Periodic Table Activities in High School

Many high school students study the Periodic Table of Elements in their science courses, especially chemistry. Teachers can employ a variety of activities in their classrooms to make learning about the periodic table more fun and interesting. These activities can either be done in the classroom or used for homework assignments.

Periodic Table Song

This activity brings a bit of the arts and culture into the science classroom. Students should listen to the song "The Elements" by Tom Lehrer. Then ask students to make up their own songs about an element. These songs are meant to be catchy, allowing students to remember important information about the elements. Students should share their songs with the class to help classmates remember information as well.

Elements Bingo

For this activity, students are provided a bingo card sheet that is filled with the symbols of different elements on the periodic table. The teacher will call out the names of elements randomly, and students should identify that element by its symbol on their cards. Students can call out "Bingo!" when they have a horizontal or vertical line, or even a diagonal line. This activity will help them learn to identify elements based on symbols.

Element Trading Cards

Another way to kick off a high school science class is to have students create trading cards for all of the elements on the periodic table. On the trading cards, have the students include basic information about each element, such as its name, symbol, basic information such as atomic number and atomic mass, and its properties. These trading cards can be used throughout the year as a reference and resource for future assignments.

Make Your Own Periodic Table

Another way to help high school students better learn and understand the periodic table is to have them create their own version of the table. Provide each student with a blank copy of the periodic table. As a homework assignment, ask them to fill in the information on the table including element name, symbol and atomic number. Ask the students to color code the table based on the elements' properties -- whether the element is a solid, liquid or a gas.