The History of Atomic Structure: A Power Point Presentation

As you have just learned from the Lecture, discovering the structure of the atom is not something that happened overnight, and in fact, our current model of the atom is evolving based on continuing research. Having had a short introduction to atomic history, your task is to create a presentation that will teach the class about this same topic. You will need to research the history of atomic structure in order to provide your classmates with a more in depth understanding of atomic history then the brief outline you just reviewed. Consider the information in the Lecture a starting point from which you have received the basic information you need to begin your research.

In order to create this presentation you will be working in groups. Each group will be comprised of five members that will each be responsible for researching a small part of the historical development of the atom. You will have two days to work on this project. The first day will be spent in the library compiling your research. On the second day you will create your Power Point presentation.

One member of each group will be responsible for researching the following areas of atomic structure history:
1) James Dalton and Dalton's Atomic Theory
2) The Discovery of the Subatomic Particles
3) The Models of J.J. Thomson and Ernest Rutherford
4)The Bohr Model
5) The Wave Mechanical Model

Your research on each topic must include the following:
1) Names of the responsible scientists
2) Dates of development
3) Details of the atomic model developed
4) A description of the relevant experiments that led to the formation of the atomic model

You may use the internet, books, magazines, and journal articles for your research. Be sure that you understand the source from which you are gathering information. Crazy Joe's Website of Atomic Fun might not provide the most reliable information. If you have a question about a source, just ask! Be sure to obtain the bibliographic information on each of your sources so that you can cite your information.

You will be required to present your Power Point to the class. Your presentation must include both text and graphics. You may import videos or animations if you wish, but this is not a requirement. Your presentation must be clearly organized, follow grammatical conventions, and be aesthetically pleasing. Your Power Point will accompany your presentation to the class, which should be 9-11 minutes in length.

Be sure to refer to the grading rubric below to ensure that you are meeting all of the project requirements. Even though zero is not represented on the rubric, you may be given a zero for any category of the rubric that is completely missing from your assignment.

	One Point	Two Points	Three Points
Quality of Information (Each of the five sections will be assessed individually)	Information is confusing One of more of the four required points given in the assignment are missing	Information is clear but incomplete One or two of the four required points given in the assignment are incomplete	Information on the topic is complete and clear Each of the four required points given on the project sheet has been addressed fully
Organization	Models are not presented in chronological order With in the five sections the information is not presented in a logical progression Slides are sloppy or confusing to interpret	Models are presented in chronological order Each of the five sections present information in a logical sequence Slides are sloppy or confusing to interpret	Models are presented in chronological order Each of the five sections present information in a logical sequence Slides are clear and neat
Use of Graphics	Minimal use of graphics Some but not all of the graphics are difficult to see or interpret	Graphics are used both to enhance the aesthetics of the presentation and to demonstrate information Graphics are difficult to see or interpret	Graphics are used both to enhance the aesthetics of the presentation and to demonstrate information Graphics used to demonstrate information are clearly and easily interpreted
Aesthetics	Presentation does not make use of graphics or colors to enhance appearance, but maintains readability Graphics and colors are attractive, but are a major distraction from the information	Presentation makes use of color and graphics to enhance appearance Graphics or colors distract somewhat from the readability of the presentation	Presentation makes use of graphics to enhance appearance Colors are chosen to that the presentation is attractive, but the design does not distract from the readability of the presentation
Presentation Length	Presentation exceeds or falls short of the time limit by more than one minute	Presentation exceeds or falls short of the time limit by one minute or less	Presentation falls with in the time limit
Overall Presentation	Presentation has a professional appearance but makes a few grammatical mistakes Presenter is sometimes difficult for the audience to understand and does not make good use of the Power Point	Presentation has a professional appearance and demonstrates proper grammar Presenter speaks clearly, makes eye contact with the audience, but fails to use the Power Point effectively	Presentation has a professional appearance and demonstrates proper grammar Presenter speaks clearly, makes eye contact with the audience, and uses the Power Point as an effective presentation tool

If you would like a paper copy of the assignment or rubric you can download and print the files below.
Activity One (Word Document)
Rubric (Word Document)

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