Science: Week 3

 Topic: Periodic Table, Atomic Number, Atomic Weight

This week in Science, I introduced the Periodic Table. The Franciscans searched the Periodic Table to letters in their name and made a small picture of it. After learning about the elements Atomic Number and Atomic Weight, we practiced figuring out how many protons, neutrons, and electrons are in an element by using those numbers. We did a few together, and then each child picked an element to recreate at home for homework. If you have a Franciscan, they may use whatever they want to create their atom on the black piece of paper that was sent home with them. Stickers or pom-poms are some examples of what they could use. If you do not have these items at home, I can give some pom-poms to them during Week 4. Remember that the Atomic Number is the number of protons, and that the number of protons and electrons are always the same. Then, to find the number of neutrons, subtract the number of protons from the Atomic Weight.

We did the same thing with the Carmelites and Dominicans, except they did not have time to do their Element name in class. Instead, we made our elements together in class using black construction paper, colored dot stickers, and a white colored pencil.

 

We also discussed how there are only a certain number of electrons allowed within each shell.
1st shell: 2
2nd shell: 8
3rd shell: 18
4th shell: 32
 I did not make the younger kids do this with their elements, but I would like the Franciscans to make sure they follow this when they make theirs.