Periodic: A Game of the Elements (Adapted for use in the high school classroom)

OVERVIEW

This lesson utilizes an adaptation of the board game Periodic: A Game of the Elements to help students better understand both general periodic trends and the law of conservation of energy. This adaptation was created for use during one 45-minute class period. During their turn, players can choose to activate one or more periodic trends by either spending or gaining Energy Tokens. Players score points by "researching" elements associated with Goal Cards.

 

OBJECTIVE

Players must strategically navigate the periodic table game board to "research" elements and complete Goal Cards. There is a fixed number of Energy Tokens available to all players, so deciding when to spend Energy Tokens and when to gain Energy Tokens is an important part of moving across the board. The game ends when one stack of Goal Cards is depleted. 

 

LEARNING GOALS

  1. Students will practice general patterns related to the periodic trends of ionization energy, atomic radii, atomic mass, and atomic number. 
  2. Students will consider how the law of conservation of energy is incorporated into the board game Periodic: A Game of the Elements. 

 

MATERIALS 

(1) Periodic: A Game of the Elements board game

  • 1 board game set will accommodate up to 5 participants

Interactive Periodic Table (The Royal Society of Chemistry)

Quick Start Guide (for Students)

Periodic: A Game of the Elements (Student Worksheet)

TEACHERS: Request an Answer KEY

PDF copies for printing labels used to organize game pieces (See Photo 6, Photo 7, and Photo 8):

 

GAME SETUP

  1. Place the game board face-up in the center of the play area.
  2. Separate the Goal Cards by color and place a stack of 4 randomly-drawn green Goal Cards face-down above the board. Do the same with 4 blue Goal Cards, 3 purple Goal Cards, and 3 pink Goal Cards. Flip the top card of each stack face-up.
  3. Place matching Goal Markers on each element on the game board that match the elements shown on the face-up Goal Cards (See Photo 2).  
  4. Place 3-point and 5-point Lab Tokens to the left of the Goal Cards (See Photo 1).
  5. Place 1 Energy Token in each of the Periodic Trend boxes located at the bottom of the board.
  6. Each player begins with 1 Flask and 6 Research Cubes.
  7. The player who most recently touched calcium carbonate is the first player. Play proceeds clockwise with the remaining players. (Sources of calcium carbonate include chalk, seashells, egg shells, almond milk, marble, limestone, pearls, oyster shells, snail shells, etc.)
  8. Players take starting Energy Tokens based on their initial turn order: Player 1 begins with 3 Energy Tokens, Player 2 begins with 4, Player 3 begins with 5, Player 4 begins with 3, and Player 5 begins with 4.
  9. Each player should match the color of their Flask to the same color Element Group listed at the top of the game board (See Photo 3). The Flask is placed on the element with the lowest Atomic Number in the matching Element Group.
  10. If the Flask starting position happens to include a Goal Marker, the player may not automatically Research that element (See Photo 4). The player must first move away, and then back to that element during one of their turns before getting to Research the element. 

 

QUICK START VIDEO

Watch this video to see the beginning of a four-player game.

 

