The Atom

Cornell Doodle Notes TEACHER NOTES

These scaffolded Cornell Doodle Notes combine two effective note-taking strategies and can be used as part of the
input for NGSS Disciplinary Core Idea PS1.A: Substances are made from different types of atoms, which combine with
one another in various ways. Atoms form molecules that range in size from two to thousands of atoms; and each atom
has a charged substructure consisting of a nucleus, which is made of protons and neutrons, surrounded by electrons.

These notes cover the general definition of an atom, depict a very simplified version of the history of the atomic theory,
differentiate the subatomic particles proton, neutron and electron, by their charges, masses, and locations within the
atom, explain what isotopes are and how to write an element in isotopic notation (ex: Carbon-12), cover what can be
learned from an element’s square on the Periodic Table, and explain how to calculate the number of neutrons in an atom.

Cornell Notes are a note-taking strategy in which

topic questions are written in a narrow left-hand
column and definitions, explanations, and diagrams
are filled in in the right-hand column. At the bottom
of Cornell Notes, there is typically a section included
for reflection on the lesson’s main points. See the
example to the right.

Doodle Notes (or Sketch Notes) are another note-

taking strategy for which pictures and graphics
activate the visual pathways of the brain, which
helps with retention of information when compared
to standard note-taking. Your visual learners will
really benefit from seeing and coloring in the
pictures aside the main points of the notes!

Doodle Notes is a registered trademark used with

permission. See DoodleNotes.org for more details.

I created a Powerpoint that goes with these notes. The Powerpoint

walks the students through the lesson from the Essential Question and
through all of the Topic Questions. There is a “Quick Watch” video clip
included on the first slide (as well as at the top of the notes
themselves) that you can use as a “hook”/intro. There are three
anticipation questions that the students will answer before and after
watching the video clip. At the end of the Powerpoint (as well as at the
end of the notes themselves) there is a “Sum It Up” section in which
students practice matching the relevant vocabulary to definitions, label
a sample Periodic Table square, calculate the mass number of different
atoms, and complete a chart that puts together all of the information
about the subatomic particles.
 See the Printing
Tips on next page
On the following pages, you will find 3 versions of the Cornell Doodle Notes:

KEY The KEY : pages 4-6 : All notes and “answers” are included on this version
Green Circle : pages 7-9 : Use this version for your lower-level students who need more support, take more
time, or who are learning English as a second language…they will have to fill in missing words

Blue Square : pages 10-12 : Use this version for your mainstream students…they will have to write the topic
questions and fill in some words throughout

Note: the “Sum It Up” practice problems sheet is the same for both student versions.

On the next page are the directions for accessing the Powerpoint for this product via Google Drive (Google
Slides). This is obviously option depending on how you choose to use this in your classroom.

Here are some ways that I suggest using this resource:

1) Whole-Group lesson with differentiation : decide which students should receive which level of the notes.
Hand out the notes to the students. Use the Powerpoint as a presentation and talk aloud through the
lesson while the students take notes. Allow them to color/doodle further during and at the end of the
lesson.

2) Differentiated Small-Group lesson : separate your students into groups by learning level. Give each
student group sets of the appropriate notes for their level. Make sure each group has a device to view
the presentation. Post the Powerpoint or Google Slides to your Google Classroom or other online learning
platform, or email the Powerpoint version to one ‘student leader’ in each group. The students would view
the Powerpoint/Slides together on one device and fill in the notes. Encourage them to add color/further
notes.

3) Individual Note-Taking or Flipped Classroom : Post the Powerpoint or Google Slides presentation to your
Google Classroom or other online learning platform. Hand out the appropriate-level notes to each student.
Students can work at their own pace to view the presentation and complete their notes. Encourage them
to add color/further notes.

