As a teacher of science for 33 years and a coordinator of Instructional Technology, I have always loved to create my own resources for students. I strive to create engaging, hands-on lessons that often integrate technology and allow interactivity from students. When students are having fun they sometimes forget they are learning.
As a teacher of science for 33 years and a coordinator of Instructional Technology, I have always loved to create my own resources for students. I strive to create engaging, hands-on lessons that often integrate technology and allow interactivity from students. When students are having fun they sometimes forget they are learning.
Complete HTML5 eLearning Lesson combined with traditional hands-on labs and activities!
Empower your students to direct their own learning with this complete, interactive eLearning lesson on The Atom. Using any computer or tablet device (WORKS ON iPAD), the lesson combines engaging video and interactive elements with hands-on projects and lab activities. This INSTANT lesson is ready for your students in seconds; simply give them the link and password provided upon purchase so they can get started immediately (lab setup and photocopying for the hands-on activities can be done later). You will also receive the complete HTML5 lesson packaged for uploading to your LMS (Blackboard, Moodle, Schoology, etc.) if you choose to do so. All support materials (labs with setup instructions, projects, answer keys, etc.) are also included.
THE ATOM
Concepts:
Structure of the Atom
Bohr Model
Atomic Number
Atomic Mass
Basic Electron Configuration
Interpreting number of Protons, Neutrons, and Electrons from Periodic Table
Valence Electrons
Relative Atomic Mass
Ions
Isotopes
Radioisotopes
Relative Atomic Mass
Activities:
PhET Build an Atom - guided lesson for the online PhET Build an Atom simulation.
Atom Infographic - assemble and complete a 3 page infographic based on the concepts from the lesson.
Atom Builder Templates - build stunning 3D atom models for 10 elements with complete instructions.
The Atom Interactive HTML5 lesson is a complete lesson with video, interactive elements, a PhET Build an Atom Activity Guide, a 3-page Infographic activity, and the hands-on Atom Builder Templates. The lesson also includes project suggestions designed to incorporate the 21st Century skills of Elaboration and Communication. Finally, the lesson includes an interactive assessment that is self-graded providing immediate feedback to students. Students have the option to revisit the lesson and retake the assessment.
Purchase as a BUNDLE and save!
Building a Periodic Table:
Students assemble, color, and complete a giant (42.5 x 21.5 inches) 3-D Periodic Table with fold out flaps for each element.
Building Atomic Models:
Your students will love coloring, cutting out, and assembling these 3D atomic models of all 118 chemical elements to make a beautiful and lasting display for your classroom. Each atomic model comes with it’s own information tag including element symbol, properties and uses, atomic number, atomic mass, and much more.
The Periodic Table Game:
The Periodic Table Game will keep your students engaged for hours as they race across the Periodic Table of Elements to be the first to reach Element 118, Oganesson. In groups of 2-4 players, students will present each other with Element Game Cards and provide clues as needed. Depending upon the number of clues needed to identify the Element, a player will advance along the Periodic Table. The game is designed to make mastery difficult so students can play over and over and still be challenged. If they ever do master the Periodic Table, that would be a really good problem to have!
The Periodic Table Game will keep your students engaged for hours as they race across the Periodic Table of Elements to be the first to reach Element 118, Oganesson. In groups of 2-4 players, students will present each other with Element Game Cards and provide clues as needed. Depending upon the number of clues needed to identify the Element, a player will advance along the Periodic Table. If a player lands on certain spaces (Elements) they must pick an Atomic Card which can cause them to lose a turn, move forward or backward, or send them clear across the Periodic Table! Questions are designed to challenge all age levels because clues get progressively easier giving more value to identifying the Element with fewer clues. The game is designed to make mastery difficult so students can play over and over and still be challenged. If they ever do master the Periodic Table, that would be a really good problem to have!
The Game Board and Game cards work best if printed on card stock but regular paper will also work. The Game Board is assembled from four sheets and has a finished size of 15 x 20.5 inches. Students can help color, cut out, fold, and glue the 118 Element Game Cards and the 52 Atomic Cards. Students can choose from 9 different 3 dimensional Game Tokens to assemble with a weighted base (a nickel works great).