GAMEPLAY

  1. Movement: Player One decides whether to SPEND or GAIN Energy Tokens to activate a periodic trend that will influence the direction of movement for their Flask across the game board. The player wants to end their move on an element with a Goal Marker whenever possible.
    • To SPEND: It will cost 1 Energy Token to activate the 1st periodic trend. The active player will "pay" the Energy Token by placing it in the box of the selected trend at the bottom of the game board. The active player can then move their flask between 1 and 5 spaces in the indicated direction. The active player can choose to activate additional trends by paying 2 Energy Tokens for each additional trend. Movement will always be between 1 and 5 spaces in the direction indicated by each selected trend. The active player may activate as many trends as they have Energy Tokens to "pay" for.
    • TO GAIN: The active player selects a periodic trend and collects ALL accumulated Energy Tokens for that trend. The active player will then move their flask between 1 and 5 spaces in the indicated direction of the selected periodic trend. When gaining energy tokens, the active player is limited to one trend and one movement pattern of 1 to 5 spaces. 
      • If the active player would like to GAIN Energy Tokens but there are 0 (zero) tokens on the periodic trend they would like to activate, that player may take 1 Energy Token from the player with the most tokens. If multiple players are tied for the most number of Energy Tokens, the active player chooses from whom to take 1 Energy Token. In a 2-player game, the active player should take 1 Energy Token from the box instead of from the other player.  
  2. Researching Elements: When the active player activates a trend and moves their Flask, they may Research an element by ending their movement on an element with a Goal Marker. (This is how points are scored!) 
    • When the active player lands on an element with a Goal Marker, they will place one of their Research Cubes on the same element that is represented on the matching Goal Card above the game board. (See Photo 5.)
    • A player may only Research one element per movement, at the end of that movement. (One 'movement' is made by advancing a player's Flask between 1 and 5 spaces on the game board.) 
    • Players may move (and Research Elements) multiple times per turn, if they SPEND Energy Tokens to activate multiple periodic trends.
    • If a player runs out of Research Cubes, they may not Research additional elements until a Goal Card is completed and their Research Cubes are returned.
  3. Play Continues Clockwise. When Player One has completed their turn, Player Two will decide whether to SPEND or GAIN Energy Tokens. If applicable, Players Three, Four, and Five will take their turns following Player Two.
  4. Completing a Goal Card: As the game progresses, players continue to place their Research Cubes on the Goal Cards located above the game board. When a Goal Card accumulates a Research Cube on each listed element from the same player, that Goal Card is complete.
    • The player that completes the Goal Card receives that card along with all of their Research Cubes. The Goal Card is worth points (bottom right corner) that will be added to that player's score at the end of the game. 
    • Any players that were also Researching Elements on the completed Goal Card will get their Research Cubes back when the Goal Card is completed. Any players with 1 Research Cube on the completed Goal Card will receive a 3-point Lab Token. Any players with 2 Research Cubes on the completed Goal Card will receive a 5-point Lab Token.
    • The next Goal Card in the stack should be flipped over. 
    • The Goal Markers associated with that Goal Card's color should be moved on the game board to the new elements listed on the new Goal Card. 

 

ENDGAME

The game ends when one stack of Goal Cards is depleted. When this happens:

  1. Each player (excluding the player who triggered the endgame situation) takes one final turn.
  2. The player who completed the Goal Card (and triggered the endgame situation) will take the card. Any players with 1 Research Cube on the completed Goal Card should receive a 3-point Lab Token. Any players with 2 Research Cubes on the completed Goal Card should receive a 5-point Lab Token.
  3. Replenish the depleted Goal Card stack with additional goal cards (of the correct color) from the box so there are always four Goal Cards available for the remaining players' final turns.

 

FINAL SCORING

  1. Each player adds up the following to calculate their TOTAL score:
    • Goal Cards (point values are indicated by the star on the bottom right corner)
    • Lab Tokens (3-points and 5-points)
  2. In the event of a tie, the "tied" player with the most Energy Tokens wins.  

 

APPLICATION to NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS

HS-PS1-1: Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms. (This directly relates to periodic trends like atomic radius and ionization energy.)

HS-PS1-4: Use a model to illustrate that the energy needed to remove one or more electrons from a neutral atom (ionization energy) influences the chemical behavior of that atom. 

 

DISCIPLINARY CORE IDEAS

PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

  • Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be transported from one place to another and transferred between systems.

 

CROSSCUTTING CONCEPTS & SCIENCE and ENGINEERING PRACTICES:

  • Patterns: Students observe recurring periodic trends across periods (rows) and groups (columns) on the periodic table during gameplay.
  • Energy and Matter: The Energy Tokens help students track the total available energy as it is spent or gained during gameplay, emphasizing the law of conservation of energy.
  • Systems and System Models: Periodic: A Game of the Elements serves as a model for students to observe energy conservation. 