Thank you to these

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please consider leaving feedback at Cornell Doodle Notes
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© Sunrise Science 2018
 Printing
Tips!
It depends how you’d like your students to use
these notes. They can be printed one-sided and
folded up into an interactive notebook, or you
can print them double-sided and have students
keep them in binders/folders.
If you print them double-sided, this is what I
suggest doing:
o In the print settings on Adobe/Reader,
keep the “Auto Orientation” button
selected
o Click “FLIP ON LONG EDGE”
o Type in the page numbers that you’d like
to print and the number of copies
Printing the notes this way will avoid your
students having to rotate their paper when
they go to the next side. Instead, they will flip
and the left and right columns will be in the Example
colored
same place!

notes

Google Drive Directions

Below are some instructions for how to download this product and share it with your students via Google Drive. Just a
note– although this is a digital resource, please know that it is for personal classroom use for only you and your students to
share via email, Google Drive, or Google Classroom. Please do not upload this resource online where it can be accessed by
the general public.

Click on this link to access your purchase in Google!:

https://tinyurl.com/ydaytprz
When you click the link above, you’ll be taken to a screen that says “Copy Document”. Click the blue button that says “Make
a Copy”. This will transfer the file to your own Google Drive account.

Preferably, share this resource with your students through your Google Classroom, OR once all of your students have their
own Google Drive account (drive.google.com), share the above link with them and have them make their own copy of the
assignments into their own Google Drive.
Name: _________________________________________________________________________ Class: ______________ Date: KEY
______________

The atom
Analogy My Guess (circle one) Actual
If the atoms of a grapefruit were blown up to the size of blueberries, A basketball A school bus A box store (like Target) The Earth
then the grapefruit would be the size of… A large island (like Jamaica) The United States The Earth

If an atom were blown up to the size of a football stadium, then its A car A soccerball An apple A marble A pea A marble
Quick Just How Small is an Atom? nucleus would be the size of…
Watch: http://tinyurl.com/lcdvfzx The density of an atom’s nucleus is about the same as if you stuffed An elephant A blue whale A box store (like Target) Every person
which of the following into a 1 foot by | foot by | foot-sized box… A metropolitan city (like Chicago) Every person on Earth’s car on Earth’s car

Essential question: What important information does the Periodic Table tell us about the atoms of elements?

Topic Questions: The smallest part of a chemical element that can exist.

1 The word ‘atom’ comes from the Ancient Greek adjective ‘atomos’ which means indivisible.

The concept of an atom has changed over time. Analogies can help us understand the different models:
What is

Schrodinger, Heisenberg,
an atom?

Einstein, and others

Billiard Chocolate Cherry Cotton
ball chip cookie with a pit Solar system ball
Dalton (early 1800s) Thomson (late 1800s) Rutherford (early 1900s) Bohr (1900s) (1900s - present)

2
Protons are like
the ‘fingerprint’
of the atom.
nucleus amu =
Every type of Atomic
What are atom has a

the subatomic
unique number
of protons.
Particle
Name
Proton Neutron Electron Mass Unit
particles? A tiny unit of
Charge mass used to
Positive (+) Neutral (0) Negative (-) measure the
mass of
Symbol
The root
p+ n0 e- subatomic
particles.
sub means
Mass
“under” or | amu | amu 0 amu
“below”
© Sunrise Science 2017
The Atom KEY The current atomic theory is that electrons exist in a ‘cloud’ surrounding an Why are the numbers of these
two particles equal?
extremely tiny, dense nucleus. However, we often still represent the atom in
Topic Questions:
5 p+
the ‘Bohr’ model (like the solar system with electrons in specific orbits around
the nucleus) because it makes it easier to diagram and predict atoms’ behavior.

Subatomic Particles
3
Boron nucleus
Where are (where the mass is) 5 e-
6 n0

Boron’s
the subatomic
particles? electron cloud
(‘massless’ electrons In a neutral (not
moving super fast) charged) atom,
there are an equal
number of positive
Color the protons with your chosen and negative
Do color. Color the neutrons with your particles.
chosen color. Leave the electrons white.

Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons.

