Overview:  I created this lab activity to provide my students with a fun way to learn about the components of the atom.  Students will investigate and understand that all matter is composed of atoms.  Key ideas include atoms consisting of particles including electrons, protons and neutrons.  This activity will be done after the introduction of the Periodic Table of Elements. This activity uses Playdough which is and always will be a favorite among kids. This activity provides support for SOL 6.5a in which students are expected to create and interpret a simplified, modern model of the structure of an atom.

Explore the origin of energy bands in crystals of atoms. The structure of these bands determines how materials conduct electricity.

Look inside a battery to see how it works. Select the battery voltage and little stick figures move charges from one end of the battery to the other. A voltmeter tells you the resulting battery voltage.

Students break apart cell phones to determine what elements are located in cell phones.  They then use the elements to determine how the flow of electrons works in the cell phone.  Lastly, create designs using legos to practice engineering practices that would be common in engineering.

This quick engage and explore activity and simulation will help students experience the wonder of static electricity and then help them discover the law of electric charges. They will be able to explain the phenomenon they experienced using the things they learn from the guided simulation. Teachers can walk students through the simulation or have students explore the simulation on their own.

Hands on Chemistry is a resource designed for use in traditional, online, and blended high school Chemistry classrooms. It was developed by Blue Ridge PBS in collaboration with Virtual Virginia. In this video, Chemistry teacher Fred Mitchell demonstrates the flame test, which shows the various colors of the flames of chemicals.

Keywords: electrons, ground state, excited state, sodium, calcium, potassium, strontium, copper, lithium, orbitals, electron configuration

Meets VA SOL CH.2

Hands on Chemistry is a resource designed for use in traditional, online, and blended high school Chemistry classrooms. It was developed by Blue Ridge PBS in collaboration with Virtual Virginia. In this video, Chemistry teacher Fred Mitchell demonstrates the structure of atoms using simple models.

Keywords: shapes of atoms, electrons, elements, linear structure, sulfur dioxide, H2O, Hydrogen, Oxygen, lone pair, Ammonia, Nitrogen, Hydrogen, Sulfur Trioxide, trigonal planar, Methane, Carbon, tetrahedral, Phosphorous Pentachloride, trigonal bipyramidal

Meets VA SOL CH.3

See how light knocks electrons off a metal target, and recreate the experiment that spawned the field of quantum mechanics.

Lesson length: 1-2 hoursGrade level: 6-8This is a three part lesson where students (1) explore elements (and their properties) that are used in materials to build and power a cell phone (any easily accessed, small, electronic machine could stand in for a cell phone), (2) approach activities though an engineering design thinking lens and participate in an active simulation of the movement of electricity (electrons) to power a device, and (3) participate in a Lego build where they experience set constraints to their building project. This can be related to the constraints engineers face as they build cell phones (or anything else).This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1657263. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.