Grade 8 building hydrogen to neon in PhET Build an Atom and recording their shells.

Year 9 are revisiting atomic structure before starting GCSE chemistry. Students open PhET's Build an Atom and build each of the first ten elements, hydrogen to neon, by adding protons, neutrons and electrons, predicting before each addition what will change. The simulation shows the element name, charge, mass number and whether the nucleus is stable as they build, so a student who adds a seventh proton to carbon sees it become nitrogen at once and has to rethink. For each element they record the atomic number, mass number and a shell diagram, such as 2,6 for oxygen, in their books from the arrangement on screen. The lesson ends with the first two levels of the simulation's game mode, which sets build-and-identify challenges and scores each answer.

Tools: PhET Simulations Nine ideas for your own version in Generate