Level 3: Atoms

Radiation and the atom · level 3 of 8 · rough age 9-10 (a guide for parents; anyone can start anywhere)

The tiny pieces everything is made of are atoms. There are only about a hundred kinds, the elements, and they join up to make everything else. This level meets atoms, elements and the periodic table, sees how atoms join into compounds, and finds out how scientists discovered an element in the Sun before anyone found it on Earth. It ends with the elements in Mars rock.

Lesson	You will be able to
Atoms	Say how small an atom is
Elements	Say what an element is and name some
The periodic table	Find an element and its symbol in the periodic table
Compounds	Say what a compound is and read a simple formula
Elements in the stars	Explain how we know what the Sun is made of
What Mars rocks are made of	Compare the elements in Mars soil and Earth's crust

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