Lesson Plan

1. Title/Topic/Grade level: Amazing Atoms, Atoms and their parts, 4th grade
2. Lesson Essential Questions:
What is an atom?
What are the parts of an atom?
Do different atoms contain different numbers of electrons?
3. Standards:
Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.
4. A: Learning objectives and assessments
Define and draw an atom, proton, neutron, and electron.
Understand that different types of atoms contain different numbers of electrons, protons,
and neutrons
B: Assessments:
Objectives

Assessments

SWBAT identify and know

where the different parts of an
atom are located.

Students will partake in a class activity, where the teacher

stands in the middle and acts as the nucleus (protons and
neutrons). Each student will rotate around the nucleus to act
as electrons for various types of atoms.

SWBAT understand that

different atoms contain different
numbers of electrons, protons,
and neutrons.

Students will complete the Amazing Atoms worksheet,

where they will draw an atom based on the type of atom
that is shown, varying the number of electrons, protons, and
neutrons.

5. Materials:
White board
Dry erase markers (3 different colors)
Unit Folders
Aluminum Foil (15 pieces)
All About Atoms Worksheet (15)
Periodic Table Worksheet (15)
Amazing Atoms Worksheet (15)
Rubric for Amazing Atoms Worksheet (15)
YouTube Video of The Atoms Family Song

6. Pre-Lesson Assignments and/or Prior Knowledge:

Students have no prior knowledge on the subject. We will explain to the students the
main idea of our unit, which will allow them to get a sense of the new topics that they
will be learning.
7. Lesson Beginning:
Hand out Unit Folders. Tell students to keep the folder closed until instructed to open it.
Hold up a piece of aluminum foil and ask your students if they know what it is made of
(aluminum). Give a piece to each of your students and have them rip the foil in half. Now
tell them to rip the foil in half again and have them keep ripping it in half until it cannot
be ripped any smaller. Have them imagine that they keep ripping it in half until they have
ripped it into such a small piece that they have to look at it under a microscope to see it.
Tell them that eventually they could rip it so small that it would be the smallest piece of
aluminum in the world. At that point, if you ripped it again, it would no longer be
aluminum. When they get to that smallest piece, it is called an atom. Atoms are so small
that they can only be seen under a special microscope called an electron microscope.
They are so small that millions of them could fit in the head of a pin.
Resource:(https://funtasticunitstudies.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/atoms-and-m
olecules-chapter.pdf)
Have students open up their Unit Folders to the All About Atoms Worksheet
8. Instructional Plan:
Start with the Aluminum Foil Activity listed above
Draw a giant circle on the board to represent an atom
Explain that atoms are composed of particles called protons (positive), neutrons (neutral),
electrons (negative)
o Write the terms on the whiteboard
o Ask students if they know the charges of each particle by giving them the options
of positive, neutral, and negative
o Ask students if they know where each particle is located before drawing it on the
board. Using different color markers draw protons, neutrons, and electrons on the
board
Explain how protons and neutrons are located in the center of the cell and
together they are called the nucleus. Electrons move around outside of the
nucleus.
Tell students that in each type of atom, the number of protons, neutrons,
and electrons are the same.
Activity: Pretend you are the nucleus and your students are the electrons moving around
you. Using the Periodic Table, figure out what type of atom you are by the number of
electrons you have.
o For example: Have one student circle you and another person. Explain that you
are the nucleus and the student circling you is the electron. Show them on their
individual Periodic Tables that you are modeling a Hydrogen atom. Tell them how
the number in the top right of the box tells how many electrons, neutrons, and

protons there are going to be in that type of atom. Hydrogen has 1 in the top right
corner, then say that there is one electron, 1 proton, and 1 neutron.
o Invite 3 more students to circle around the nucleus and have students guess which
atom it makes up now. Continue with adding 3 more students each time until the
whole class is circling around you as electrons.
4 electrons-Beryllium
7-Nitrogen
10-Neon
13-Aluminum
Have students take out their Amazing Atoms Worksheet from their Unit Folders. These
will contain 5 different elements with their atomic numbers. On the worksheet, have
students draw the correct number of neutrons, protons, and electrons. Model the first one
with them. For example, there will be a picture of the element Helium with the atomic
number 2. Draw a circle in the blank space. Draw two protons with a plus and two
neutrons for the nucleus. Then draw two electrons with minus sign in them. Explain to
the students that this is how they will complete the rest of the worksheet. Also, tell the
students that they will be graded on the activity. When they are finished they can go to
the Im Done Jar, and choose an activity.

Differentiation: Examples will first be done as a class so no one feels discouraged if they
dont know the answer. Students that know the answers will most likely be the ones to
answer. There will be models for visual learners, via doing examples on the board. There
is an activity where students can move around the room, to understand the concept that
different types of atoms have different numbers of electrons. This will be beneficial to the
kinesthetic learners. The worksheet will have examples, for those who are struggling. We
will be walking around the room to give students extra help who need it. The closure
activity consists of a song, which will help those who are more musical learners.

Class Management: Have students in their seats facing the board. Have desks arranged in
tables. Hand out the foil for the hook in the beginning. Once the foil is done being used,
have students walk to the trashcan to throw it out. Hand out worksheets at appropriate
times (All About Atoms after the hook, Amazing Atoms after the activity). When students
need to be called upon, use the popsicle sticks with their names on it.

Transitions: Introduce the class to the topic and play the song for them. Make
connections between the terms (atoms, elements, molecules). Direct students attention
from the board to their worksheets at the appropriate times. Make sure students are in
their seats before you move onto the closure.

9. Closure:
Hand out The Atoms Family Song Lyrics and play the Atoms Family Song from
YouTube
o This will reinforce the different parts of the atom
Resource: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-iPPwDAk1Q

The Atoms Family Song Lyrics

1st Verse:
Theyre tiny and theyre teeny,
Much smaller than a beany,
They never can be seeny,
The Atoms Family.

3rd Verse:
Neutrons can be found,
Where protons hang around;
Electrons they surround.
The Atoms Family.

Chorus:
They are so small.
(Snap Snap.)
Theyre round like a ball.
(Snap Snap.)
They make up the air,
Theyre everywhere.
Cant see them at all.

Chorus

2nd Verse:
Together they make gases,
And liquids like molasses,
And all the solid masses,
The Atoms Family.
Chorus

Name: _____________________________________

Date: ________________________

All About Atoms Worksheet

Atom:________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Proton:______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Neutron:_____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Electron:____________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_

Name: _____________________________

Date: __________________

Amazing Atoms Worksheet

4

Labels

Every item that

needs to be
identified has a
label. It is clear
which label goes
with which
structure.

Almost all items

that need to be
identified have
labels. It is clear
which label goes
with which
structure.

Most items
that need to be
identified have
labels. It is
clear which
label goes with
which
structure.

No items that
need to be
identified have
labels or it is
not clear
which label
goes with
item.

Format

The drawing is
large enough to
be clear and is
presented in a

The drawing is
large enough to
be clear, but the
drawing is not

The drawing is
a little too
small. The
student's name

The drawing is
too small. The
student's name
and/or date are

Drawin
g

neatly manner.
The student's
name and date
are on the top of
the paper.

presented in a
neat manner. The
student's name
and date are on
the paper.

and date are on

the paper.

missing from
the paper.

All assigned
details have been
added. The
details are clear
and easy to
identify.

Almost all
assigned details
have been added.
The details are
clear and easy to
identify.

Almost all
assigned
details have
been added. A
few details are
difficult to
identify.

None of the
assigned
details are
present or
most details
are difficult to
identify.

Total: ______/12