Masters of the Elements!
Do students really have to memorize the periodic table? This is an age-old question with which physical science teachers battle. You might say that’s impossible, a waste of time, or downright unnecessary in today’s age of information at your fingertips. Asking students to write and interpret chemical formulas without knowing the symbols for the elements is like asking someone to spell words and write sentences without knowing the alphabet.
The eighth-grade students are offered credit for reciting the first ten elements in order. Extra credit is offered to students reciting each row thereafter. Every student is successful. However, Payton Guillory (left) and Rohan Thukaram (right) did not settle for the extra credit offered. These two young men recited all 118 elements in order. Yes, from memory. Payton entertained us by naming them backwards when he was done!
Back
