Activity

pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc

Using a Table Tennis Game, Elemental Knock-Out, To Increase

Students Familiarity with Chemical Elements, Symbols, and Atomic
Numbers
Chang-Hung Lee,*, Jian Fan Zhu, Tien-Li Lin, Cheng-Wei Ni, Chia Ping Hong, Pin-Hsuan Huang,
Hsiang-Ling Chuang, Shih-Yao Lin, and Mei-Lin Ho*,

Department of Chemistry, Soochow University, Taipei 111, Taiwan

Department of Athletics, Soochow University, Taipei 111, Taiwan

S Supporting Information
*

ABSTRACT: A motivating and fun activity for students in introductory

chemistry has been designed to increase familiarity with the chemical
elements, symbols, and atomic numbers in the periodic table. This
activity, Elemental Knock-Out, is a table tennis game, and the gameplay is
adapted from a box grid baseball game. Playing in teams for fun and
enjoyment, students work cooperatively with others to compete against
an opposing team. The game is designed for rst-year undergraduate
students. The cost of one set of game materials is less than $50. The
average time required to complete one game, i.e., to become familiar with
the chemical elements and atomic numbers, is about 120 min for a class
of 60 students. This game was implemented with 118 students including
dierent grade classes. The results were interpreted through poll and quiz
before and after the activity. The results of the study revealed that most
of the students had positive impressions of the game and considered it to
be a fun way of interacting with the concepts. The quiz test also showed an increase of average score of the students by playing
the game. Table tennis is a sport that anybody at any age can play. Therefore, this game should facilitate the promotion of
knowledge of chemistry, e.g., the periodic table of the elements, to the target student group.
KEYWORDS: First-Year Undergraduate/General, High School/Introductory Chemistry, Periodicity/Periodic Table,
Collaborative/Cooperative Learning, Hands-On Learning/Manipulatives

for students to review mentally the period and group. Helser13

proposed using a puzzle to relate the chemical symbols to the
names of animals found in the zoo. Woelk14 related the
abbreviations for the states of the United States to chemical
symbols to facilitate students learning. Franco-Mariscal et al.6
developed a puzzle by using the chemical symbols to spell the
names of important bones of the human body. Dkeidek15 used
drawing, and Franco-Mariscal16 and Tejada4 used bingo games,
to help students understand the chemical elements, symbols,
and periodic table. Franco-Mariscal et al.1 explored students
perception of the usefulness of games as educational instruments in chemistry class. Although the above works have
focused on developing games and activities for teaching the
periodic table, to our knowledge, no reports have focused on
using sports to help students to study or to increase familiarity
with the chemical elements, symbols, and atomic numbers.
More importantly, we think that the incorporation of a popular
sport in chemistry as a novel method can provide alternative

BACKGROUND
For students majoring in science, especially those in Asia, one
of the rst tasks in chemistry is to study and memorize the
chemical symbols and names in English. Students often view
learning the periodic table of elements as a boring, rote task,1
and it can decrease student motivation to study chemistry
further.
One of the ways to motivate students and create a positive
impression of chemistry is to use educational games.28 Several
authors have focused on developing dierent types of
educational games through hands-on learning to help students
to understand the elements. For instance, Moreno et al.9
successfully implemented a card game to strengthen the
relations among concepts such as chemical elements, atomic
numbers, valences, and chemical symbols. Kavak10 designed a
pokerlike card game to help students learn the names and
symbols of the elements, the trends of periodic properties, and
the groups or periods of the elements. Franco-Mariscal et al.11
proposed a card game for students to recognize the names,
symbols, and group or family structure of the elements. Marti-
Centelles et al.12 also presented a card game (ChemMend)
based on the position of all the elements in the periodic table
XXXX American Chemical Society and
Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

Received: May 11, 2016

Revised: August 12, 2016

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00341
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXXXXX

Journal of Chemical Education

Activity

ways of helping students to interact with science and review the

knowledge in an entertaining, yet eective, way.11,16,17 Also, we
provided another method for the instructors to examine the
results of students learning chemical elements, symbols, and
atomic numbers.
In this work, we present an activity in which students play
table tennis in teams to reinforce their learning of the chemical
elements, including the names, symbols, and atomic numbers,
in the periodic table. This activity, Elemental Knock-Out, is
adapted from a box grid baseball game, but the baseball bat is
replaced with a table tennis paddle. Students in teams learn
how to work cooperatively with others while competing against
an opposing team. The game is designed for rst-year
undergraduate students. This game has also been tested on
118 students from dierent classes. The students included 60
rst-year undergraduate students (38 Taiwanese girls and 22
boys aged 18 and 19 years old), and they were from the
microbiology department. Thirty sophomores (18 girls and 12
boys, average age of 19 years old), 20 seniors (12 girls and 8
boys, average age of 20 years old), and 8 graduate students (4
girls and 4 boys, average age of 22 years old) were from the
chemistry department. All students had enrolled in a general
chemistry class in their rst year with the traditional
methodology to recognize the elements in the periodic table.
These students were from Soochow University in Taiwan, and
the activity was conducted in 20152016. Students answered a
poll and a quiz before and after playing the activity, which
allowed us to draw the conclusions. The details of the poll and
quiz are described in Evaluation and Discussion. From the poll
surveys, the students were satised with this activity.
Accordingly, this activity is proposed and can be applied to
students of a wide range of ages.