Your students will love coloring, cutting out, and assembling these 3D atomic models of all 118 chemical elements to make a beautiful and lasting display for your classroom. Each atomic model comes with it's own information tag including element symbol, properties and uses, atomic number, atomic mass, and much more. From this information tag students determine the number of protons, neutrons, electrons, and the electron configuration for each atomic model. A complete written assembly guide is included as well as an assembly video.
You and your students will love the stunning visual display you will have created with atomic models of all 118 chemical elements hanging from your classroom ceiling. The models will also serve to help students understand the structure of atoms and the relationship between atomic mass and the relative sizes of atoms.
If models in your classroom display should become lost or damaged during summer cleaning, next year’s students will be more than happy to replace them for you!
All templates can be printed on regular 8 1/2 by 11 paper but heavier card stock is highly recommended for a permanent display.
Building Atomic Models is a perfect companion to "Building a Periodic Table" (found in my TES store).
Materials needed:
Glue
Scissors
Ruler
Plastic knife for scoring
Colored pencils
Tape
String
Card Stock for printing templates (recommended)
Files included with this product:
Building Atomic Models templates (PDF)
Assembly Instructions (PDF)
Assembly Video (MP4) (also available on YouTube)
With the Diagnostic Radiology Lab, your students will be the Doctor! They will examine their patient's X-Ray images, consult the Radiology Reference Guide, and make their diagnosis.
This activity includes:
Getting Started Teacher Guide (PDF)
Diagnostic Radiology Lab -High Quality (Interactive PDF)
Diagnostic Radiology Lab -Email Quality (PDF) smaller file size
Diagnostic Radiology Lab Printer Friendly version (PDF)
Diagnostic Radiology Board Exam activity (PDF)
Diagnostic Radiology Lab Student Answer Sheet (PDF)
Board Exam Answer KEY (PDF)
Lab Answer KEY (PDF)
The Diagnostic Radiology Lab is a 90 page Interactive (hyperlinked) document that guides students through the investigation and diagnosis of X-Ray images (radiographs) from 26 patients. Patient X-Rays are linked to the 6 Chapter (52 page) Radiology Reference Guide which provides comprehensive background information to students. The Reference Guide begins with an interactive Table of Contents with links to each page. Chapter One begins with an explanation of how radiographs are made, the basics of how to interpret them, and how to distinguish what is normal from what is not. Other chapters introduce students to bone anatomy, joints, types of fractures, conditions of the spine, and surgical techniques. Questions are carefully crafted to guide younger students while continuing to challenge more advanced students. Hints are provided in the form of links to specific sections or pages of the Radiology Reference Guide.
Also included is a 5 page "Radiology Board Exam" to be completed by students before they meet their patients. The Exam questions are presented by chapter and are designed to help students become familiar with the content in the Radiology Reference Guide.
Although the interactive power of the Diagnostic Radiology Lab is enhanced by the use of a computer, it is possible to print paper copies of the lab (all links also provide page numbers).
The Diagnostic Radiology Lab works well on any device that can read PDF documents with hyperlinks (Mac, PC, Chromebook, iPad*, etc.). The document can be emailed to students or distributed through an LMS such as Blackboard, Moodle, Schoology, Google Classroom (Google Drive) or just passed around on a flash drive. Whatever method you choose, please make sure the document is only available to your students.
*on your iPad, use an app like "Documents" by Readdle (free) to ensure full function of all hyperlinks.
Medical Disclaimer:
All X-Ray images are from real patients whose names and situations have been changed in the interest of confidentiality and to make the lab a bit more fun! Although every attempt has been made to provide accurate medical diagnoses, the purpose of this lab is strictly educational.
The PhET: Reactants, Products, and Leftovers Activity Guide is used along with the free Next Generation PhET Simulation “Reactants, Products, and Leftovers”. Students experiment first with building sandwiches to see how the number of ingredients determines the number of sandwiches they can make. Then, students use the same concept to predict Reactants, Products, and Leftovers and to identify Limiting Reactants in chemical reactions. The best part is that they don’t even know they are learning, they just think they’re having fun!