4
What is an 6 p+ 6 p+ 6 p+
isotope of an
atom? 6 e- 6 e- 6 e-
6 n0 7 n0 8 n0 What
does this
number
Carbon - 12 Carbon - 13 Carbon - 14 tell you?

Chemical Symbol Mass Number

5 A one or two letter Atomic # To figure out the

9
number of neutrons in
symbol that represents The Atomic Number is
an atom’s most
What does the the element. like the ‘ID’ (identity)

F
common isotope,
Periodic Table The first letter is of the element. It
R-O-U-N-D the atomic
always capitalized. tells how many
tell us? protons the atoms of
mass on the periodic
table to the nearest
Element Name that element contain. whole number.
18.998 rounds to  19
The elements are named
using Latin and Greek
word roots based on Fluorine Atomic Mass Then, subtract the
number of protons
their properties, after The weighted (the Atomic #).
heavenly bodies, after
Gods, after places, and 18.998 average mass of
all isotopes of the
19 subtract 9  10
Fluorine atoms have
© Sunrise Science 2017 after scientists. element. 10 neutrons
 © Sunrise Science 2017

Sum it up! KEY

Match each item with the correct statement:

___C____ 1. The smallest particle of an element that retains the properties of that element A. PROTON

___A____ 2. A positively charged subatomic particle B. NUCLEUS

___D____ 3. A negatively charged subatomic particle C. ATOM

___E____ 4. A subatomic particle with no charge D. ELECTRON

___B____ 5. The central part of an atom containing protons and neutrons E. NEUTRON

Match each item with the correct statement:

___C____ 1. Atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons A. ATOMIC MASS

___B____ 2. Total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus B. MASS NUMBER

___A____ 3. The weighted average of the masses of the isotopes of an element C. ISOTOPE

These are the nuclei of three different atoms. Write the isotopic notation for each (for example, Carbon – 13)
Label each part Atomic
25 Number
of the Periodic

Mn
Table square:
Chemical
Symbol

Element Name Manganese

Atomic Mass 54.94 Beryllium - 9 Nitrogen - 13 Boron - 12

Complete the table below by referencing a periodic table. The first row has been completed as an example.

Chemical Atomic Atomic Mass Hyphenated Notation of # of # of # of neutrons

Symbol Number Mass Number Most Common Isotope protons electrons (Show work : Mass Number – Atomic #)

Phosphorous P 15 30.97 31 Phosphorous – 31 15 15 31 – 15 = 16

Aluminum Al 13 26.98 27 Aluminum – 27 13 13 27 - 13 = 14

Potassium K 19 39.10 39 Potassium – 39 19 19 39 - 19 = 20

Argon Ar 18 39.95 40 Argon – 40 18 18 40 - 18 = 22

Lead Pb 82 207.20 207 Lead – 207 82 82 207 - 82 = 125

Name: _________________________________________________________________________ Class: ______________ Date: ______________

The atom
Analogy My Guess (circle one) Actual
If the atoms of a grapefruit were blown up to the size of blueberries, A basketball A school bus A box store (like Target)
then the grapefruit would be the size of… A large island (like Jamaica) The United States The Earth

If an atom were blown up to the size of a football stadium, then its A car A soccerball An apple A marble A pea
Quick Just How Small is an Atom? nucleus would be the size of…
Watch: http://tinyurl.com/lcdvfzx The density of an atom’s nucleus is about the same as if you stuffed An elephant A blue whale A box store (like Target)
which of the following into a 1 foot by | foot by | foot-sized box… A metropolitan city (like Chicago) Every person on Earth’s car

Essential question: What important information does the Periodic Table tell us about the atoms of elements?

Topic Questions: The smallest part of a chemical ___________ that can __________.

1 The word ‘atom’ comes from the Ancient Greek adjective ‘____________’ which means indivisible.
The concept of an atom has changed over time. Analogies can help us understand the different ______________:
What is

Schrodinger, Heisenberg,
an __________?

