Using Vernier technology to help teach the structure of the Periodic Table may seem strange to some, but not to Jacklyn Bonneau, teacher at the Massachusetts Academy of Math and Science. For years, Jackie has been having her students graph the physical properties of the elements versus atomic number to look for patterns related to period and group. Jackie modified her activity to use LabQuest.
In this activity, students investigate an assigned physical property using the LabQuest Periodic Table Application. They then graph the data on a LabQuest, and use the graph to investigate trends in the data based on period. The activity also uses a coding system to sort the elements, allowing students to more easily identify trends within groups.
In addition to the activity, Jackie also created a Logger Pro file that includes all of the data available from the Periodic Table Application. The file includes a data set for each period of elements, as well as each group of elements. You can use this file as a teacher’s guide or make it available to your students as an alternative way to investigate periodic trends.