The Reactants, Products, and Leftovers Activity Guide will guide students through the simulation leading them to recognize that atoms are conserved and must be accounted for. Students will identify Reactants, Products, and Limiting Reactants in a chemical reaction. Students will predict the Products and Leftovers after a reaction based on the quantities and ratios of molecules in the balanced chemical equation. Students will also predict the initial amounts of Products and Leftovers using the concept of Limiting Reactants. Students use their completed Activity Guide, the sim, and links to instructional videos to clarify and build on what they have learned. Finally, students will be challenged to solve a basic stoichiometry problem!
This product includes the PhET: Reactants, Products, and Leftovers Activity Guide and Answer Key in PDF format as well as a Getting Started Guide for teachers. The activity includes both color and grayscale files.
PhET simulations are fun, interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena. As students interact with the simulation, they get immediate feedback about the effects of the changes they made. All PhET simulations are freely available from the PhET website (phet.colorado.edu) and are easy to use and incorporate into the classroom. The new Next Generation sims utilize HTML 5 which allows them to run in any modern web browser on most devices including Chromebooks and tablets like the iPad!
The PhET: Balancing Act Activity Guide is used along with the free Next Generation Simulation "PhET: Balancing Act". Students learn the relationship between balance, torque, and rotational equilibrium as they use proportional reasoning to balance objects on a lever arm (teeter totter). The best part is that students don’t even know they are learning, they just think they are having fun!
The Balancing Act Activity Guide will lead students through the simulation to experiment with balancing objects of different masses and to predict how changing the positions of the masses will effect the motion of the plank. Students will then write their own mathematical rule for predicting the placement of masses and will practice using their rule to identify the mass of mystery objects. Finally, “the Game” will assess students at 4 levels of difficulty giving them the opportunity start over with a new set of problems.
This product includes the Balancing Act Activity Guide and Answer Key in PDF format as well as a Getting Started Guide for teachers.
The PhET States of Matter: Basics activity guide is used along with the new HTML5 PhET Simulation "States of Matter: Basics”. Students learn the relationship between temperature and pressure as matter exists as solids, liquids, and gasses. Students go on to explore effects of variations in temperature and pressure of various substances and how that effects phase change.
PhET simulations are fun, interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena. All PhET simulations are freely available from the PhET website (phet.colorado.edu) and are easy to use and incorporate into the classroom. All HTML5 simulations will work on Mac and PC desktops and notebook computers as well as Chromebook and iPads.
The PhET: Build an Atom Activity Guide is used along with the free Next
Generation PhET Simulation "PhET: Build an Atom". Students learn how to construct atoms of basic elements by adding protons, neutrons, and electrons one at a time. The best part is that students don’t even know they are learning, they just think they are having fun!
The Build an Atom Activity Guide will lead students to experiment with changing the number of protons, neutrons, and electrons and to predict how changing the number of particles effects the element name, charge, and mass. Students will be introduced to concepts of atomic structure, atomic mass, relative atomic mass, ions, stable and unstable isotopes, and atomic models (orbital and electron cloud). Finally, “the Game” will give students a chance to improve their understanding and to demonstrate what they have learned.
This product includes the Build an Atom Activity Guide and Answer Key in PDF format as well as a Getting Started Guide for teachers.
PhET simulations are fun, interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena. As students interact with the simulation, they get immediate feedback about the effects of the changes they made. All PhET simulations are freely available from the PhET website (phet.colorado.edu) and are easy to use and incorporate into the classroom. The new Next Generation sims utilize HTML 5 which allows them to run in any modern web browser on most devices including Chromebooks and tablets like the iPad!
The Cabbage Caper is a Murder Mystery for kids. It is an interactive, hands-on science lab activity where students begin their investigation on the computer and then move to the "crime lab" to conduct lab tests based on the evidence. The interactive PDF document navigates like a web site and will work on any device including the iPad. If computers are not available, the pages can be printed as a booklet or hung at lab stations.
Students will start with the introduction and will be prompted to move through the activity but they are free to follow their own path. After interviewing the 6 suspects and recording notes in the "Investigator's Notebook", students will proceed to the Crime Lab where they will design and perform experiments to solve the crime. Finally, students will write their final conclusions base upon all they have learned.
Complete Lab setup instructions, chemical labels, lab signs and answer key are included.
Files in this packet include:
Begin Here - read this first!
Cabbage Caper Interactive Lab (pdf file with hyperlinks)
Cabbage Caper Student Handouts (pdf)
Cabbage Caper Lab Setup Instructions (pdf)
Cabbage Caper Lab signs (pdf)
answer key
Students assemble, color, and complete a large (11 x 23 inch) layered Model of the Human Body. This activity will help students develop a concept for the major organs and organ systems in the body and for their locations relative to one another. Students will need to place the organs in their proper order so that the organs in the front of the body overlap those in the back. By performing “The Autopsy” activity on their completed model, students will be able to flip through layers to see each labelled organ in the model.
By following the illustrated step by step instructions in the the “Assembly Instructions” section, students can guide themselves through the assembly process. They will then use their assembled model and other resources to complete the activities in the “Activities” section.
The detailed assembly instructions can be viewed as a presentation or it can be navigated like a web site on a computer or any device that reads an interactive PDF document (iPad, iPhone, Chromebook, etc.). All slides/pages can also be printed from the pdf document if computers are unavailable.
After constructing the Human Body Model, students will then use it and other resources to complete the activities. Each activity is in the format of a 3 page infographic (11 x 23 inches) that students assemble, research, and complete. Great for Interactive Notebooks! The activities are organized by body systems and include:
The Muscular System (front and back views)
The Skeletal System
The Respiratory System
The Circulatory System
The Digestive System
The Nervous System
The Endocrine System
Note: these activities are sold individually without the model but are a much better value when purchased as a BUNDLE.
The Building a Human Body activity will engage students for hours (actually weeks) and will produce a lasting classroom display.
Materials needed to assemble:
- Glue / glue sticks (recommended) / or transparent tape
- Colored Pencils
- Scissors
- All masters can be printed on regular 8.5 x 11" paper.
Files included in this product:
- Getting Started Guide for teachers (PDF) - overview and helpful hints for teachers
- Building a Human Body Presentation (PDF) - includes assembly instructions (navigates like a web site)
- Masters to Photocopy (PDF) - masters for Human Body Model and all Activities
- Activities answer key (PDF) - complete answer key for all activities
DEMO VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LVpzVvAXPQ&feature=youtu.be
The Interactive Rock Identification is a 278 page hyperlinked PDF document that guides students through the investigation of 19 Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary rocks. In addition to this, a printable 22 page activity booklet contains student activities and answer keys to go along with the Interactive Rock Identification. See link to demo video above.
From the table of contents, students can choose rocks in any order. The Interactive Rock ID navigates like a web site with clickable links that moves students along depending upon their responses. When a student gives an incorrect response they are taken back to the beginning of the rock sample to try again. Information pages are just a click away for students to learn about rock texture, grain size, mineral content, layering and more. Once a student correctly answers all of the questions about a rock a summary of that rock’s physical properties appears along with a description and information about that rock (how it formed, uses, etc).
Although the Interactive Rock Identification is a stand alone virtual science lab activity, it lends itself well to hands-on investigation of classroom rock samples using glass plates, steel nails, dilute Hydrochloric Acid, and a Bunsen Burner to investigate the properties and identity of those rock samples.
The activity works well on any device that can read PDF documents with hyperlinks (Mac, PC, Chromebook, iPad, etc). The document file size is small enough to be emailed to students or distributed with an LMS such as Blackboard, Moodle, Schoology, Google Classroom (Google Drive) or just passed around on a flash drive. Whatever method you choose, please be sure the file is only available to your students. Thank you.
Note: although the interactive power of this activity depends on the use of a computer, it is possible to print out select pages from the PDF document and hang them at lab stations if computers are not available.