Figure 1. (ad). Materials for the activity. (a) Item (1) is the main PP
board, (2) indicates the battery-prole-shaped PP boards, (3) is a
loop strip, (4) and (5) indicate dierent pieces of small PP boards, (7)
is a table tennis paddle, (8) indicates the table tennis balls, and (9)
indicates the L angle brackets. (b) The left side of panel b is the
blueprint of the main PP board. Item (5) is a small PP board with the
partial name of an element on it, and (6) indicates the position of the
hinge. (c, d) The back and front of the large main PP boards. For
details of the images, please see Materials and Assembly for the
Activity.

MATERIALS AND ASSEMBLY FOR THE ACTIVITY

The materials for the activity were prepared for a whole day
with two instructors.
Equipment

The needs for this activity ware as follows.

A table tennis room is the most suitable location for the
activity.
White board (Figure 1 and Figure 2d)
The battery-prole-shaped polypropylene (PP) boards of the
main PP boards (see Assembly) can be cut using cutters. For
attracting the students attention, the small PP boards were
designed to be dierent shapes. The blueprints of dierent
small PP boards are also included in the Supporting
Information (see Figure S1). Cloze test names of the
elements can also be printed from the Supporting Information.
The assembly process of materials is also displayed in Figure
S2.

Figure 2. (ad) Game description (the rst session). (a) The

members of a team and a team gives slogan. (b, c) A player hitting the
ball and other team members helping the player to retrieve the balls.
(d) Student solves the puzzle of a small PP board on the white board.

Two long hook and loop strips (each one 60 cm long 2

cm wide)
White paper (the rst session of the activity): Cloze
test names of the elements with underlined spaces are
printed on white paper to serve as clues; font and font
size are Times New Roman, 52-point (e.g., Hy_ro_en)
(also see the Supporting Information).
White paper (the second session of the activity): Atomic
numbers are printed on white paper; font and font size
are Times New Roman, 72-point (also see the
Supporting Information). Note: The instructors can
decide which atomic numbers and elements to use for
dierent teaching targets.

Materials

For each tennis table, the following materials are needed.

Three large sheets of the main PP board (each PP board
is 60 cm high 50 cm wide; see the item labeled (1) in
Figure 1a)
Twenty-seven short loop strips (the loop part of hook
and loop fasteners) (8 cm long 2 cm wide, the item
labeled (3) in Figures 1a and 1b)
Twenty-seven small PP boards of various colors and
shapes (smaller than 13.3 cm high 12 cm wide, the
items labeled (4) and (5) in Figure 1a)
B

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00341
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Journal of Chemical Education

Activity

Short hook strips (the hook part of hook and loop

fasteners) (8 cm long 2 cm wide; the backs of the
pieces of paper printed with atomic numbers and
elements are fastened with short hook strips, Figure
S2(4))
Twenty-seven small hinges (5 cm long 3 cm wide,
Figure 1b, the item labeled (6))
Twelve L angle brackets (bracket size: 10 10 2 cm,
the item labeled (9) in Figure 1a); the backs of the L
angle brackets are fastened with hook strips (10 cm
length 2 cm wide, Figure S2(7)).
Two table tennis paddles (the item labeled (7) in Figure
1a)
Twenty table tennis balls (the item labeled (8) in Figure
1a)
Hot glue and hot glue gun
Ruler and cutter

knock-out panels out of their holes and passes the paddle to the
next player. While two teams compete with each other, the
other teams can practice and warm up at other tables.
The First Session

During the session to increase familiarity with the names of the

elements, the team rst develops a slogan to inspire the team
(Figure 2a). During the activity, each player tosses the ball into
the air, or another team member can toss the ball for the player
to hit with a paddle (Figure 2b). At the same time, other team
members help the player to retrieve the balls that have already
been hit (Figure 2c). After each student hits 10 balls, the team
members remove the small PP boards (game pieces) that have
been knocked out of their holes and solve the puzzles on the
white board (Figure 2d). After that, the two teams check the
answers of the other team, and the instructors record their
scores (Figure 3a).

