Teaching electron notations with light makes the whole unit way more fun!

Everything You Need to Know About How to Teach Electrons and Light

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Now let’s dive into studying a super small, electrically negative particle! The electron can be hard to observe in a lab space, but don’t skip the opportunity to make electrons feel more real! I like to introduce electrons with the Sticky Tape Lab, which focuses on the electrostatic property to prove the existence of electrons. 

Electron notations are not the most fun, in my opinion. But we can keep things interesting by relating those notations to rainbows and fireworks! The sticky tape lab proves that electrons exist and that they are transferable, so it’s not too much of a leap for our students to understand that electrons produce light when they lose energy. 

Electrons and Light Lesson Plans

Total Duration: (10-14 days)

Note: a day refers to 45-50 minute periods.

Topic & TimelineTasksDescription
Sticky Tape
1-2 days		Sticky Tape Lab

Post Lab Discussion

Alternative Activity: Balloon Static Electricity pHet simulation		This lab requires simple materials – clear tape, aluminum foil and paper. You can provide your students with a handout or just have them record their data on their own paper. In this lab, students will charge pieces of tape by rubbing them together and then see how they are attracted to the other tape, metal, and paper. 

Have students draw particle diagrams to show what they think is happening. How did the tape start off neutral and end up charged? Showing the Balloon Static Electricity pHet to the whole class can help them to see that the electrons from the one tape were transferred to the other.
You can learn more about this lab by watching Debbink Physics’s YouTube series. This video playlist is about electrostatics, you only need to watch the ones about the sticky tape lab to get a better feel for what’s going on. 
Bohr Models
1 day		Bohr Models Notes + PracticeNow that we know that electrons are real and can be transferred, let’s review Bohr’s Model of the atom. This is a great place to discuss the limitations of the Bohr Model as well as that of the Cloud Model. While the Cloud Model is current, it doesn’t lend itself well to teaching. 
Electron Locations

1 day		Electron Configurations POGILHonestly, this POGIL is one of the best. If you don’t do any of the others, please do this one. 

In this POGIL, students use a “boarding house” model. The house has three floors, with two rooms per floor. They learn that the manager places boarders on the first floor first and won’t open a new room until the previous one is full. Essentially, they learn all the principles of filling an orbital diagram and how to write an electron configuration. 
Orbital Diagrams

0.5-1 day		Orbital Diagrams Notes + PracticeYou may not need to give your students formal notes for orbital diagrams after completing the POGIL, but I find my students prefer to refer back to notes for practice and review rather than POGILs. 
Electron Notations

0.5-1 day		Electron Notations Notes + Practice
Like yesterday, you may not need formal notes for electron notations after the POGIL. If you’d like to save time, squish these two days together and have students complete the orbital diagrams and then write each electron configuration as practice.  
Valence Electrons

1-2 days		Valence Electrons

Lewis Dot Structures		Ah, valence electrons. The ones that do the reacting! These electrons can be transferred, as discovered in the sticky tape lab.
We discuss that the valence electrons are the last ones from the electron configurations, and since they are on the outside, they can interact with other atoms. We then discuss the limitations of the previous notations and why Lewis Dot Structures are a nice tool in our chemistry tool belts. 
Energy + Light

1 day		Energy + Light POGILLet’s revisit those Bohr Models and discuss electron movement- but this time, we’re going to discuss electrons emitting light instead of electron transfers. 
Rainbows

1 day		Flame Tests

EMS Notes + Practice		I love flame tests. Feel free to do this as a full lab with your class or just a demo. I’ve done it both ways. It feels safer to me to do it with the lights low in front of my class, but you do you!
We then take electromagnetic spectrum notes and talk about how we see the things around us. 
Optional: Waves

1 day 		Light as a Particle Notes

Light as a Wave Notes		If you want to dive deeper into the wave-particle nature of light, I have some visual notes for you. These Notes do not involve much practice but do discuss the light equations. 
Notation Comparison

1 day		Comparison Discussion

Shorthand Notation Notes + Practice		Alright, now we can wrap everything up in a nice little bow. I like to show my students all of the different notations for the same element, so we can compare and contrast them. We discuss the similarities and differences/ pros and cons of each. I then show them how to write the Noble Gas Electron Configuration (or shorthand notation). 
ReviewSpectral Tubes

Electrons Vocab

EMS Vocab		If you have access to spectral tubes, your review day is a GREAT day to pull them out. I use these Prism Glasses so my students can see that each color is made up of multiple wavelengths of light. You could also use the spectral tubes directly before or after the Energy and Light POGIL. 
Assessment

Further Reading

Electrons Notes Bundle on TeachersPayTeachers

Light – Physical Science Notes Bundle on TeachersPayTeachers

The Chemistry Particle’s Guide to Teaching High School Chemistry, The Chemistry Particle

How to Write an Electron Configuration, ChemTalk

Clarifying Electron Configurations, ChemEd Exchange

LED Lights and the Periodic Table, ChemEd Exchange

2 Responses

    1. I don’t currently have this curriculum guide as part of my notes bundles, but I can definitely add them!

      Reply

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