 

REFERENCE

Coveyou, J. J. & Salomon, P. (2018). Periodic: A Game of the Elements [Board game]. Genius Games.

Photo 1. Example of game setup for 4 players: Player 1 (green) begins with 3 Energy Tokens, Player 2 (purple) begins with 4 Energy Tokens, Player 3 (orange) begins with 5 Energy Tokens, Player 4 (pink) begins with 3 Energy Tokens
Photo 1. Example of game setup for 4 players: Player 1 (green) begins with 3 Energy Tokens, Player 2 (purple) begins with 4 Energy Tokens, Player 3 (orange) begins with 5 Energy Tokens, Player 4 (pink) begins with 3 Energy Tokens
Photo 2. Goal Marker tokens match the color of the Goal Card to which they correspond. Pictured here: 2 green Goal Markers match to the green Goal Card elements of carbon and iron; 3 pink Goal Markers match to the pink Goal Card elements of cadmium, tellurium, and lead.
Photo 2. Goal Marker tokens match the color of the Goal Card to which they correspond. Pictured here: 2 green Goal Markers match to the green Goal Card elements of carbon and iron; 3 pink Goal Markers match to the pink Goal Card elements of cadmium, tellurium, and lead.
Photo 3. Pictured here (L to R): Orange flask begins on beryllium (atomic #: 4); Pink flask begins on scandium (atomic #: 21); Green flask begins on boron (atomic #: 5); Purple flask begins on helium (atomic #: 2)
Photo 3. Pictured here (L to R): Orange flask begins on beryllium (atomic #: 4); Pink flask begins on scandium (atomic #: 21); Green flask begins on boron (atomic #: 5); Purple flask begins on helium (atomic #: 2)
Photo 4. The orange flask cannot automatically "Research" the element of beryllium, even though beryllium is the starting position for this flask.
Photo 4. The orange flask cannot automatically "Research" the element of beryllium, even though beryllium is the starting position for this flask.
Photo 5. For the first turn taken by Player 4 (pink), 1 Energy Token was used to activate the periodic trend of 'Increase Atomic Number.' Player 4 moved 5 spaces to land on 'Fe' and a Pink Research Cube was placed next to 'Fe' on the Purple Goal Card (above). Next, 2 Energy Tokens were used to once again activate the periodic trend of 'Increase Atomic Number.' Player 4 moved 3 spaces to land on 'Cu' and a Pink Research Cube was placed next to 'Cu' on the Purple Goal Card.
Photo 5. For the first turn taken by Player 4 (pink), 1 Energy Token was used to activate the periodic trend of 'Increase Atomic Number.' Player 4 moved 5 spaces to land on 'Fe' and a Pink Research Cube was placed next to 'Fe' on the Purple Goal Card (above). Next, 2 Energy Tokens were used to once again activate the periodic trend of 'Increase Atomic Number.' Player 4 moved 3 spaces to land on 'Cu' and a Pink Research Cube was placed next to 'Cu' on the Purple Goal Card.
Photo 6. Starting pieces for each player can be organized by color to help expedite game setup during class. A notecard describing the actions a player can take during their turn could be included with each set.
Photo 6. Starting pieces for each player can be organized by color to help expedite game setup during class. A notecard describing the actions a player can take during their turn could be included with each set.
Photo 7. Separating flasks and research tiles by color helps get students playing quickly. Energy tokens are kept separate from colors. Player turn does not depend on color selection.
Photo 7. Separating flasks and research tiles by color helps get students playing quickly. Energy tokens are kept separate from colors. Player turn does not depend on color selection.
Photo 8. The rest of the materials needed for game setup. A Quick Start Guide (printed on cardstock) can be included to provide guidance to students for quickly starting game play.
Photo 8. The rest of the materials needed for game setup. A Quick Start Guide (printed on cardstock) can be included to provide guidance to students for quickly starting game play.