Symbols and formulas | Structure strip

Structure strips can be used to promote independent writing. Learners will write about symbols and formulas using key terms.

Learning objectives

1. Understand why chemists communicate using symbols and formulas.
2. Use the periodic table to find the symbols for elements.
3. Understand how subscript numbers indicate the number of atoms in a formula including where there are brackets present.
4. Write independently about symbols and formulas, using provided key words.

Introduction

Chemicals have different names in different languages. If English is your first language, you might recognise sulfuric acid in Romanian (acid sulfuric), but perhaps you would not recognise it in Polish (kwas siarkowy) unless you speak that language.

Scientists use symbols and formulas as one way of overcoming language barriers when communicating their science. Chemical formulas contain chemical symbols (for example, H) and may also have subscript numbers (numbers which are smaller and lower than the letters, for example). You need to learn the rules of how the symbols and formulas work. This knowledge will be very useful for the rest of your science education.

How to use structure strips

Structure strips are a type of scaffolding you can use to support learners to retrieve information independently. Use them to take an overview at the start of the topic, to activate prior knowledge, or to summarise learning at the end of a teaching topic. For more ideas on how to use structure strips with your learners, visit 5 ways to use structure strips effectively. 

Structure strips have sections containing prompts, sized to suggest the amount that learners must write. Learners glue the strips into the margin of an exercise book and write their answers next to the sections, in full sentences. When learners have finished using the structure strip, they should have an A4 page set of notes and examples.

The strips are printed five to a page and will need to be trimmed to size. Find them on the second page of the student sheet.

Scaffolding

• Encourage learners to use the suggested key words and phrases in their answers.
• To further support learners, include additional prompts in the structure strip. If learners are struggling to engage with the task, supply them with sentence starters created from the model answers.
• As learners grow in confidence, ask them to attempt the extension question first and then use the structure strip to improve or self-assess their answer.

Key words

Atom, element, chemical symbol, chemical formula.

Metacognition

This resource supports learners to develop their metacognitive skills in three key areas.

• Planning: the strips provide scaffolding to plan the written response. Learners will decide where to gather information from (textbooks, own notes, revision websites). Ask learners: is the source of information you are using reliable?
• Monitoring: learners are prompted by the questions in the structure strip and can check their own answer against the prompts. Ask learners: have you covered all of the prompts in the space provided? Do you need to change anything to complete the task?
• Evaluation: learners can self-assess or ask a peer to check their work against the answers. Ask learners: did you achieve what you meant to achieve? What might you do differently another time?

Answers

Suggested answers for the structure strip activity are given in the downloadable teacher notes.

Answer to extension question

Learners are asked to produce a poster, an example is offered in the teacher notes as a guide.