Students observe and perform experiments with sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur ,and phosphorus. The discover trends down groups, across periods, and having to do with the pH of metal oxides vs. nonmetal oxides.

Students investigate several properties of the given elements and decide whether each element is a metal, non-metal, or a metalloid.

In this activity, students investigate a puzzle. They are given a set of cards with various properties. Each card has anywhere from 2 to 6 different properties depending on the level of the students and each set of cards has one or two...