FREE SCIENCE LESSON – “Periodic Patterns & Periodic Law Activity | TRUE NGSS Inquiry-Based Lesson” Recently updated !
by Lab In Every Lesson
9th – 12th Grade
This complete lesson on periodic patterns and periodic law is structured the way NGSS truly intended science learning to happen!
Intended as the final lesson in a high school chemistry sequence devoted to electron location, energy, and behavior in atoms, this lesson challenges students to use all the periodic patterns they’ve learned to propose the periodic law. This is not only a great review of all the information the periodic table holds, but it ensures students use that knowledge and those skills to think critically – like a scientist! – and discover a brand new principle!
Using this lesson and these tools, your students will be able to:
- define the term, “periodic law”.
- use the periodic table to list four microscopic chemical properties (atomic properties) belonging to atoms of elements located in the same group of the periodic table.
- identify the properties that are similar among these atoms located in the same group.
- use video evidence to describe physical and chemical properties among atoms located in Groups 1A and 7A.
- compare and contrast properties among these atoms in the same group but different periods.
Key Features:
- Perfect for high school chemistry (grades 9-12) but easily differentiated for middle school physical science (6-8)
- Student-centered, inquiry-based learning
- Integrates NGSS science and engineering practices of (1) developing and using models, (2) “obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information”, and (3) engaging in argument from evidence.
- Clearly conveys the cross-cutting concept named by the NGSS, patterns, but also includes structure and function relationships related to atomic properties
- Designed for small group work, promoting active learning through collaboration and a divide-and-conquer approach
- Easily differentiated for independent work
- Supports digital and remote learning environments
- Fully editable PowerPoint file for the unique needs of your students
- Video demonstrations substitute hands-on alternatives to ensure you don’t have the hassle of setup and cleanup multiple times a day
WHAT’S INCLUDED
PowerPoint Presentation (Fully Editable):
These are not your typical lecture or notes slides!
- This PowerPoint includes a bell ringer review activity that becomes central to learning new information about periodic patterns and the periodic law.
- The learning objectives are expressed as learning intentions and success criteria, ensuring students know WHY and HOW they will accomplish their learning – plus, they’ll be able to measure their own progress!
- Task instructions and a corresponding artifact outline lead students through a systematic observation-based exploration.
- Then, guiding prompts and questions will encourage them to analyze data and engage deeply with the material.
- Finally, a series of practice problems are included to ensure the activity didn’t only provide them with core ideas but assessment-related skills, as well.
For more on the framework I use to design all my science lessons, check out this blog post.
*Lesson Plan Framework Highlights*
Bell Ringer (Review & Preview, ~ 15min):
In small groups, students will work to summarize what they know about the atomic properties of 3 atoms in various groups: Alkali Metals, Alkaline Earth Metals, Halogens, and Noble Gases. They record their group. A number, period number, number of valence electrons, valence electron configurations, whether or not each atom will gain or lose electrons and by how many, and what their charge will be once they are ionized.
Each small group will contribute their data to a larger graphic organizer to allow the whole-group to better identify periodic patterns. They are prompted to find the 4 similarities among atoms in the same group: the number of valence electrons, their configuration, how they satisfy the octet rule, and their charge once ionized.
Task Instructions / Inquiry-Based Activity, ~20 min:
Students record observations from watching videos that demonstrate the macroscopic physical and chemical properties of elements in Group 1A, the alkali metals, and elements in Group 7A, the halogens.
Artifact Outline / Data-Dependent Analysis, ~10 min:
After careful consideration of their observation data, students conclude that elements in Group 1A and 7A (elements in different periods of the periodic table) share no similarities. In identifying this unique periodic pattern, they define the periodic law.
Skill Practice, ~5-10 min:
From a list, students choose pairs of elements that they would expect to have similar macroscopic physical and chemical properties.
ALSO INCLUDED!!! The Digital Worksheet (via BookWidget):
With prompts and visuals that align closely with the PowerPoint, this worksheet offers flexibility for lesson delivery.
Students can use it to:
- follow along in real time.
- revisit the material independently after an absence.
- prepare for upcoming lessons.
You can
- provide it to a substitute when you’ll be out.
- use it as station work to encourage students work ahead or behind the “middle”
No matter how you teach, it gives you the confidence of being able to deliver the most inquiry-based lesson on periodic patterns and the periodic law possible to the students you lead.
Seesaw Activity:
This in-class digital option simplifies your workflow by making student work review effortless, feedback immediate, and family engagement ongoing through year-long portfolios. It’s part of the student-centered learning system I rely on in my classroom and demonstrate in the Digital Instructional Design Studio.
Curious about integrating tools like BookWidgets and Seesaw into your teaching practice? Check out my YouTube video for practical tips and insights.
Inquiry-Based Experience:
This periodic patterns and periodic law lesson brings the lab experience to life without all the mess and stress!
It incorporates more science and engineering practices than the NGSS requires and promotes delivery of a very authentic inquiry-based experience wherein data is collected, analyzed, and interpreted with even more integrity than a physical lab would provide.
The completely virtual resources and materials used make it an ideal solution for remote or hybrid learning.
Why High School Teachers Love This Resource:
This comprehensive periodic patterns and periodic law lesson package is CHOCK FULL of good stuff! It’ll save you hours of prep time while keeping students actively engaged in the learning process.
It over-delivers on science and engineering practices outlined by NGSS and ensures the expectation of learning through the use of patterns is undeniably achieved.
As a lesson designed to complete a backwards-planned unit so that students can identify periodic patterns and define the periodic law themselves, this lesson requires students to call on a lot of prior knowledge, including:
- element location on the periodic table
- number of valence electrons in atoms
- electron configurations in valence orbitals
- how atoms achieve octets
- physical and chemical properties of substances
How to Use The Resources In This All-In-One Prep Package:
- Project the PowerPoint to guide students through the lesson.
- Lead students through both interactive activities in either small groups or as independent, remediation-style work.
- Assign the digital worksheet or SeeSaw version for students to make their learning visible and make your scoring and awareness of student abilities easier and less time-consuming.
What Teachers Have Said About These Resources:
There aren’t any reviews yet … if you have used it and have loved it, let us know!
Want to prepare your students for this outstanding final act in their learning about atomic structure, electron behavior and the periodic table as they move toward learning more about chemical bonding?
In my own classroom, I teach the following lessons prior to this one in the following order:
- Bohr Model Activity | Inquiry-Based Lesson w/ Virtual Lab
- Periodic Trends Activity | Atomic Radius Lesson w/ Virtual Lab
- Electron Configurations Activity | Inquiry-Based Lesson w/ Virtual Lab
- Electron Configurations Activity | Inquiry-Based Lesson about Periodic Trends
- Octet Rule Activity and Inquiry-Based Lesson | All-In-One No-Prep Package
- Ions & Ion Charges Activity | Inquiry-Based Lesson w/ Virtual Lab
- Ionization Energy Activity | Inquiry-Based Periodic Trends Lesson w/ Virtual Lab
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