Teacher Guide: Element Builder

Learning Objectives
Students will…
 Compare the sizes, charges, and relative positions of the subatomic particles: protons,
neutrons, and electrons.
 Relate an atom’s number of protons to its charge, name, and atomic number.
 Calculate the mass number of an atom by summing the protons and neutrons.
 Understand the definition of isotope.
 Observe how electrons fill the first three energy levels.
 Create an electron dot diagram for each of the first 20 elements.

Vocabulary
atom, atomic number, electron, electron dot diagram, element, energy level, ion, isotope, mass
number, neutron, nucleus, periodic table, proton, radioactive, valence electrons

Lesson Overview
The Element Builder Gizmo allows students to construct
atoms by adding protons, neutrons, and electrons. As they
add particles, students can see the atomic number, mass
number, charge, and electron dot diagram of the element.

The Student Exploration sheet contains two activities and an

Extension:
 Activity A – Students determine the mass number
and atomic number of an atom.
 Activity B – Students observe electron arrangements
and create electron dot diagrams.
 Extension – Students see how valence electrons
relate to the periodic table of elements. Model of a carbon atom

Suggested Lesson Sequence

1. Pre-Gizmo activity ( 1 – 2 weeks)

Atoms are too tiny to see, yet much about their structure had been deduced by the early
part of the twentieth century. The development of atomic theory is one of the central
narratives of physics and well worth learning more about.

Divide the class into groups and assign to each group one of the critical scientists
involved in atomic theory. These could include Democritus, John Dalton, Dmitri
Mendeleev, J.J. Thomson, Robert Millikan, Ernest Rutherford, Marie Curie, James
Chadwick, Niels Bohr, Enrico Fermi, and others (see Selected Web Resources).

After researching their scientist via the Internet, students can present their findings with
posters, atom models, and even reenactments of famous experiments.

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2. Prior to using the Gizmo ( 10 – 15 minutes)
Before students are at the computers, pass out the Student Exploration sheets and ask
students to complete the Prior Knowledge Questions. Discuss student answers as a
class, but do not provide correct answers at this point. Afterwards, if possible, use a
projector to introduce the Gizmo and demonstrate its basic operations. Demonstrate how
to take a screenshot and paste the image into a blank document.

3. Gizmo activities ( 15 – 20 minutes per activity)

Assign students to computers. Students can work individually or in small groups. Ask
students to work through the activities in the Student Exploration using the Gizmo.
Alternatively, you can use a projector and do the Exploration as a teacher-led activity.

4. Discussion questions ( 15 – 30 minutes)

As students are working or just after they are done, discuss the following questions:
 How many protons and neutrons are in an atom of fluorine-19? [9 P, 10 N]

 Draw an electron dot diagram for a neutral atom of nitrogen. [ ]

 Name three elements with one valence electron. [Hydrogen, sodium, potassium]
 Helium, neon, and argon are all in a group called noble gases. What do you
notice about their valence electrons? [Each has a full set of valence electrons.]

5. Follow-up activity: Atom models ( 45 – 60 minutes)

Have your students build atom models. To make an
atom model, use a compass to draw 4 concentric
circles on a sheet of white construction paper or
cardstock. Cut out circles of colored construction
paper to represent protons, neutrons, and electrons.
(You can also use felt, cotton balls, or plastic disks
for the particles.) On the three outer rings, draw
empty circles in pairs to represent where electrons
can be placed: 2 circles on the inner ring, 8 on the
second, and 8 on the outermost ring.

Once students have constructed their models, they

can model atoms of any element in the first three
rows of the periodic table. Give the name of the
element, the atomic number, and the mass number.
Once students have placed the correct number of
protons, neutrons, and electrons on their model, they An atom model of carbon
can draw an electron dot diagram for that element.
Students can also make ions with their model. To make a positively charged ion, remove
electrons from the neutral atom. To make a negatively-charged ion, add electrons.

The same atom models will come in handy when you discuss chemical bonding. You
can model an ionic bond by removing electrons from one model and adding them to
another. For example, an electron can be removed from a sodium model and added to a
fluorine model. This results in two ions that each have stable sets of 8 valence electrons.
The positively charged sodium ion attracts the negatively charged fluorine atom, and an
ionic bond forms. Covalent bonds can be demonstrated with these models as well.

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Scientific Background
Atoms consist of three kinds of elementary particles: protons, neutrons, and
electrons. Protons are positively charged and are located in the center, or
nucleus of the atom. Neutrons have no charge and are also located in the
nucleus. Electrons are negatively charged and orbit the nucleus in several
bands, or energy levels. Protons and neutrons are about equal in mass
(neutrons are slightly more massive), while electrons are about one
Simplified atom
thousandth the mass of a proton or neutron.

Atoms can be described by several numbers. The atomic number (Z) is the number of protons
in the atom. The atomic number also determines the element. For example, all oxygen atoms
have 8 protons, while all gold atoms have 79 protons. The mass number (A) is the sum of
protons and neutrons. Atoms of the same element with varying numbers of neutrons are called
isotopes. Some isotopes are stable, while others are radioactive—they eventually break down
and release particles or energy called radiation.

If an atom has the same number of protons and electrons, it is electrically neutral. If electrons
are added or removed, the atom (now called an ion) becomes charged. Removing electrons
from the atom results in a positively charged ion, called a cation. Adding electrons results in a
negatively charged ion, also known as an anion.

Historical connection: Ernest Rutherford and the structure of the atom

Today the structure of the atom, with a central nucleus surrounded by whirling electrons, is
taken for granted. But how was this structure discovered? A key experiment was done in 1909
by Ernest Rutherford, Hans Geiger, and Ernest Marsden. A sample of uranium was placed in a
lead box with a small hole, emitting a beam of positively charged alpha particles. The beam of
particles was directed at a thin sheet of gold foil only a few atoms thick. The foil was surrounded
by a fluorescent detection screen that glowed briefly when struck by a charged particle.

At the time, the most popular atom model was the “plum-pudding” model of J.J. Thomson. In
Thomson’s model, negatively charged “plums” (electrons) were embedded in a positively
charged “pudding.” With this model in mind, Rutherford’s team expected the alpha particles to
pass through the foil with a very slight deflection. Instead, they found that while most of the
alpha particles went through with no deflection, a few particles bounced right back!

Based on this surprising result, Rutherford’s atom model consists of a dense, positively charged
nucleus surrounded by a diffuse cloud of orbiting electrons. This model is still in use today.

Selected Web Resources

History of atomic theory: [Link]
Rutherford: [Link]
[Link]
Electron Configuration Gizmo: [Link]
Half-life Gizmo: [Link]
Nuclear Decay Gizmo: [Link]
Bohr Model of Hydrogen Gizmo: [Link]
Ionic Bonds Gizmo: [Link]
Covalent Bonds Gizmo: [Link]

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