Periodic Table: Element Baseball Cards Project

This is a great activity to help get students excited about the periodic table of elements!

Students can work independently or in groups to research an element from the periodic table. On the front of the card, they will include images of the element, its name, and its symbol. On the back of the card, they will complete research to discover the element’s “statistics” including:

Atomic number and atomic mass

Electron configuration (including a diagram)

Family

Melting and boiling points

History of discovery

Uses and fun facts

Then students can present their cards to the rest of the class so everyone learns about several different elements.

Grades to Use With: This project is great for the middle grades (5-8) when the periodic table and elements are first introduced. It could also be used in a high school special education classroom.

Standards:

This project can help support the knowledge required for this standard. Once students understand the configuration of elements, they can use this knowledge to learn about simple molecules.

NGSSMS-PS1-1

Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures. Emphasis is on developing models of molecules that vary in complexity. Examples of simple molecules could include ammonia and methanol. Examples of extended structures could include sodium chloride or diamonds. Examples of molecular-level models could include drawings, 3D ball and stick structures, or computer representations showing different molecules with different types of atoms. Assessment does not include valence electrons and bonding energy, discussing the ionic nature of subunits of complex structures, or a complete depiction of all individual atoms in a complex molecule or extended structure.

If you enjoy this science activity, check out others in my store like

Climate Change Solutions STEM Project

A total of 3 pages in PDF Format:

Title Page

Front of the Baseball Card

Back of the Baseball Card