______________, and others

B______ C_________ C_______ C______
ball chip cookie with a pit S_____ system ball
__________ (early 1800s) Thomson (late __________) ________________ (early 1900s) Bohr (__________) (1900s - present)

2
Protons are like
the ‘_____________’
of the atom.
n______ amu =
Every type of A______
What are atom has a

the ____________
__________ number
of protons.
Particle
Name
M___ Unit
particles? A tiny unit of
Charge __________ used
to measure
the mass of
Symbol
The root
p+ n0 e- ______________
particles.
sub means:
Mass

© Sunrise Science 2017

The Atom The current atomic __________ is that electrons exist in a ‘cloud’ surrounding an Why are the numbers of these
two particles equal?
extremely tiny, _________ nucleus. However, we often still represent the atom in
Topic Questions:
p+
the ‘________’ model (like the solar system with electrons in specific orbits around
the nucleus) because it makes it easier to diagram and predict atoms’ behavior.

Subatomic Particles
3
Boron nucleus
__________ are (where the __________ is) e-
n0

Boron’s
the subatomic
particles? electron cloud
(‘____________’ electrons
moving super ________)

Color the protons with your chosen

Do color. Color the neutrons with your
chosen color. Leave the electrons white.

Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons.

4
What is an p+ p+ p+
____________ of
an atom? e- e- e-
n0 n0 n0 What
does this
number
C_______ - ___ C_______ - ___ C_______ - ___ tell you?

Chemical Symbol Mass _________

5 A one or two __________ Atomic # To figure out the

9
number of ____________ in
symbol that represents The Atomic Number is
an atom’s most
What does the the element. like the ‘ID’

_________________ The __________ letter is
always capitalized.
Table tell us?
Element Name
The elements are named
using Latin and Greek
word roots based on
their _______________, after
____________ bodies, after
___________, after places,
© Sunrise Science 2017 and after ______________.
F
common isotope,
(____________) of the
R-O-U-N-D the atomic
element. It tells how
many ___________ the
mass on the periodic
table to the nearest
atoms of that
element contain.
__________ number.
18.998 rounds to  19
Fluorine Atomic Mass Then, _____________ the
The weighted number of ____________
(the Atomic #).
______________ mass
18.998 of all ____________ of
the element.
19 subtract 9  _____
Fluorine atoms have
_____ neutrons
 © Sunrise Science 2017

Sum it up!
Match each item with the correct statement:

________ 1. The smallest particle of an element that retains the properties of that element A. PROTON

________ 2. A positively charged subatomic particle B. NUCLEUS

________ 3. A negatively charged subatomic particle C. ATOM

________ 4. A subatomic particle with no charge D. ELECTRON

________ 5. The central part of an atom containing protons and neutrons E. NEUTRON

Match each item with the correct statement:

________ 1. Atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons A. ATOMIC MASS

________ 2. Total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus B. MASS NUMBER

________ 3. The weighted average of the masses of the isotopes of an element C. ISOTOPE

These are the nuclei of three different atoms. Write the isotopic notation for each (for example, Carbon – 13)
Label each part 25
of the Periodic

Mn
Table square:

Manganese

54.94 __________________ __________________ __________________

Complete the table below by referencing a periodic table. The first row has been completed as an example.

Chemical Atomic Atomic Mass Hyphenated Notation of # of # of # of neutrons

Symbol Number Mass Number Most Common Isotope protons electrons (Show work : Mass Number – Atomic #)

Phosphorous P 15 30.97 31 Phosphorous – 31 15 15 31 – 15 = 16

Aluminum

Potassium

Argon

Lead
Name: _________________________________________________________________________ Class: ______________ Date: ______________

The atom
Analogy My Guess (circle one) Actual
If the atoms of a grapefruit were blown up to the size of blueberries, A basketball A school bus A box store (like Target)
then the grapefruit would be the size of… A large island (like Jamaica) The United States The Earth

If an atom were blown up to the size of a football stadium, then its A car A soccerball An apple A marble A pea
Quick Just How Small is an Atom? nucleus would be the size of…
Watch: http://tinyurl.com/lcdvfzx The density of an atom’s nucleus is about the same as if you stuffed An elephant A blue whale A box store (like Target)
which of the following into a 1 foot by | foot by | foot-sized box… A metropolitan city (like Chicago) Every person on Earth’s car

Essential question: What important information does the Periodic Table tell us about the atoms of elements?

