Element rap

In this activity, students become familiar with the names and symbols of the chemical elements by creating a rap or poem.

Students may wish to use Te taka pūmotu – the periodic table of elements. It lists the atomic number (tua iraho), atomic mass (tau karihi), element symbol (tohu), English names (kupu ingarihi) and Māori names (kupu Māori) for the first 103 elements.

By the end of this activity, students should be able to:

• recall the names and symbols of at least 20 elements of the periodic table
• demonstrate understanding of the structure of the periodic table (rows and groups)
• explain the meaning of the terms halogen, alkali metal and inert gas

Rights: The University of Waikato

Periodic table element groups

Numbers in the squares of the periodic table are atomic numbers – to avoid clutter, only some have been included to show the basic pattern.

Download the Word file (see link below) for:

• introduction/background notes
• what you need
• what to do.