Element Bingo

• Learn to recognize chemical symbols given the names
• Learn to recognize chemical names given the symbols
• Learn to spell chemical names correctly
• Learn to capitalize chemical symbols correctly

Directions

1. On the Periodic Table below, select the elements that you will be using most often in your class; choose the elements that you would normally have your students "memorize". You must select at least 25 elements, but you should probably select no more than 35 elements, as each bingo card only contains 25 spaces (5x5 square).
2. Press the button at the bottom of the page.
3. Right-Click somewhere in the black area of the generated .html file, and select "Save As" to save it to your local harddrive.
4. After saving the file, you can copy it to a computer's hard drive or network drive. Print out the Bingo cards below and distribute to your students.
   Element Bingo Cards (Word Doc Format)
   Element Bingo Cards (Rich Text Format)
5. Have students randomly fill in a "Symbols" game card with 25 of your selected element's symbols. Also, have your students fill in a "Names" game card with 25 randomly-selected element names.
6. Double-click on the file to launch it in your browser. Press the "OK" button to play a Symbols game (element names are posted on the screen, and students must find the element's symbol on their bingo cards), or press "Cancel" to play a Names game (element symbols are posted on the screen, and students must find the element's name on their bingo cards).
7. You can pretty much make up the rules for your own classroom from here on. A set of suggested game rules follows:
   • A student may call "BINGO" if 5 elements in a row, column, or diagonal have been selected on his/her card.
   • The game ends when 16 elements are selected, even if students have already gone Bingo (this affords the class more motivation, and more practice during each bingo round)
   • The first student to go bingo for each round receives 2 signature initials from the teacher, counting for 2 points of "extra credit". Game play continues until 16 elements are called, and each Bingo winner that follows receives 1 signature initial worth 1 point of extra credit.
   • After a student calls "Bingo", the instructor reads the 5 elements' symbols and names to assure accuracy and so that students constantly hear the element symbol/name pairs (this auditory queue aids greatly in memorization/cognition for all students in the class)
   • After playing a "Symbols" game, play a "Names" game immediately afterward.
   • For the very unlucky few, offer a "house minimum" of 4 extra credit points for those students who fully participate, but do not win often or at all.

Customize your Element Bingo selector program for your class: