Metals and Non-Metals and the Periodic Table (KS3 Chemistry)

This is a full lesson introducing pupils to the periodic table and investigating the properties of metals and non-metals. It was originally delivered to a year 8 class but could easily be adapted for other key stages and year levels. This is designed for a 100 minute lesson but could be broken up into smaller parts. This lesson could also be combined with a practical activity looking at the properties of metals and non-metals.

During this lesson, pupils will:

• Use ISM pictures of metals to begin to infer their properties.
• Briefly recap the structure of an atom.
• Look at the periodic table and get a brief overview of its History by watching a video.
• Identify the information we can get from a periodic table and complete activities to find the different features of some elements.
• Identify where metals and non-metals are on the periodic table.
• Use pictures and watch a video to identify and explain some of the properties of metals and non-metals.
• Use their understanding of the properties of metals and non-metals to decide what some different objects should be made of and why - discussion task.
• complete a quick knowledge check about the properties of metals.