CHRISTINE PACK

EDU-225
DAVID LARSON
AUGUST 25, 2016

MRS. PACK 4TH GRADE SCIENCE CLASS

TODAYS LESSON AND EXPERIMENT:
THE ATOM
EVERYTHING AROUND US IS MADE OF MATTER: THIS PIECE
OF PAPER, THE CHAIR YOU ARE SITTING ON, EVEN THE AIR
WE BREATHE. ALL MATTER IS MADE UP OF TINY PARTICLES
CALLED ATOMS.

THE ATOM
THE ATOM
THE ATOM IS MADE OF THREE TYPES OF EVEN SMALLER PARTICLES:
1. ELECTRON: NEGATIVE CHARGE
2. PROTON: POSITIVE CHARGE
3. NEUTRON: NO CHARGE, NEUTRAL

WHAT IS AN ATOM?
ATOMS ARE THE BASIC UNITS OF MATTER AND THE DEFINING STRUCTURE OF
ELEMENTS. ATOMS ARE MADE UP OF THREE PARTICLES: PROTONS,
NEUTRONS AND ELECTRONS
(SHARP, 2013)

PROTONS

THE NUMBER OF PROTONS IN AN ATOM DEFINES WHAT ELEMENT IT IS. FOR

EXAMPLE, CARBON ATOMS HAVE SIX PROTONS, HYDROGEN ATOMS HAVE
ONE AND OXYGEN ATOMS HAVE EIGHT. THE NUMBER OF PROTONS IN AN
ATOM IS REFERRED TO AS THE ATOMIC NUMBER OF THAT ELEMENT. THE
NUMBER OF PROTONS IN AN ATOM ALSO DETERMINES THE CHEMICAL
BEHAVIOR OF THE ELEMENT. THE PERIODIC TABLE OF THE ELEMENTS
ARRANGES ELEMENTS IN ORDER OF INCREASING ATOMIC NUMBER (SHARP,
2013)

NEUTRONS

NEUTRONS ARE UNCHARGED PARTICLES FOUND WITHIN ATOMIC NUCLEI. A

NEUTRON'S MASS IS SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THAT OF A PROTON. LIKE
PROTONS, NEUTRONS ARE ALSO MADE OF QUARKS ONE "UP" QUARK AND
TWO "DOWN" QUARKS. NEUTRONS WERE DISCOVERED BY JAMES CHADWICK
IN 1932 (CLOWES, 2004)

ELECTRONS
ELECTRONS HAVE A NEGATIVE CHARGE AND ARE ELECTRICALLY ATTRACTED
TO THE POSITIVELY CHARGED PROTONS. ELECTRONS SURROUND THE
ATOMIC NUCLEUS IN PATHWAYS CALLED ORBITALS. THE INNER ORBITALS
SURROUNDING THE ATOM ARE SPHERICAL BUT THE OUTER ORBITALS ARE
MUCH MORE COMPLICATED (CLOWES, 2004)

TODAYS ACTIVITY
CANDY ATOMS!!

MAKE YOUR OWN EDIBLE ATOM

MATERIALS:
1 PIECE OF PAPER
1 BROWNIE = STRONG FORCE
2 CANDY CORNS = PROTONS
2 MARSHMALLOWS = NEUTRONS
2 RED HOTS = ELECTRONS
2 TWIZZLER STRANDS = ELECTRON ORBIT

FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS BELOW

PROCEDURE:
1. PLACE THE PIECE OF PAPER ON YOUR DESK.
2. PUT THE BROWNIE IN THE CENTER OF YOUR PAPER. YOUR BROWNIE WILL MAKE THE
MARSHMALLOWS AND CANDY CORNS STICK TOGETHER JUST LIKE THE STRONG FORCE MAKES
PROTONS AND NEUTRONS STICK TOGETHER.
3. STICK ONE PROTON INTO YOUR BROWNIE.
4. NOW LAY THE TWIZZLERS AROUND YOUR BROWNIE IN A CIRCLE, TO REPRESENT THE ELECTRON
ORBITS.
5. STICK ONE ELECTRON ONTO THE ORBIT.
.AT THIS POINT YOU HAVE MADE A MODEL OF THE SIMPLEST ATOM. DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT IT IS?
. 6. NOW ADD ONE PROTON AND TWO NEUTRONS TO THE BROWNIE.
. 7. ADD ONE ELECTRON TO THE TWIZZLER ORBIT.
.NOW YOU HAVE MADE THE SECOND SIMPLEST ELEMENT, HELIUM. IF YOU STILL HAVE TIME, GET
ANOTHER CANDY CORN, MARSHMALLOW, AND RED HOT AND ADD THEM TO YOUR ATOM. LOOK AT THE
PERIODIC TABLE. CAN YOU FIGURE OUT WHICH ELEMENT YOU MADE? TALK ABOUT IT WITH YOUR
MENTOR.
.ARE YOU HUNGRY? CAN YOU MAKE YOUR ATOM DISAPPEAR?

QUIZ

1. WHAT IS THE SCIENTIFIC NAME FOR THE CENTER OF AN ATOM?

A)NUCLEUS
B)PROTON
C)NEUTRON
2. WHERE ARE ELECTRONS LOCATED IN AN ATOM?
A)NUCLEUS CLOUD
B)ELECTRON CLOUD
C)PROTON CLOUD
3. WHAT IS THE CHARGE OF A PROTON?
A)POSITIVE CHARGE
B)NO CHARGE
C)NEGATIVE CHARGE
4.A NEUTRON?
A) NO CHARGE
B)POSITIVE CHARGE
C)NEGATIVE CHARGE

REFERENCES
SHARP, T. (2013, JUNE 5). WHAT IS AN ATOM? RETRIEVED AUGUST 25, 2016, FROM
HTTP://WWW.LIVESCIENCE.COM/37206-ATOM-DEFINITION.HTML
CLOWES, M. (2004). ATOMS - WHAT ARE THEY? WHAT'S INSIDE THEM? RETRIEVED
AUGUST 25,
2016, FROM HTTP://WWW.EXPLAINTHATSTUFF.COM/ATOMS.HTML
WOODFORD, C. (2004). QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - WHAT IS AN ELEMENT? HOW
MANY ELEMENTS ARE THERE? RETRIEVED AUGUST 25, 2016, FROM
HTTP://EDUCATION.JLAB.ORG/QA/ELEMENT.HTML