This activity extends student understanding of the arrangement of the Periodic Table of Elements. Clearly illustrated cards allow students to view important attributes of atoms of selected elements and to famil- iarize themselves with diagrams of atoms and the relationships of the diagrams to the physical attributes. Using the planetary models on the cards to visualize the number of valence electrons, students discover that the column of the Periodic Table (chemical family) that the element is placed in is related to the element’s number of outer shell electrons. They also discover that the row of the Periodic Table in which the element is placed is related to the element’s total number of electron shells and that the total number of electrons in the outer shell of a chemical compound is a multiple of eight.

Kit Contents:

12 Sets of 12 Atomic Structure Cards
28 Student Worksheet and Guides
1 Teacher’s Guide