For the month of October, we’re highlighting resources for Chemistry teaching. Look for continued resource materials and examples this month. Here’s a way to chart, sort and graph elements from an interactive periodic table: Through Periodic Table Live! of NSDL’s Chemical Education Digital Library (http://chemeddl.org) you can find information related to each element, including its characteristics, videos, properties, atomic structure and more. Be sure to use the chart and sort feature to discuss and demonstrate element groups and their properties.

Here’s info from the site on the use of the chart/sort tool:
“There are three major components: a periodic table, a graphing component, and a data table that can be used for visual presentation of a variety of data. The periodic table is used to select or deselect the sets of elements included in each comparison. The graphing component is used to view numerical data, such as densities, atomic numbers, and so on. The table component can be used to view both numerical and non–numerical information, such as the uses and sources of an element.”

Also, try out the element graphing tool: http://chemeddl.org/collections/ptl/PTL/charts/docs/graph.html

Don’t forget the NSDL/NSTA Web Seminar on October 15th on Chemistry Comes Alive IV: Oxidation and Reduction!