Summary

In this activity, students will watch a video and answer questions about Dimitri Mendeleev. They will learn about his contribution to chemistry, including his organization of the periodic table and awareness to leave gaps for elements that weren’t yet discovered.

Grade Level

Elementary, Middle, and High School

Objectives

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

• Understand the organization of the periodic table.
• Explain all the properties of the periodic table.

Chemistry Topics

This activity supports students’ understanding of

• Periodic Table
• Physical Properties
• Chemical Properties
• Atomic number
• Atomic mass
• Atomic theory
• Model of the atom
• Subatomic particles
• History of Chemistry

Time

Teacher Preparation: minimal

Lesson: 10 minutes

Materials

• Dimitri Mendeleev Video
• Student Handout
• Projector with Volume
• AACT Student Pass (optional)

Safety

• No specific safety precautions need to be observed for this activity.

Teacher Notes

• The Dimitri Mendeleev video was developed as a part of the AACT original video series, Founders of Chemistry. The entire series can be found here.
• The running time of this video is five minutes.
• This video is intended for students to watch, and for teachers to integrate into their curriculum.
• The student questions/answers are presented in sequential order in the video.
• An answer key has also been provided for teacher reference.
• Videos can be shown with the use of a classroom projector, or teachers can generate a Student Pass through their AACT membership to allow students to independently access the video.