Step back and let the data speak for itself as students work through the ionization energy activity in this inquiry-based periodic trends lesson!  

Designed to increase student engagement and instill a classroom culture where students can confidently take ownership of their learning, this lesson requires students to obtain ionization energy information from a free web simulation and evaluate it to identify patterns in the periodic table.  

They continue to climb the learning taxonomy ladder by arguing ionization energy evidence from basic Bohr models related to the atomic size periodic trend and the octet rule principle, knowledge they’ve already acquired in previous lessons.  

Consider all the potential for using this lesson in your classroom -- especially with regard to collaborative learning -- on YouTube!

Throughout this lesson, your students will:

1. define terms:  ions, ionization energy, electron affinity
2. list the ionization energy values for atoms of elements in Period 2 and Group 1. 
3. annotate the periodic table according to the ionization energy values observed. 
4. use prior knowledge of periodic trends in atomic size and octet rule predictions to compare the amount of energy required for atoms to lose electrons. 
5. draw arrows that describe the periodic trend for ionization energy. 
6. use the periodic trend to compare the ionization energy of various pairs of atoms.

Using this lesson as part of a series on electron location and behavior, your students will be able to:

1. talk like a scientist! 
2. use the pattern observed throughout the periodic table to predict the likelihood of chemical change for various atoms. 
3. explain how and why atoms will undergo chemical change through bonding.

Key Features:

• Perfect for high school chemistry (grades 9-12)
• Student-centered,inquiry-based learning</a>
• Requires students to use several NGSS science and engineering practices including (1) developing and using models, (2) analyzing and interpreting data, (3) obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information, and (4) engaging in argument from evidence
• Integrates most of the cross-cutting concepts including (1) cause/effect relationships, (2) scale, proportion, and quantity, (3) systems and system models, (4) energy and matter, (5) stability and change, and that which is required by NGSS for teaching this core idea, (6) patterns.
• Lesson design enables use in a face-to-face classroom or in situations that require asynchronous learning or distance learning
• Fully editable and customizable PowerPoint file for differentiation
• Third-party virtual lab component allows students to collect their own data to use as evidence in arguments.  
• Students can do all the exploration tasks involved in active learning in a single period while working independently or collaboratively.  

-- What’s Included --

PowerPoint Presentation (Fully Editable):

Unlike typical lecture slides you’ll find for teaching this core idea, this PowerPoint lesson is built to 

1. activate and integrate your students prior knowledge
2. outline clear, measurable learning objectives
3. guide students through carrying out a simple investigation
4. organize ionization energy data in a way that allows students to interpret it easily and cite evidence for making confident claims
5. provide assessment-style practice with the periodic table to ensure that engagement in the activity promoted achievement with the core ideas 

For more on the framework I use to design all my science lessons, check outthis blog post</a>.

*Lesson Plan Framework Highlights*

Bell Ringer (Review & Preview, ~ 10min):

Chemical equations are used to describe ionization.  

• A scaffolded series of tasks require students to first match equations to describe the formation of a sodium cation and a chlorine anion.  
• Then, they classify the reactants and products of this process, spiraling back onto earlier instruction about the basics of chemical reactions and equations. 
• Using their choices as a guide, they are prompted to propose their own chemical equations for the ionization of an atom of calcium and an atom of sulfur. 
• Finally, students evaluate whether or not mass has been conserved in these ionization processes as they were written.

Task Instructions / Virtual Lab, ~20 min:

Students visit a website to use an interactive periodic table that reports the atomic radii and ionization energy of elements Group 1 and Period 2.  

• The ionization energy of these atoms are recorded and compared to lithium’s ionization energy. 
• Using their recorded observations, students markup the periodic table to identify the periodic trend pattern they observe for increasing ionization energy within groups and periods on the periodic table.

Artifact Outline / Data-Dependent Analysis, ~15 min:

Students review their data and recall what they've learned about the periodic trend of atomic size to determine if more energy is required for electrons to jump out of big atoms or small atoms. 

With the use of Bohr models superimposed upon the periodic table, students must cite evidence and reasoning to explain why valence electrons in big atoms escape more easily than valence electrons in little atoms. 

Finally, students generalize metal and nonmetal atom behavior, finishing the following statements, expressing the core ideas of the lesson: 

• The ionization energy of _____________ atoms is always high. 
• .The ionization energy of _____________ atoms is always low.

Skill Practice, ~5 min:

Given a choice of 4 elements highlighted on a periodic table, students must choose the one having the greatest ionization energy.

Digital Worksheet (powered by BookWidgets):

Perfectly aligned to the PowerPoint file in both content and sequence, this worksheet offers multiple options for delivering this lesson. 

Students can use it as a guide and note-taking tool during class, as make-up work if they miss a day, or as a tool for independent study before planned absences. 

Alternatively, you might consider using it as a component of station work on a day devoted to learning all the periodic trends, as a robust plan for a substitute to use when you’ll be out of the classroom, or as an artifact of learning in a flipped classroom style approach.  

Seesaw Activity:

When you decide to implement this in-class digital delivery option, reviewing student work is simplified, feedback is more immediate, and family engagement is sustained through the creation of year-long portfolios. 

This method of delivering the activity in this ionization energy lesson is integral to my student-centered classroom approach and an important element that I teach as part of my paid professional development program, the Digital Instructional Design Studio.

For more on how I integrate both of these edtech tools (BookWidgets and SeeSaw), check outthis video</a> on YouTube.

Virtual Lab Experience:

This all-in-one no prep package brings the lab experience to life by guiding students through inquiry-based activities that mimic real-world scientific investigation.

They’ll analyze and interpret data just like in a physical lab setting, making lessons like these ideal for everyday delivery.  

Consistency is key when we’re trying to teach science skills that translate to practical life skills!

Before purchasing, CLICK HERE to make sure you're able to access the simulation used as part of the main activity of this lesson.  

Why High School Teachers Love This Resource:

• With the ionization energy activity at the heart of this inquiry-based periodic trends lesson, you’ll save hours of planning while maintaining high student engagement. 

• The lesson encourages the type of inquiry-based exploration you’d achieve with a traditional 5E lesson in a fraction of the time.

•  It includes NGSS science practices and cross-cutting concepts, enabling students to uncover core ideas. 

Topics Included:

• Ion
• ionization energy

How to Use This All-In-One Resource:

• Guide students through the lesson by presenting the PowerPoint.
• Bring scientific exploration to life with the virtual lab, giving students the same opportunity to think critically and practice the art of science as if they were working with tangible tools.  
• Assign the digital worksheet to ensure student progress is documented either in-person and remotely.
• Leverage the Seesaw activity to streamline or systemize the support you provide your students and their families.

What Teachers Have Said About The Virtual Lab Component:

Be among the first to review this product so that others can buy with confidence and transform the tone of their chemistry classroom!

Want to teach my entire series on electron location and behavior?

In my year-long curriculum (not available for sale on TpT), the following lessons are taught prior to this one and contribute to the prior knowledge included in this one:

• Bohr Model Activity | Inquiry-Based Lesson w/ Virtual Lab
• Periodic Trends Activity | Atomic Size Lesson w/ Virtual Lab
• Electron Configurations Activity | Inquiry-Based Lesson w/ Virtual Lab
• Electron Configurations Activity | Inquiry-Based Lesson about Periodic Trends
• Octet Rule Activity and Inquiry-Based Lesson | All-In-One NO PREP Package
• Ions and Ion Charges Activity | Inquiry-Based Lesson w/ Virtual Lab