5 Ways to Use the Periodic Table of QR Codes

Are you looking for an interesting way to incorporate mobile devices into learning about the Periodic Table of Elements? Brady Haran, a video journalist, and a team of chemists from The University of Nottingham have created a periodic table with QR codes. Each QR code takes you to a video about the individual element. You can choose to print the table with or without chemical symbols and in different sizes.

Here are 5 ways to use The Periodic Table of QR Codes in your classroom:

1. As a homework assignment, have students watch videos on the Periodic Table of QR Codes answer questions that can be answered by watching the videos.
2. Place samples of different elements (assign each sample a number, so it can be easily identified) around the room and give each student a card with a QR code on it. Have students identify the sample that corresponds to the QR code they were assigned.
3. Assign each student in the class a few elements each on the periodic table to research and present to the class. The Periodic Table of QR codes can be one of the resources that they can use to investigate their elements.
4. As an introductory activity to the periodic table, break students up into groups, and assign each group of students one of the groups on the periodic table. Have students investigate the elements in their group using the Periodic Table of QR codes and substances that are available (and safe to use). Have students compile a list of common properties in their group and present the properties to the class.
5. As a first activity before the kids read or learn anything about the Periodic Table; break your class into small groups, cut the Table of Periodic QR codes (with symbols) into it’s individual QR code (to simplify things for middle grades and lower, use the first five periods of the table), make a few of the actual substances available to the students to test and have the kids arrange the QR codes into their own periodic table. Students should be prepared to explain how and why they organized their periodic table.

Click here for more information about the Periodic Table of Videos.