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Students, and sometimes teachers do
not think outside the box in order to
come up with a solution to a problem
“It is owing to
wonder that
people begin to
philosophize and
thus wonder
remains the
beginning of
knowledge”
Aristotle 250 B.C.
How do you make the invisible, visible?
By: Nickolaos Tsigaridis
Mentor: Amy Yu
 How
can a teacher teach something that they
themselves has never seen?
 This
is the task that teacher’s must overcome
during the chemistry unit in grade 9 and then
again in the grade 11 university chemistry
course
“Men should strive to think much
and know little.”
Democritus 450 B.C.
 To
elucidate this, teachers must use the tools
that are present to them even those that
they may not think to use
SNC1D
SCH3U
 The
Demonstrate an understanding of the properties of common elements and
compounds, and of the organization of elements in the periodic table.
Demonstrate an understanding of periodic trends in the periodic table and how
elements combine to form chemical bonds.
concept of periodic trends is found in
two courses in the curriculum expectations
 The grade 9 course holds the fundamental
information for success in the grade 11
course
Course
SNC1D
Unit
Expectation
Code
Chemistry C2.1
C3.1
C3.2
C3.5
C3.6
Expectation
use appropriate terminology related to atoms, elements,
and compounds, including, but not limited to: boiling
point, mixtures, particle theory,pure substances, and
viscosity
explain how different atomic models evolved as a result
of experimental evidence (e.g., how the Thomson model
of the atom changed as a result of the Rutherford goldfoil experiment)
describe the characteristics of neutrons, protons, and
electrons, including charge, location, and relative mass
describe patterns in the arrangements of electrons in
the first 20 elements of the periodic table, using the
Bohr-Rutherford model
explain the relationship between the atomic structure of
an element and the position of that element in the
periodic table
Course
Unit
SCH3U
Matter,
Chemical
trends, and
chemical
bonding
Expectation
Code
B2.1
Expectation
B2.2
analyze data related to the properties of elements within a
period (e.g., ionization energy, atomic radius) to identify general
trends in the periodic table
explain the relationship between the atomic number and the
mass number of an element, and the difference between
isotopes and radioisotopes of an element
explain the relationship between isotopic abundance of an
element’s isotopes and the relative atomic mass of the element
state the periodic law, and explain how patterns in the electron
arrangement and forces in atoms result in periodic trends (e.g.,
in atomic radius, ionization energy, electron affinity,
electronegativity) in the periodic table
B3.1
B3.2
B3.3
use appropriate terminology related to chemical trends and
chemical bonding, including, but not limited to: atomic radius,
effective nuclear charge, electronegativity, ionization energy,
and electron affinity
 There
are three misconceptions that I will
focus on for this presentation and related to
this topic

1. Chemistry is too difficult to understand,
especially the periodic table

2.The atom is so small and I can not see it, how
do I really know what it looks like

3. There are so many periodic trends, how can I
remember them all?
Chemistry is too difficult
to understand especially,
the periodic table
“True knowledge is
knowing that you know
nothing”
Aristotle 250 B.C.
 Students
find themselves to be overwhelmed
with the huge amount of information
 Learning to use the periodic table properly will
alleviate much of the stress
 Building knowledge of how to use the table early
in high school will allow the student to excel
when it comes to learning more difficult
concepts
“Give a man a fish, he eats for a day,
teach a man to fish, he eats for a lifetime”
 Literacy
– Using a word wall or
“Greek/Latin” page can help the students
learn many of the root words which will help
them remember the stories behind the
elements
 Visual Aid – Using the structure of the
periodic table to determine how to use it
rather than strict rote memory
 Analogies – using the analogy of siblings you
are able to determine simple relationships
amongst elements
“Vision without action is just
daydreaming”
 Labs/Demo
– there is probably nothing more
important and beneficial for a student than a
hands on activity where they get to use the
actual elements they are learning about. Activity
The students will use the spectrum that is
created from vaporizing elements in order to
determine their place in the periodic table
 Videos
- The series “Discovering the
Elements” can give the students a unique
look at elements that are not present in
schools
The atom is so small and I
cannot see it, how do I
really know what it looks
like?
A scientific truth does not triumph by convincing
its opponents and making them see the light, but
rather because its opponents eventually die and a
new generation grows up that is familiar with it.
Max Planck
 The
road to understanding the structure of the
atom has its roots deeply embedded in the pages
of history.
 It is through this history that the true structure
of the atom can come to life.
 Using history and relating it to a student’s
modern day experience can help the student
discover the elusive structure of an atom.
“Even when laws have been
written down, they ought not
always to remain unaltered.”
Aristotle 250 B.C.
Story telling – The history of science gives us a
unique way as a teacher to use modern day soap
operas to model how the structure of the atom
was discussed, making this a fun lesson will help
the students (get some pop corn and set up a
theatre and put on a show). Remember, scandals
are really easy to remember.
 Prior Knowledge – Using the previous lessons on
discovering the elements and the periodic table
students will be able to use that knowledge to
begin to build their own atoms based on the
information gathered from the correct use of the
periodic table

