“Ionic Compounds” Go Fish

Pre Activity Discussion

  1. What is the object of the game?
  2. To be able to recognize the charge, symbol, and name of the elements on the periodic table.
  1. What materials do you need?
  2. 50 note cards per group, markers/crayons

Directions: You are going to use the table below to create playing cards. Only write on the lined side of the note cards. You will have 25 cards with element names on them and 25 cards with the symbol of the element and the charge. You are expected to know these elements! During the game you will match the element name to the symbol/charge to get a pair, like in “Go Fish!”

Name of Element / Symbol with Charge / Name of Element / Symbol with Charge
Hydrogen / Copper*
Helium / Nickel*
Lithium / Silver*
Beryllium / Gold*
Boron / Mercury*
Carbon / *These elements you do not need to know the charge, just the Symbol
Nitrogen
Oxygen
Fluorine
Sodium
Aluminum
Silicon
Phosphorous
Sulfur
Chlorine
Argon
Potassium
Calcium
Iron*

Procedure

1. Work in groups of four. Use the index cards to prepare playing cards as explained above.

2. After you finish preparing the cards, shuffle the cards. Now you can play Elements “Go Fish”

Rules to “Go FISH”

  1. To play, shuffle your deck of cards. Deal out seven cards to each player face down.
  2. Place the remaining cards face down to make the deck.
  3. Each play takes his/her cards and sees if they have any pairs. If they do they put them together and place them down in a stack.
  4. The player left of the dealer goes first. He/She asks any player for a certain card that he/she has in his hand to try to make a pair. For example he/she would as another player if they had the “Calcium” card to pair with their “Ca2+” card.
  5. If the player does, they hand the card to the player who asked and that player puts the pair down in his/her stack. The player’s turn, therefore, continues.
  6. If the person doesn’t have the card, he/she says “GO FISH!” The asker picks the top card of the deck. If the card is the card he/she asked for he says “I got my wish!” and his/her turn continues. If not, his/her turn ends and the next player goes.
  7. The game continues until all cards are gone then the players count their pairs and the player with the most pairs wins.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Why would a Calcium atom and a Aluminum atom not react?
  2. Why did you not write the charge down for the transition metals?