Topic Questions: The smallest part of a chemical ___________ that can __________.

1 The word ‘atom’ comes from the Ancient _____________ adjective ‘____________’ which means indivisible.
The concept of an atom has changed over time. Analogies can help us understand the different ______________:

Schrodinger, Heisenberg,
______________, and others
Dalton (early 1800s) (1900s - present)

Protons are . . .
2 amu =
A______
Particle
Name
M___ Unit
A tiny unit of
Charge __________ used
to measure
the mass of
Symbol ______________
The root particles.
sub means:
Mass

© Sunrise Science 2017

The Atom The current atomic __________ is that electrons exist in a ‘cloud’ surrounding an Why are the numbers of these
two particles equal?
extremely tiny, _________ nucleus. However, we often still represent the atom in
Topic Questions:
p+
the ‘________’ model (like the solar system with electrons in specific orbits around
the nucleus) because it makes it easier to diagram and predict atoms’ behavior.

Subatomic Particles
3
Boron nucleus
e-
n0

Boron’s
electron cloud

Color the protons with your chosen

Do color. Color the neutrons with your
chosen color. Leave the electrons white.

Atoms of the same element that have different numbers of neutrons.

4
p+ p+ p+
e- e- e-
n0 n0 n0 What
does this
number
C_______ - ___ C_______ - ___ C_______ - ___ tell you?

5 A one or two __________ To figure out the

9
number of ____________ in
symbol that represents The Atomic Number
an atom’s most
the element. is like the ‘ID’

The __________ letter is
always capitalized.
The elements are named
using Latin and Greek
word roots based on
their _______________, after
____________ bodies, after
___________, after places,
© Sunrise Science 2017 and after ______________.
F
common isotope,
(____________) of the
R-O-U-N-D the atomic
element. It tells how mass on the periodic
many ___________ the table to the nearest
atoms of that __________ number.
element contain. 18.998 rounds to  19
Then, _____________ the
Fluorine The weighted number of ____________
(the Atomic #).
______________ mass
18.998 of all ____________ of
the element.
19 subtract 9  _____
Fluorine atoms have
_____ neutrons
 © Sunrise Science 2017

Sum it up!
Match each item with the correct statement:

________ 1. The smallest particle of an element that retains the properties of that element A. PROTON

________ 2. A positively charged subatomic particle B. NUCLEUS

________ 3. A negatively charged subatomic particle C. ATOM

________ 4. A subatomic particle with no charge D. ELECTRON

________ 5. The central part of an atom containing protons and neutrons E. NEUTRON

Match each item with the correct statement:

________ 1. Atoms with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons A. ATOMIC MASS

________ 2. Total number of protons and neutrons in the nucleus B. MASS NUMBER

________ 3. The weighted average of the masses of the isotopes of an element C. ISOTOPE

These are the nuclei of three different atoms. Write the isotopic notation for each (for example, Carbon – 13)
Label each part 25
of the Periodic

Mn
Table square:

Manganese

54.94 __________________ __________________ __________________

Complete the table below by referencing a periodic table. The first row has been completed as an example.

Chemical Atomic Atomic Mass Hyphenated Notation of # of # of # of neutrons

Symbol Number Mass Number Most Common Isotope protons electrons (Show work : Mass Number – Atomic #)

Phosphorous P 15 30.97 31 Phosphorous – 31 15 15 31 – 15 = 16

Aluminum

Potassium

Argon

Lead
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