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PhET Build an Atom activity guide
PhET Build an Atom activity guide
PhET Build an Atom activity guide
PhET Build an Atom activity guide
PhET Build an Atom activity guide
PhET Build an Atom activity guide
PhET Build an Atom activity guide
PhET Build an Atom activity guide
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What others say

"fully made to contribute to build an atom on phet all you need to do is explain an element and the atomic no and mass from periodic table prior to exercise I use it for independent exploration exercise"
star
Luke G.
"I love doing this PhET with my students. It was helpful to have this activity to guide them through it. "
star
Amy L.

Description

Now includes both printable PDF and Google Slides versions!

The PhET:Building an Atom Activity Guide is used along with the free *Next Generation PhET Simulation on Building an Atom. Students will experiment with adding protons, neutrons, and electrons to an atomic model to create atoms of different elements.

Your students will hit the ground running without the need for a lengthy introduction from you. Just print the activity guide or share from your Google Drive. Students can watch the intro videos and away they go. The best part is that they don’t even know they are learning, they just think they are having fun!

The activity guide takes students through all 3 parts of the simulation: The Atom, Symbols, and The Game. The final section of the lesson, Understanding the Atom, challenges students to expand on what they have learned. Students will learn:

  • to recognize the basic structure of an atom
  • how protons and neutrons affect the atomic mass of an atom
  • how electrons affect the charge of an ion
  • how protons determine the name of the element
  • to identify elements from their number of protons, neutrons, and electrons
  • to calculate charge and mass number
  • to interpret atomic symbols
  • the concepts of atomic structure, atomic mass, relative atomic mass, ions, stable and unstable isotopes, and both orbital and electron cloud models of the atom.

In part 3, The Game, students are given a chance to improve their understanding and to demonstrate what they have learned through 4 challenging and fun games. Finally, part 4 will challenge students to do research to expand on what they have learned.

The activity guide begins with a short introductory video to give students background information and includes both PDF and Google Slides versions for printing worksheets or sharing via Google Drive or Google Classroom. This lesson is perfect for face to face, hybrid, or remote learning!

This product includes the Activity Guide (pdf), Activity Guide (Google Slides), Answer Key (pdf), and a Getting Started Guide for teachers.

*PhET simulations are fun, interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena. As students interact with the simulation, they get immediate feedback about the affects of the changes they made. All PhET simulations are freely available from the PhET website (phet.colorado.edu) and are easy to use and incorporate into the classroom. The new Next Generation sims utilize HTML 5 which allows them to run in any modern web browser on most devices including Chromebooks and tablets like the iPad! Learn more about using PhET Simulations with your students.

Bundle and save!

PhET Activity Guides Chemistry BUNDLE

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Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content guidelines.

PhET Build an Atom activity guide

James Gonyo
1.1k Followers
$5.00

Highlights

Digital downloads
Grades icon
Grades
Standards icon
Standards
Pages
15
Answer Key
Included
Teaching Duration
90 minutes

What others say

"fully made to contribute to build an atom on phet all you need to do is explain an element and the atomic no and mass from periodic table prior to exercise I use it for independent exploration exercise"
star
Luke G.
"I love doing this PhET with my students. It was helpful to have this activity to guide them through it. "
star
Amy L.

Save even more with bundles

Now includes printable PDF, Google Slides, and TPT Easel versions!The PhET Chemistry Activity Guides are used along with the free *Next Generation PhET Simulations. All activity guides are in PDF and Google Slides formats and include an answer key and a Getting Started Guide for teachers.Your studen
Price $28.00Original Price $35.00Save $7.00
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Description

Now includes both printable PDF and Google Slides versions!

The PhET:Building an Atom Activity Guide is used along with the free *Next Generation PhET Simulation on Building an Atom. Students will experiment with adding protons, neutrons, and electrons to an atomic model to create atoms of different elements.

Your students will hit the ground running without the need for a lengthy introduction from you. Just print the activity guide or share from your Google Drive. Students can watch the intro videos and away they go. The best part is that they don’t even know they are learning, they just think they are having fun!

The activity guide takes students through all 3 parts of the simulation: The Atom, Symbols, and The Game. The final section of the lesson, Understanding the Atom, challenges students to expand on what they have learned. Students will learn:

  • to recognize the basic structure of an atom
  • how protons and neutrons affect the atomic mass of an atom
  • how electrons affect the charge of an ion
  • how protons determine the name of the element
  • to identify elements from their number of protons, neutrons, and electrons
  • to calculate charge and mass number
  • to interpret atomic symbols
  • the concepts of atomic structure, atomic mass, relative atomic mass, ions, stable and unstable isotopes, and both orbital and electron cloud models of the atom.

