Most of us chemistry teachers have used particle diagrams in the classroom. We use them to teach types of substances, states of matter, and gas laws. But that’s usually where it ends.
Believe me when I tell you that your students will grow so much more if you challenge them to study the particle nature of matter at all times, with all chemistry topics.
I will show you how I use particle diagrams in my classroom to enhance my students’ understanding of chemistry for all topics.
So… what exactly is a particle?
That orange dot over there? Yep, That’s a particle.
Particles are, essentially, a “piece of matter.” Any piece of matter we need it to be to help us visualize what’s going on with the substance we’re studying.
I default to circles for my particles, but you don’t have to limit your students to one shape. Many students prefer to use different shapes for different substances. Others choose to use circles but show different substances by color-coding them. As long as they can represent different substances with their particle diagrams, I’m usually good.
Now that we know what a particle is… what is a particle diagram?
A particle diagram is a visual representation of the particles in the substance you are studying. The diagram should represent all of the information that is currently known about a substance.
Check out the Particle Diagram Index for more in-depth descriptions of how to represent matter at the particle level!