Can you believe we are halfway through the term already? This week our students learned about covalent bonding. The most involved activity from the week included having the students create 3-d candy-models of molecules held together by covalent bonds. There were twelve molecules in total, including things like methane gas, hydrogen peroxide, and carbon dioxide. The activity was adapted from the supplemental resource section of our text by Ellen McHenry, only we adapted it to include the Dots candy as the elements in place of the marshmallows/other foods that were suggested. The dots worked well for this activity.

Each week, to supplement the material we cover at home, the students have watched a variety of online videos that showcase an explanation of a particular concept or aspect of our reading to help them visualize things and grow to have a better understanding of our weekly topics. One great resource we’ve happened upon is the following website that shows clips of each of the elements of the periodic table and highlights the element’s unique properties, uses, and other helpful information.