Less

on
plan

Teacher Belen Garcia

School
August Pine Ridge Roman Catholic School
Duration 45 minutes
1 lessons

Title of Lesson:
Elements
Subject Area(s): Science
Grade Level: Standard IV
Essential Question/s
Standards
Subject Specific:
S26.0 Students will understand what pure substance and mixtures are, and how they
are significant to human life.
Technology Specific: Hot Potatoes
1. Content

An element is a pure substance that is made from a single type of atom. Elements are the
building blocks for all the rest of the matter in the world. Examples of elements include

iron, oxygen, hydrogen, gold, and helium.

An element is a pure substance that cannot be broken down by chemical methods
into simpler components. For example, the element gold cannot be broken down into
anything other than gold. If you kept hitting gold with a hammer, the pieces would
get smaller, but each piece will always be gold.
You can think of each kind of element having its own unique fingerprint making it
different than other elements. Elements consist of only one type of atom. An atom is
the smallest particle of an element that still has the same properties of that element.
All atoms of a specific element have exactly the same chemical makeup, size, and
mass.
Atomic Number
An important number in an element is the atomic number. This is the number of protons in
each atom. Each element has a unique atomic number. Hydrogen is the first element and has
one proton, so it has an atomic number of 1. Gold has 79 protons in each atom and has an
atomic number of 79. Elements in their standard state also have the same number of
electrons as protons.
Forms of an Element
Even though elements are all made from the same type of atoms, they can still come in
different forms. Depending on their temperature they can be solid, liquid, or gas. They can
also take different forms depending on how tightly the atoms are packed together
How many elements are there?
There are currently 118 known elements. Of these, only 94 are thought to naturally exist
on Earth.
Families of Elements
Elements are sometimes grouped together because they have similar properties. Here a
few of the types:
Gases - Helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon are all noble gases. They are

Objective(s):

often used in signs as they glow in bright colors when an electrical current is passed
through them.
Alkali Metals - Some examples are lithium, sodium, and potassium.
Periodic Table

References:

Previous Knowledge
Procedures for
Lesson

Students will
1. Define what an element is.
2. Determine how many elements are there, upon interacting with a periodic
table.
3. Identify the uses of familiar elements.
4. Answer given ten multiple choice questions on a Hot Potatoes quiz.
http://www.ducksters.com/science/elements.php
http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-are-elements.html
http://www.chem4kids.com/files/elem_intro.html
Students know that a pure substance has its own set of unique properties which
helps identifies it.
Introduction

Start the lesson asking 4 5 boys and 4 5 girls to come to the front of the

class and stand in groups (by gender).

Explain that the boys represent one pure substance males, and girls

represent a different pure substance females.

Get boys and girls to mingle evenly without touching.
Ask class what the combined groups represent.

Development

Thereafter proceed into the lesson through a video clip presentation on

elements found on the link: http://study.com/academy/lesson/what-are-

elements.html
Prior to the lesson provide students with the questions below.
What is an element?
How many elements are there?
How are elements written as symbols?
How are they the building blocks of matter?
Students need to answer them as they watch and listen to the video clip
Having watched the video, in groups of four have students discuss and share
their responses to the questions with the other group members.
Thereafter, provide students with a copy of the periodic table and have them
look at all the elements on it.
Have students spot the ones familiar to them, for example, gold, silver, lead,
aluminum, iron, copper, nickel etc.
Have group collaboratively record those familiar ones, write their atomic
number, their symbols and to list examples of what these are used by
humans.
Have groups create a brochure of at least three elements. Collaboratively.

Conclusion:
Finally use the link below to have students answer given ten multiple choice
questions in Hot Potatoes. file:///D:/Hot%20potatoes/elements.htm
Assessment or
Evaluation

Rubric for the brochure, questioning technique to assess listening, Hot Potatoesmultiple choice questions quiz

Materials

Video clip, projector, lap top, mobile hot spot, Bristol board, markers, periodic table
copies, questions, Hot Potatoes Multiple choice quiz