Mystery at Fountain Gully: Teacher notes
Read through the student sheet Mystery at Fountain Gully to identify the scenario and
ascertain what students are asked to do.
Students are role playing the part of researchers. They are to find data for an investigator
to compare findings, and propose methods by which elements samples may be identified.
Students may find interactive periodic tables on the internet (such as the one on the website
WebElements) useful for identifying these properties.
Elements on which students need to research physical or chemical properties that would
allow identification:
Element
Magnetic
Conductivity
Burns in air
Density
Colour
Mg
Si
Fe
Al
S
Students complete Task A on the student sheet Mystery at Fountain Gully and then, in class
discussion, reflect on their findings.
Then they complete Task B on the student sheet.
By doing this students explore some of the properties that differentiate between elements
with an emphasis on those properties for which they can suggest a test.
Use of the periodic table is encouraged, as is the use of available reference works such as
density tables. Internet searches may also be used.
Explain that information that is researched in these ways can be called ‘second-hand data’.
Teachers may choose to use images from the internet to illustrate the elements involved in
this scenario. The corresponding lesson plan lists some examples.
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