Atoms, ions and the periodic table for the new GCSE

L1- Atomic structure
The lesson introduces students to the relative charges and masses of the different subatomic particles. The resource then moves on to the use of atomic number and mass number to work out the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in a given atom. There are then some atomic structure problems for students to solve at different levels of difficulty. All answers are given.
L2- Electron configurations
Students are introduced to the rules for drawing and writing electron configurations used at GCSE. They then use atomic symbols for the first 20 elements to work out their structures including electron arrangements. They also work out the link between electron arrangement and position in the periodic table for the first 20 elements. There are some summary questions that follow on the two atomic structure lessons. All answers are given.
L3- Forming ions from atoms
Students learn how to work out the structure and formulae of ions using their atomic structure as a starting point. They use a table as a guide to systematically work this information out for several elements. The full answers are also given.
L4- Introduction to the periodic table
Students learn about the basic structure of the periodic table in terms of groups, periods and the arrangement of elements in order of atomic number. Students then work out the link between position on the periodic table and the ion formed by an element. Students then complete an activity involving correcting several mistakes in an incorrectly annotated periodic table. Answers are also given. There are some multiple choice questions to summarise learning in the lesson.