The Periodic Table

 I don’t know about you; but I associate Chemistry with the Periodic Table.  Most Chemistry textbooks do not teach anything about the Periodic Table until well after the course begins.  I like to introduce the Periodic Table early and get into more specifics, such as periodic trends later.  My Co-op Chemistry class makes Elements Cards as a summer assignment.  Adopt an Element is a project for younger kids; they research elements and create an ad. Element Trading Cards is another way to introduce the Periodic Table.   Here are instructions to color-code the Periodic Table.  Here is a slideshow introduction.  What am I doing?  My plan is to show kids different versions of the Periodic Table, talk about the origin of names for the elements, the names of the groups or families, the numbering systems, and give them instructions to learn the names of 50 elements.  The kids are using the same colors for the groups as those in the summer assignment, Elements Cards to color code blank Periodic Tables.  They will annotate the names of the groups on the Periodic Tables.  I hope.