This activity includes:
Interactive Rock Identification (PDF)
Interactive Rock ID Activities (PDF)
Chart and Questions
Mystery Rock Lab w/clues Mystery Rock Lab without clues
Answer keys
The Fossil Lab is a 119 page hyperlinked PDF document that guides students through the investigation of 33 important index fossils. In addition to this, 24 pages of printable activities and answer keys are included in separate PDF documents. The activities include a 6 page Fossil Lab answer sheet and an 8 page Index Fossil activity with a 4 page Geologic Time Scale and fossil images to cut out and place on the timeline. See link to demo video above.
The Fossil Lab introduces the concept of fossilization and helps students understand the various ways in which fossils can form. The main focus of the lab is with index fossils and how they are useful in understanding the diversity of life on Earth and the environmental and physical changes that have taken place throughout Earth’s geologic past. The Fossil Lab also allows students to explore many interesting topics based on the latest research including the extinction of dinosaurs, comparison of dinosaurs to modern day birds, and the effects of continental drift on climate and natural habitats during the past 65 million years.
The Fossil Lab navigates like a web site with clickable links that move students through 24 stations filled with fossil images and leading questions. The images can be enlarged for detail and students can select links to resource pages where they can obtain information and clues. The information pages are just a click away for students to learn about fossils; what they are, how they formed and how they are useful.
The first 24 stations are contained in the PDF document and do not require an internet connection. Stations 25-28, however, link students to outside web sites and will require an internet connection and flash player.


The activity works well on any device that can read PDF documents with hyperlinks (Mac, PC, Chromebook, iPad*, etc). The document file size is small enough to be emailed to students or distributed with an LMS such as Blackboard, Moodle, Schoology, Google Classroom (Google Drive) or just passed around on a flash drive. Whatever method you choose, please be sure the file is only available to your students.
Although the interactive power of this activity depends on the use of a computer, it is possible to print out select pages from the PDF document and hang them at lab stations if computers are not available.
*Note: to view the Flash content of stations 25-28 on an iPad, a virtual browser app will need to be installed on the iPad. See the “Begin Here” document supplied with this product for details.
This activity includes:
Fossil Lab Interactive (PDF) High quality
Fossil Lab Interactive (PDF) Good quality (smaller file size for emailing)
Fossil Lab Answer Sheet (PDF)
Index Fossils and Geologic Time Activity (PDF)
Answer keys (PDF)
Students assemble, color, and complete a giant (42.5 x 21.5 inches) (108 x 55 cm) 3-D Periodic Table with fold out flaps for each element. The flaps allow this Periodic Table to be filled with information including:
- Element Families
- Element properties and uses
- Elements found in the Human Body
- Elements found in the Earth's Crust
- Elements found in Earth's Oceans
- Elements found in the Earth's Atmosphere
- Magnetic Elements
- Radioactive Elements
- Elements produced synthetically
- Elements not found in their pure form in nature
- Etc.
After constructing the Periodic Table, students then use it to complete the Periodic Table Hunt activity (included) where they will explore:
- Properties of Elements and Element families
- Atomic structure and basic Electron Configuration
- Periodic Table Hunt and SuperHunt questions
- How elements got their names
The Assembly Presentation shows step by step instructions for building the Periodic Table complete with images and video. The presentation can be viewed in PowerPoint, Keynote, or PDF formats.
The Building a Periodic Table activity will engage students for hours and will produce a lasting classroom display.
Materials needed to assemble:
- Glue / glue sticks (recommended) / or transparent tape
- Colored Pencils
- Scissors
- Plastic knife or similar tool for scoring paper
- All masters can be printed on regular 8.5 x 11" paper.
Files included in this product:
- Getting Started Guide for teachers (PDF)
- Building a Periodic Table Masters (PDF)
- Assembly Instructions presentation (PowerPoint, Keynote, PDF)
- Periodic Table Hunt activity (PDF)
- Periodic Table Hunt answer key (PDF)
- Abundance of Elements Data (PDF)
- Protons, Neutrons, Electrons Data (PDF)