FOR CHEMISTRY TEACHERS When did you last play games in the lab? No, not a particularly safe idea, but this pack of cards could bring a new dimension of fun to the study of the world around us in its most basic, elementary form. There are so many processes to be studied in the curriculum that the building blocks are sometimes forgotten. Various games can be played with the cards that are aimed at reinforcing the starting point of chemistry - the periodic table and its elements. The statistics included will demonstrate the similarities and differences and highlight how the macroscopic world is so very different to its constituent microscopic essentials between the elements. The pack contains 54 cards: 5 each of groups I-VIII, 12 transition metals, and uranium and plutonium. The front of each card states the chemical name, symbol, group, metal/non-metal/metalloid status, colour, fact, source, uses and hazard symbol (where appropriate). The back contains physical data such as atomic number, mass number, density, melting point and boiling point; more complicated data such as number of isotopes, electrical conductivity, ionisation energy and relative abundance in the solar system; as well as additional information on cost (Dollars/100g), discovery date and percentage present in a cat!!

Author Biography

Caroline Griffiths is a qualified Physics/Science teacher with experience as head of department who developed a keen interest in accelerated learning techniques. She lives in South Wales. John Griffiths is a Department Head at a Welsh school.