Home›Lesson Plans›Science›Chemistry · Grade 8

The Periodic Table

Eighth graders learn to read the periodic table, the chemist's map of every element, and see how its rows and columns reveal patterns in how elements behave.

Grade 8The Periodic Table55 minutes1 class period5E ModelExplicit teaching4 StandardsNGSS
Start the Lesson
Assign or share this lesson
Share to Google Classroom Share to Microsoft Teams

Copy link works with Canvas, Schoology, Moodle and any other LMS — paste it in as a resource or assignment.

Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Define an element.
  • ✓Read an atomic number.
  • ✓Tell a period from a group.
  • ✓Find patterns in the table.
Essential Question

Chemists can fit every known substance onto a single chart. How is the periodic table arranged, and how does its layout help predict the way elements behave?

0
Lesson Phases
0
Vocabulary Terms
0
Standards Aligned
0
Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Term

Project this and match each periodic-table term to what it means — tap a term, then tap its meaning.

🔗 Match each term to what it meansTry it
Term
What it means
Tap a term, then tap what it means.
The Lesson · 5E Instructional Model (Engage · Explore · Explain · Elaborate · Evaluate)

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Hook — A Map of Matter

5 min

Everything around you is built from about 100 elements. How are they organized?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Show the periodic table.
  • Ask how it is arranged.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Observe.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Use — Match the Term

12 min

Students match each table term to its meaning.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Term.
  • Match each pair.
  • Note the meaning.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Say.
  • Note it.
3

Modify — Read a Square

13 min

Students read the information in one element square.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Pick an element square.
  • Find its symbol and number.
  • Name its period and group.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Pick.
  • Find.
  • Name.
4

Create — Group Detective

15 min

Students find a pattern down a group.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Pick a group (column).
  • List three elements in it.
  • Describe what they share.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Pick.
  • List.
  • Describe.
5

Reflect — Order from Patterns

5 min

Students reflect on why the layout matters.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • What does atomic number tell you?
  • Why are groups useful?
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say it.
  • Say it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (High School Life Science).

NGSS
MS-PS1-1

Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures.

NGSS
MS-PS1-2

Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after they interact.

NGSS
HS-PS1-1

Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on patterns.

CCSS
RST.6-8.4

Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and domain-specific words and phrases.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Term + meaning cards.
  • Sentence frame: “A ___ is a column of the table.”
  • Match one pair at a time.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with element and symbol.
  • Use a large printed periodic table.
  • Match one term fully before the next.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add metals, nonmetals, metalloids.
  • Explain periodic trends down a group.
  • Predict a property from an element's position.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 🧪A large periodic table
  • 💻Match the Term
  • 🔴Element cards
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

periodic tablethe organized chart of all the known elementselementa pure substance made of only one kind of atomatomthe smallest particle of an elementatomic numberthe number of protons in an atom, which identifies the elementperioda horizontal row in the periodic tablegroupa vertical column of elements with similar propertieschemical symbola one- or two-letter abbreviation for an elementpropertya characteristic of a substance, such as how it reacts
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does an element's atomic number tell you?
The number of protons in each atom, which is what identifies the element.
QUESTION 2
What is the difference between a period and a group?
A period is a horizontal row; a group is a vertical column of elements with similar properties.
QUESTION 3
Why are elements in the same group useful to study together?
Because they share similar properties and tend to react in similar ways.

Create: be a group detective.

Have students pick one group (column), list three elements in it, and describe a property those elements share. A printable periodic-table worksheet is in the Science library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 The Periodic TableFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
0

Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 The Periodic TableQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ The Periodic TablePrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: atom, atomic number, chemical symbol, element, group, period, periodic table, property
  1. the number of protons in an atom, which identifies the element
  2. a horizontal row in the periodic table
  3. a one- or two-letter abbreviation for an element
  4. a characteristic of a substance, such as how it reacts
  5. the smallest particle of an element
  6. a vertical column of elements with similar properties
  7. the organized chart of all the known elements
  8. a pure substance made of only one kind of atom

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does an element's atomic number tell you?
  2. What is the difference between a period and a group?
  3. Why are elements in the same group useful to study together?
Answer key — Part A: 1) atomic number · 2) period · 3) chemical symbol · 4) property · 5) atom · 6) group · 7) periodic table · 8) element
Part B: 1) The number of protons in each atom, which is what identifies the element. 2) A period is a horizontal row; a group is a vertical column of elements with similar properties. 3) Because they share similar properties and tend to react in similar ways.