Periodic Table Word Maze#08

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Periodic Table Word Maze#08

Are you looking for challenging and interactive resources to support academic chemistry? Periodic table of elements word maze puzzle engages students' critical thinking skills. List of 20 periodic elements whose letter paths create an intricate maze like structure. Letters in the word clues travel in all directions: vertically, horizontally, diagonally! Word paths will cross each other.

How to solve the puzzle:
1. locate the circled letter (first letter of the first hidden word)
2. trace the letter path of the first word, watching for letter paths traveling in all 8 directions
3. REMEMBER: letter paths continuous from the first to the last element
4. engage critical thinking skills and problem solving strategies to determine next word, based on letter clues
5. track progress by checking off the word clues as they are found

Lesson plan activities:
1. FOSTER independent learning when students CREATE unique word search puzzles - use the list of words and any of a number of blank word search grids located here: blank word search templates
2. ACTIVATE students' problem solving strategies - IDENTIFY and ORGANIZE the list of elements by: a) stability/instability of elemental isotopes, b) toxicity levels (least to most/most to least), c) atomic number/weight/mass, d) period, e) group, f) ancient/modern
3. facilitate INNOVATION - students combine the elements from this list, with other known elements, to create compounds (e.g. Carbon + Oxygen = CO2)

Solving puzzles confers benefits:
1. activates problem solving strategies
2. engages critical thinking skills
3. engages the brain