Inductive Reasoning

Concept: The Periodic Table

Subject Area: Science
Strand: Chemistry
Grade Levels: 6-8
Instructional Goals:
1. Students will actively practice the process of inductive reasoning
2. Students will practice the concept formation process
3. The student will attend to logic
Performance Objectives:
1. Student will place the data in at least four categories
2. Students will title the categories
3. Students will list at least two characteristics of each category
4. Students will make a hypothesis based on the data
5. Students will test their hypothesis
6. Students will extend the lesson as assigned by the teachers
Data Set:
The data set consists of approximately 25 elements. Categories are: Alkaline Metals, Nonmetals,
Noble Gases, Halogens, and Transition Metals.
Extending the Lesson:
Ideas:
1. Students will determine a way to order the elements in their own periodic table following
rules that they set up with reasoning to support their ordering
2. Students will rename categories
Alkaline Metals Noble Gases
Lithium Helium
Sodium Neon
Potassium Krypton
Francium Argon
Cesium Xenon

Nonmetals Halogens
Polonium Iodine
Boron Fluorine
Nitrogen Chlorine
Arsenic Bromine
Phosphorus Astatine

Transitional Metals
Iron
Gold
Zinc
Nickel
Chromium
Lithium

Cesium
Sodium

Potassium Polonium

Francium Boron
 Helium

Nitrogen

Neon

Arsenic

Krypton

Phosphorus

Argon
 Chlorine

Xenon
Bromine

Astatine
Iodine

Fluorine
Iron
 Nickel

Gold
Chromium

Zinc