“The person that asks a question is a fool for five
minutes, the person who does not, is still a fool”
There are so many
periodic trends and it’s so
hard to remember all their
explanations, how do I do
it?
“Facts are the air of scientists.
Without them you can never fly.”
Linus Pauling
 At
this point you have uncovered the
structure of the atom
 where that structure has come from,
and
 how to properly use the periodic table.
 With that information, usually the
students will be able to come up with
conclusions on their own about the
different periodic trends.
Analogies – Using meaningful analogies that are
easy to remember will help the students
Activity
understand the periodic trends
 Demos/Videos – using and reusing the same
demos/videos to help the students understand
different concepts helps solidify the periodic
trend that you are trying to explain and also
indirectly re-supporting prior knowledge learned
in the course or in completely different courses.
 Kinaesthetic – Getting the class up and moving
keeps the students motivated and very sharp.
Making them take part in the lessons helps them
retain the information.

Day 1 – Formative Assessment – A demonstration
of the reaction of sodium and potassium in water
will be performed and the students will be asked
to remember what happens in detail.
 Students will be introduced to the periodic table
including deducing how to use the periodic table
to withdraw pertinent information and why the
structure of the periodic table is important to
that information gathering.
 The students will also watch selected segments
of a video “Discovering the elements” as they
have access to elements that the students will
usually not have access to (ex., Mercury).

 Day
2 – Summative Assessment – The
students will take part in a lab called the
“flame test” lab
 Different salts are placed on a deflagrating
spoon and placed in the flame of the Bunsen
burner.
 The flame will cause the different elements
produce different colours of light.
 It is the student’s job to take the information
gathered during the lab and relate it to the
position that elements are represented in the
periodic table
 Day
3 – Formative Assessment – Students
will be exposed to the history of science
through a story telling session in order to
understand how the history of the
development of the atom is important to
understand why the structure of the atom is
the way it is.
 Day
4 – Formative Assessment – Recalling
the demonstration from the first day,
students are asked to now determine what is
happening at an atomic level to the atoms.
 Explanations
of common periodic trends (ex.,
atomic radius, electronegativity, electron
affinity, and ionization energy) can be
related to that original demonstration.
 The
lessons outlined throughout this
presentation offer a unique opportunity to
interact with all the different types of
learners



Kinaesthetic learners have the opportunity to get
up and try activities
Auditory Learners have the ability to listen and
ask questions, much in the way the early
philosophers did
Visual learners have the chance to watch
demonstrations and see, visually, analogies on
the board or screen of difficult concepts made
easy
 As
in any science chemistry has many safety
considerations
 We must remember that the students will be
coming into contact, or in the near vicinity
of dangerous chemicals, whether they are
dangerously reactive, toxic, poisonous, or
teratogenic to name a few, we must take
precautions when performing the labs and
demos
“In all science, error precedes the truth,
and it is better it should go first than last”
Hugh Walpole
 Example


– Na and K with water
usually react violently but are typically harmless
to students
Explosions can occur uncontrollably and can
cause glass and chemicals to fly outwards
injuring students
 Disposal
– Sometimes the dangers of labs and
demos do not end with the lab or demo
themselves

Example – Na and K with water disposal

Garbage fires are common if there is un-reacted Na or
K present
 the
fact that everything in the visible
universe is made of atoms and knowing
general information of how they work may
prove to be invaluable
 Learning how to use the periodic table is in
order to divulge more information about the
elements is analogous to learning how to use
a map in order to determine the location of
the school in which you sit.
Bad times have a scientific value. These are
occasions a good learner would not miss.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
1.Ontario Curriculum, Science and Technology, Grades 11 and 12,
revised 2008.
Presented in the document are the curriculum expectations that
were used to create the unit plan
2. Nakhleh MB. 1992. Why some students don’t learn chemistry:
Chemistry Misconceptions. Journal of Chemical Education. 69.3.
p191
The article discusses student’s misconceptions about chemistry
3. Özmen H. 2004. Some Student Misconceptions in Chemistry: A
Literature Review of Chemical Bonding. Journal of Science
Education and Technology. 13. 2. P147-159
This is a literature review that looks at several articles and
summarizes some of the misconceptions in chemistry that
students have