 4 neutrons).
- Closure:
- Introduce # neutrons = atomic weight - # protons
- Eat the M & Ms!
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- Evaluation:
The next day, students were asked to draw a Bohr's model of one of these elements.
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- Extensions:
See if the students can build a model of Boron (which also has 1 more neutron than proton).
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