How do I love thee: Play

Periodic Table Game:

Shuffle cards made of the 1st 36 elements

Deal all elements to each play evenly. Players may look at the elements they are dealt.

Play goes clockwise – when it is a players turn, they place an element on the blank board. If it is in the right location, they score 1 point. If it is in the wrong spot the player loses 1 pt. The player with the most number of points at the end of the game wins.

Play can be an important component in fostering creativity and interest in a unit. Students may feel overwhelmed with learning something new and feel like they have to get it perfect. Play helps create an atmosphere of fun and low-risk dabbling in the topic.

In the unit of the Mole, we do many conversions and calculations of molar mass. It is very helpful for students to know their periodic table well and where the elements are located. This is why this activity is both playful/fun and meaningful in our unit.

Periodic table from NCSSM@Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0