Chemistry 9-12
Who hasn’t contemplated the idea of using this piece of art? The Bohr board. It surely looks intimidating when one is not an expert in atomic physics. But, have no fear, you can definitely present this simplified model of an atomic structure.
For this, you will need:
- Prerequisites in parts of an atom, and some basic knowledge on the building blocks of life (In-Print or RD Montessori).
- A Bohr model (you could make one yourself or see aff. link for cheaper version)
- Red marbles for the protons, blue marbles for the neutrons, and white or green marbles for the electrons. You can use your beads from the long division material.
- A set of cards with elements and their atomic number. The ETC Montessori Periodic Table curriculum contains the breakdown of the electrons so the learners can just use these to lay out their electron beads on the shells, starting from the center.
- Optional: I added the Parts of an Atom labels.
The material comes with a short instructional booklet. When following the scripted lesson, I didn’t feel confident while presenting. You might need to seek extra resources, but overall, it’s easy to present.
If you are using the ETC Periodic Table packet, it comes with the cards on elements above, and provides the Atomic Symbol, Atomic Mass, and the breakdown for placing the electrons on the shells. It really helped my learners feel confident in balancing the atoms.
The set also comes with 5 sets of “Who am I?” on elements. One set is comprised of 8 cards of random elements to match with 8 definition cards. The definition cards show a Bohr model representation of the atom, which can help a beginner practice building an atom before doing it on the board. See pictures below:
I hope this post helped you feel inspired to use an atom board as well. Have an atomic experience!
Montessori Second Plane of Development 
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