Topic: Chemical element – the definition of element and symbols

Target group

Elementary school student (grades 7. and 8.)

Core curriculum:

Primary school. Chemistry.

I. Substances and their properties. Pupil:

8) classifies elements into metals and non‑metals; differentiates metals from non‑metals based on their properties;
9) uses symbols of elements and uses them to record chemical formulas: H, C, N, O, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Ag, Sn, I, Ba, Au, Hg, Pb.

General aim of education

The student defines the chemical element and uses the symbols of selected chemical elements.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• why you should use chemical symbols;

• discuss rules for creating symbols of chemical elements;

• define the terms: element and chemical compound

• explain the difference between an element and a chemical compound;

• give examples of chemical elements and compounds.

Methods/techniques

• activating

  • discussion.

• expository

  • talk.

• exposing

  • film.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• notebook and crayons/felt‑tip pens;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Introduction

1. The teacher hands out Methodology Guide or green, yellow and red sheets of paper to the students to be used during the work based on a traffic light technique. He presents the aims of the lesson in the student's language on a multimedia presentation and discusses the criteria of success (aims of the lesson and success criteria can be send to students via e‑mail or posted on Facebook, so that students will be able to manage their portfolio).

2. The teacher together with the students determines the topic – based on the previously presented lesson aims – and then writes it on the interactive whiteboard/blackboard. Students write the topic in the notebook.

3. Health and safety – before starting the experiments, students familiarise themselves with the safety data sheets of the substances that will be used during the lesson. The teacher points out the need to be careful when working with them.

Realization

1. The teacher refers students to commands 1 and 2 in the abstract, asks them to read their instructions and think about the answers - a talk.

2. Students prepare observation diaries in abstract. They are to record the research question, the hypotheses (before the projection), observations and conclusions (after the screening) on the subject of the film „Chemical elements – origin of the names of some elements” from the abstract. The teacher gives information about the total number of elements, the number of elements found in nature, how many of them were obtained in the laboratory - presents on the multimedia board an illustration of „Gold and silver” as an example of precious elements.

3. The lecturer displays on the multimedia board an illustration of the abstract „Symbols and names of chemical elements”. He discusses the rules for recording symbols of chemical elements. Then he gives the students the elements (indicated in the core curriculum), whose symbols should be remembered and know how to use them in the next lessons.

4. Teacher asks students to do interactive exercises in abstract (individual work).

Summary

1. The student indicated by the teacher sums up the lesson, telling what he has learned and what skills he/she has been practicing.

Homework

1. Make at home a note from the lesson using the sketchnoting method.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Chemical element – the definition of element and symbols

There are various substances in our environment. Among them are those that cannot be broken down into simpler substances. These are chemical elements. Of the currently known 118 chemical elements, 90 occur in nature, but only a few are found in the free (native) state. These include, for example, gold, sulphur, carbon, platinum, copper, arsenic, antimony. Nearly 30 elements were obtained artificially in the laboratory.

The official names have been given to 118 elements until now. For 114 elements, Polish names were established by the Polish Chemical Society. It is a scientific association gathering people connected with chemistry in both professional and non‑professional way. Its aim is to support the development of chemical sciences and their popularization among the public. Names of elements were created from the names of mythological figures, celestial bodies, geographical names, and names of outstanding scientists, while the rest are unofficial translations from Latin.

In everyday life, we often use symbols. Thanks to these, we can understand the necessary information without having to read the verbal description. Examples of such symbols are road signs or pictograms. Chemists also have their way of communicating. Instead of using the full names of elements and chemical compounds, they replaced them with symbols.

Symbols of chemical elements are contractual international names abbreviations. These come mostly from English or from Latin and Greek – in the case of elements known for a long time. Names usually consist of one or two letters, of which the first letter is capital letter and the second (if present) – lower case letter.

• The substance is every element and every chemical compound.

• A chemical element is a simple substance that cannot be divided into simpler substances.

• A chemical compound is a substance composed of atoms of at least two different chemical elements connected to each other.

• Chemical compounds have different properties than the elements it is composed of.