Last week we used Legos to learn about atoms, molecules, elements, and compounds! First, we discussed that atoms are the basic building blocks of matter- every object is made of atoms! We talked about how small atoms are compared to things and "zoomed in" to see an atom up close using the cool website below. learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/cells/scale/ Then, we talked each of the four terms.
Next we made some atoms and molecules! Here is an example of the activity we did. First I ask the students to take one lego and hold it up. This is considered one atom. This is one atom of nitrogen, for example. We then discuss how this is not only an atom, but it is also an example of an element because it is a pure substance- there are no other types of atoms bonded to it. Next, we find another identical atom to the first (same color and shape) and bond it (connect) to the first one. We talked about how this is a molecule now because it is 2 or more atoms bonded together. It is also still considered an element because it still has only one type of atom in it, nitrogen. We put the little 2 below the N to let us know that it has two atoms of nitrogen. No matter how many atoms are in a molecule, 1 or 100, if they are all the same kind of atom, they are considered a molecule of that element. Next, we found two different colored Legos and bonded them together. We called this a molecule, because it is two or more atoms bonded together (molecules can be same or different, in this case they are different) and we also called it a compound because it is a molecule with two or more types of atoms. In this case we have a sodium (Na) atom and a chlorine (Cl) atom combining to make NaCl, sodium chloride, or salt! We talked about how this is not an atom because it is not just one thing and it is not an element because it is not a pure substance only made of one type of atom. Then the kids made Mrs. Wippich's favorite compound- caffeine!!!
1 Comment
What's the matter? Our science unit is ;)
https://quizlet.com/177300461/matter-sol-54-vocabulary-flash-cards/ |
Archives
February 2020
Categories |