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8th grade Reading the periodic table worksheet

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Reading the periodic table

Grade 8 Science Worksheet - Challenge Me

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Circle the best answer.

  1. a nucleus with 9 protons (marked +) and 10 neutrons (no mark). Ari's atom drawing (not to scale) shows 9 protons and 10 neutrons. Which element matches it?

    • Potassium, element 19, from the mass number
    • You need the electrons to tell
    • Neon, element 10, from the neutrons
    • Fluorine, element 9
  2. “Particle drawing of an atom, not to scale:” Esme's atom drawing (not to scale) shows 11 protons and 12 neutrons. Which element matches it?

    • Neon, element 10
    • Vanadium, element 23, from the mass number
    • Sodium, element 11
    • Magnesium, element 12, from the neutrons
  3. Lithium is a soft, shiny metal that tarnishes quickly in air. Which element is most likely to be like it, Jun?

    • Helium
    • Beryllium, its neighbor in period 2
    • Potassium, in the same group
    • Carbon, also in period 2
  4. Helium is a gas that hardly ever reacts. Which element is most likely to be like it, Kira?

    • Beryllium
    • Hydrogen, also in period 1
    • Neon, in the same group
    • Lithium, the next element
  5. Chlorine and bromine behave alike. Which element should also behave like them, Luz?

    • Iodine, in the same group
    • Sulfur, next to chlorine in period 3
    • Iron, also in period 4
    • Gold
  6. Milo says the table is in order of mass. Using the tellurium and iodine tiles, agree or disagree?

    • Agree: 127.6 comes after 126.9
    • Agree: heavier ones come later
    • Disagree: tellurium is heavier yet comes first
    • Disagree: the order is alphabetical
  7. Using the cobalt and nickel tiles, why does cobalt come first, Noah?

    • It has fewer protons
    • It has less mass
    • It has a higher atomic number
    • It sits in an earlier period
  8. If the table were ordered by mass, what would happen to tellurium and iodine, Pia?

    • Both would move to period 1
    • Nothing; that is the order now
    • Tellurium would come first, as now
    • They would swap places
  9. Read this first

    Use this

    Outline of the periodic table (IUPAC) with a thick staircase line from boron down to tellurium. Metals are shaded on the left and in the middle; nonmetals are unshaded on the right; the elements along the staircase (B, Si, Ge, As, Sb, Te) are dotted as metalloids. Hydrogen, at the top left, is unshaded.

  10. Ren says the elements to the right of the staircase are metals. Agree or disagree?

    • Agree: the right side is the metal side
    • Agree: they are shiny
    • Disagree: they are metalloids
    • Disagree: they are nonmetals
  11. Aluminum sits just left of the staircase. Zee must classify it. Which is right?

    • Metalloid: it is on the staircase
    • Metal
    • Nonmetal: metals are on the right
    • Nonmetal: it is light
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8th grade Reading the periodic table worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Reading the periodic table. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can read a tile: the atomic number (protons), the symbol, the name and the average atomic mass.
  • I can find an element's group (column) and period (row), and predict that a group behaves alike.
  • I can sort elements into metals, nonmetals and metalloids using the staircase, and explain that the table is ordered by atomic number.

Standard: MS-PS1-1 (supporting)

Words to know

element tile: One box of the table: number, symbol, name, mass

symbol: One or two letters for an element; the first is a capital

group: A column; its elements behave alike

period: A row across the table

metal / nonmetal: Left and middle / right of the staircase

metalloid: An element along the staircase line, with some metal-like properties

average atomic mass: The decimal number on the tile

Common mistakes

Your child mixed up the atomic number and the atomic mass on a tile. The atomic number is the whole number that counts the protons.

Your child mixed up groups and periods. Groups are columns (top to bottom); periods are rows (left to right).

Your child put the metals on the wrong side of the table. Metals are on the left and in the middle; nonmetals are on the right of the staircase.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with reading the periodic table?

Your child mixed up the atomic number and the atomic mass on a tile. The atomic number is the whole number that counts the protons.

Are these 8th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 8 science

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