Name of Assignment: Atomic Model Project
Subject: Chemistry Facilitator/Teacher: Mrs. S For this project, every student in my chemistry class was given an element, at random, from the periodic table. Each student was then asked to construct a model of our given atom. The element I was given was Iron. Not only did I have to research my element to make sure my model had the right amount of protons, neutrons, and electrons, but I also had to plan what my model was going to be constructed from, and what materials I needed to purchase. The 21st Century Skill that I associate with this project is Financial, Economic, and Business Literacy because I had to plan out what materials I would get in advance, and once at the store, I would see which materials would be the most effective and cost effective. I am proud that I was able to build the atom by myself and didn’t need assistance making the rings or hanging it up. When it comes to making three dimensional projects, I tend to struggle, but I was really surprised and proud at how well my model turned out, especially considering that I was given an atom that needed four rings, while many of my classmates only had two or three. While I usually always look for a good bargain, with this project I was able to find materials that weren’t expensive, but also weren’t too cheap that they would be ineffective. I would say the most difficult part was building the nucleus. My original idea was to use styrofoam balls, however, the nucleus ended up being too heavy and fell apart. My nucleus fell apart after I had turned my model in, so an hour before school started, on the final day to turn atomic models in, I went into my Chemistry classroom and replaced my nucleus with a pom-pom nucleus that my teacher had saved over from a previous project. If I was to redo this project, I would probably use pom-poms to make the nucleus, making it lighter and easier to hold up when hanged from the ceiling. |