In part 3, The Game, students are given a chance to improve their understanding and to demonstrate what they have learned through 4 challenging and fun games. Finally, part 4 will challenge students to do research to expand on what they have learned.

The activity guide begins with a short introductory video to give students background information and includes both PDF and Google Slides versions for printing worksheets or sharing via Google Drive or Google Classroom. This lesson is perfect for face to face, hybrid, or remote learning!

This product includes the Activity Guide (pdf), Activity Guide (Google Slides), Answer Key (pdf), and a Getting Started Guide for teachers.

*PhET simulations are fun, interactive, research-based simulations of physical phenomena. As students interact with the simulation, they get immediate feedback about the affects of the changes they made. All PhET simulations are freely available from the PhET website (phet.colorado.edu) and are easy to use and incorporate into the classroom. The new Next Generation sims utilize HTML 5 which allows them to run in any modern web browser on most devices including Chromebooks and tablets like the iPad! Learn more about using PhET Simulations with your students.

Bundle and save!

PhET Activity Guides Chemistry BUNDLE

Report this resource to TPT
Reported resources will be reviewed by our team. Report this resource to let us know if this resource violates TPT's content guidelines.

Reviews

4.8
Rated 4.75 out of 5, based on 79 reviews
79
ratings
5
64
4
12
3
3
2
0
1
0
Mostly used with 8th grade
Reviews
6
10
19
9
8
5
2
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
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loved it mucho
Rated 5 out of 5
February 24, 2026
Really loved this respource. It was a great help.
832 reviews • California
Grades taught: 3rd, 4th
James Gonyo
Response from
James Gonyo
(TPT Seller)
Feb 24, 2026
Thank you!
simple and fantastic
Rated 5 out of 5
December 7, 2025
fully made to contribute to build an atom on phet all you need to do is explain an element and the atomic no and mass from periodic table prior to exercise I use it for independent exploration exercise
Luke G.
36 reviews
Grades taught: 7th
James Gonyo
Response from
James Gonyo
(TPT Seller)
Dec 9, 2025
Thank you!
well crafted
Rated 5 out of 5
November 27, 2025
Thank you for sharing this resource. Perfect addition to my teacher toolkit.
Ashley P.
987 reviews • Texas
Grades taught: 6th, 7th, 8th
James Gonyo
Response from
James Gonyo
(TPT Seller)
Nov 27, 2025
Thank you!
Great scaffolding for this PhET activity
Rated 5 out of 5
September 28, 2025
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
I love doing this PhET with my students. It was helpful to have this activity to guide them through it.
Amy L.
96 reviews • California
Grades taught: 10th
James Gonyo
Response from
James Gonyo
(TPT Seller)
Sep 29, 2025
Thank you!
Easy to follow!
Rated 5 out of 5
September 15, 2025
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
Great to use for classes. Super easy to follow directions and keeps students engaged in the material.
98 reviews • California
Grades taught: 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th
James Gonyo
Response from
James Gonyo
(TPT Seller)
Sep 16, 2025
Thank you!
Great resrouce
Rated 5 out of 5
September 15, 2025
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
This is my first time using PhET and this resource was perfect to go along with it. The kids really responded well to it.
Jennifer Schawel
(TPT Seller)
665 reviews
Grades taught: 6th, 7th, 8th
Student populations: Learning difficulties
James Gonyo
Response from
James Gonyo
(TPT Seller)
Sep 16, 2025
Thank you!
Amazing Lesson
Rated 5 out of 5
September 4, 2025
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
I used this in my chemistry unit and students found this very engaging! Once I went over a few examples on each page, most students were able to continue on their own independently and do well.
Jacquelin Crouse
(TPT Seller)
176 reviews • Connecticut
Grades taught: 7th
Student populations: Autism, Emerging bilinguals, Learning difficulties
James Gonyo
Response from
James Gonyo
(TPT Seller)
Sep 4, 2025
Thank you!
Highly Recommend!
Rated 5 out of 5
August 26, 2025
Met expectations
Great value
Standards-aligned
This resource was just what I was looking for to help reinforce our science curriculum.
Tina P.
144 reviews • Illinois
Grades taught: 8th
James Gonyo
Response from
James Gonyo
(TPT Seller)
Aug 27, 2025
Thank You!

Questions & Answers

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Standards

to see state-specific standards (only available in the US).
NGSSMS-PS1-1
Develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules and extended structures. Emphasis is on developing models of molecules that vary in complexity. Examples of simple molecules could include ammonia and methanol. Examples of extended structures could include sodium chloride or diamonds. Examples of molecular-level models could include drawings, 3D ball and stick structures, or computer representations showing different molecules with different types of atoms. Assessment does not include valence electrons and bonding energy, discussing the ionic nature of subunits of complex structures, or a complete depiction of all individual atoms in a complex molecule or extended structure.
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