On February 27, 7th grade science students participated in a Jelly Bean activity in which they practiced creating and classifying elements, molecules, compounds, and mixtures. The students were in groups of four and were provided with toothpicks and 28 different colored beans.
Each bean represents an atom and each toothpick represents the bond between atoms. Different elements were then assigned to each color of bean with Oxygen being yellow, Carbon being green, Chlorine being orange, Hydrogen being pink, and Sodium being blue. Each group was given poster paper and glue and were tasked with making various molecules, compounds, and mixtures from the different colored jelly beans.
In the molecule section of the poster, students needed to construct a Hydrogen diatom, Oxygen diatom, and a Water molecule. After they successfully made those molecules, they needed to find three other examples using their notes and list the names and symbols of each.
For the compound section, they needed to create a water molecule since all compounds are also molecules, a carbon dioxide molecule, and a methane molecule. Once again, they were required to find three other examples of compounds and label their names and symbols.
This process was then repeated for the mixtures section with salt (NaCl). For this section, students also needed to list three examples of heterogeneous mixtures and homogeneous mixtures from using their notes.
This activity was then followed by some questions to solidify the definitions and properties of molecules, compounds and mixtures. Students were able to practice building their own compounds and mixtures in a fun, collaborative way while also getting a deeper understanding of these subjects.