The Elements

Atoms, elements, and molecules, oh my! Teaching the fundamentals of chemistry to curious sixth graders has never been easier to accomplish. Here is a resource that pulls together everything needed to get them off to a good start,...

Young scientists construct an understanding of molecular compounds in this hands-on science lesson. Using LEGO® to model the atoms of different elements, students build molecules based on the chemical formulas of common compounds.

Discover how the periodic table tells the story of its elements. Learners begin by studying the makeup of several mixtures. Their analysis leads to a discussion of elements and the periodic table. As they dig deeper, they understand the...

Get down to basics with these worksheets on the structure of atoms. Challenging young chemists to identify information from the periodic table and create Bohr diagrams and Lewis dot structures for different elements, this resource would...

How did ancient scientists classify elements? Answer this question and others as young chemists create a device to test the properties of various elements. They classify elements as metals or nonmetals, learn to differentiate between...

Young scholars discuss how small they must cut something before it is no longer fundamentally the same. An online activity challenges and engages pupils in learning about the periodic table. Two hands-on activities cover elements and...

Beginning Boyles and curious Curies can safely experiment with the virtual mixing of elements using this entertaining application. 

The author-narrator refers to the periodic table of elements as a "massive slab of human genius," then goes on to explain Mendeleev's development of this foundational chemistry tool. Why was his version so much better than others that...

Compound class members' knowledge of elements and compounds with this delightful video clip! As the animated characters work on baking a birthday cake, they reveal that elements are simple substances that can be combined to form...

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...