Did you know that the first time someone isolated a pure element was when Henning Brand boiled down his own urine in 1669 and unknowingly discovered phosphorus? The history of our current periodic table of elements is entertainingly drawn for viewers with clever black-and-white animation. This clip would be a fresh addition to your lecture on elements and the periodic table. 

Concepts

elements, the periodic table

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Additional Tags

periodic table, element, dmitri mendeleev, science

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Pros

• Amusing approach to introducing the history of our understanding of the elements
• Multiple-choice Think questions included for follow up; also customizable by flipping the lesson
• Several other quality resources can be reached via links in Dig Deeper

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.6.7 RI.8.7 RH.6-8.7 RST.6-8.9