General Resources
• Teachers’ Notes (updated February 2025)
• Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) (collected zip file)
• 2019 Element Sets Final Analysis
Displays
The sets are designed to be self-contained and used hands-on in the classroom. Many schools also put them on display, sometimes even engaging their woodwork classes to design their displays. Some suggestions are highlighted in the Teachers’ Notes.
One particularly effective and simple answer to both displaying the sets and keeping them accessible to use in the classroom is to get one of the display trays shown below (credit to James Kennedy of Kennedy College for the idea). These can be found on e.g. eBay (search ’50 nail container display’) easily.
For those feeling more adventurous (and better resourced), the lasercut display shown below was made by Owen Osborne at Scotch College, Adelaide (who has also added some more samples of their own). He has also kindly supplied the Adobe Illustrator file used to produce this (available here). In his words, “I split the image into layers which can be cut individually (our cutter accommodates 720mmx430mm boards) and then assembled. I cut it out of 3mm ply and stuck everything together with wood glue.”.
Finally, here’s another outstanding one, courtesy of Maria Cellini, Northside Christian College.
Class Plans and Related Resources
Linked below are some examples of class plans using the element sets that are free to download and use. Many have been matched against the Victorian and/or Australian Curriculums, but should also be easily translatable to your local curriculum. They cover a range of year levels. There are also further classroom activity suggestions contained in the Teachers’ Notes, which can be downloaded from the link in the General Resources section above. Further class plans are most welcome – if you have your own to offer and share, please email me at stuart.batten@monash.edu.
• Match up element with subatomic particles
• What is NOT included in the Set
• A3 Periodic Tables for differently focused cover up activities (see below)
• Curriculum mapping against Victorian and Australian Curriculums
• Cover Up Activity (credit: Alexander Eastwood, Department of Education, Victoria, and Jarrod Bye, Preston High School, Victoria)
• Number of Mole of an Element (credit: Alexander Eastwood, Department of Education, Victoria, and Jarrod Bye, Preston High School, Victoria)
• Observing Trends (credit: Alexander Eastwood, Department of Education, Victoria, and Jarrod Bye, Preston High School, Victoria)
• Other Ideas (undeveloped) (credit: Alexander Eastwood, Department of Education, Victoria, and Jarrod Bye, Preston High School, Victoria)
• Introduction to the Elements (credit: Annie Termaat, Blue Gum Community School, ACT)
• Periodic patterns puzzle (credit: Annie Termaat, Blue Gum Community School, ACT)