Assembly

(See Figure S2.) Nine pieces of the battery-prole-shaped PP

boards are cut out of the large main PP boards as knock-out
panels (the item labeled (2) in Figures 1a and 1b) and
reattached with hinges at the bottom of each hole (the item
labeled (6) in Figure 1b). Each battery-prole PP board is
fastened to one plate of a hinge, and the other plate of the
hinge is fastened to the back of the large main PP board using
hot glue (Figure 1b, the item labeled (6)). Three pieces of large
main PP board are fastened to each other with long hook and
loop strips (Figures 1c and 1d).
Cloze test names of the elements on white paper, as
puzzles, are attached to small PP boards of various colors and
shapes as game pieces (the rst session, see the item labeled (4)
in Figure 1a and the item labeled (5) in Figure 1b). Then these
game pieces are attached to the battery-prole knock-out
panels. Note that after initial gameplay, the instructors can
replace the names of the elements with their atomic numbers
on white paper (the second session).
Finally, six L angle brackets are mounted on the front of
the large main PP board with hook strips (Figure 1d), and six
on the back (Figure 1c), such that the large main PP board will
stand.
Note that if students lack table tennis skills, the instructors
can slide the knock-out panels into the holes to a very shallow
depth; i.e., just the edges of the knock-out panels can be slid
into the main PP board (item (5) in Figure 1b) so that the
panels can be dislodged easily by the force of a table tennis ball.

Figure 3. (ad) Game description (the second session). (a) The

competition results of two teams and the score of each team. (b) Small
PP boards with atomic numbers were stamped on big PP boards. (c)
Students solve the puzzles of a small PP board with atomic number
and write down the full name or symbol of relevant elements on the
white board. (d) The instructor awards prize to the winning team.

The Second Session

During the second session, which focuses on the atomic

numbers/chemical symbols, small PP boards with atomic
numbers are fastened to the large main PP boards (Figure 3b).
Similar to the above steps, two teams compete with each other
(Figure 3c), solve the puzzles, and write down the names of the
elements or chemical symbols on the white board. The tennis
table has 27 small PP boards on it. When the team solves the
correct name of one small board, 1 point is scored. The full
score of two sessions is 54 points. The total scores of each team
are then summarized. Finally, prizes such as candy bars may be
awarded to the three highest-scoring teams (Figure 3d).

GAME DESCRIPTION
Students should play Elemental Knock-Out without using the
periodic table. At the start of the activity, the class is divided
into teams of 510 students. A class of 60 students can be
divided into 612 teams. Two teams compete with each other.
The main PP board is set up on one side of a table tennis table,
midway between the net and the baseline (Figure 1d). The
positions of the small PP boards as game pieces are decided,
and the small PP boards are installed in the large main PP
boards by the instructors. The activity is divided into two
sessions. In the rst session, the students increase their
familiarity with the names of the elements, and in the second,
they study the atomic numbers/chemical symbols. Completing
each session of the activity requires about 20 min (including
hitting the balls for 10 min and solving the puzzles for 10 min)
for two teams. Each player in turn hits 10 balls to knock the

Example

For example, in the rst session, if the players knocked out only
one small PP board out of the big PP board in 10 min (see
Figure 4a), they have to solve the correct name of it on the
white board within another 10 min. If the answer is correct,
then the team scores 1 point. In the second session, similar to
the rules of session one, if one small PP board as in Figure 4b
was knocked out, the team members have to solve its full name
C

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00341
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Journal of Chemical Education

Activity

Table 1. Poll Survey before and after the Activity

Result (respnoses/
percentage)
No.
1
2

or write down the symbol of the element within the same time
period, and the team can get 1 point.
This activity, Elemental Knock-Out, can be tailored toward a
number of dierent educational levels. This activity has been
used successfully in classes of 118 students from dierent
grades. The students included 60 rst-year undergraduate
students, and they were from the microbiology department.
Thirty sophomores, 20 seniors, and 8 graduate students were
from the chemistry department. For the rst-year students, the
puzzle cards taught the major chemical elements (e.g., nitrogen,
oxygen, and carbon) and excluded the symbols for lanthanides
and actinides. Depending on the class size, teams of 510
students are ideal. If the class is small, the instructors can have
each player hit more than 10 balls. If the numbers of students
on the teams are not equal, the students on the team with fewer
members can hit more than once. The game was played on
dierent days within 1 week.

Before Activity
Are you familiar with chemical elements,
symbols, and atomic numbers?

Do you automatically study chemical

elements, symbols, and atomic numbers
after the Chemistry class?
Do you feel it is boring to memorize
chemical elements, symbols, and atomic
numbers?
After Activity
Do you like the design of this activity?

Do you think this game is interesting?

Are the rules of this activity simple?

Do you think this activity can help you to

increase familiarity with chemical
elements, symbols, and atomic numbers?
Do you recommend other students to use
this activity to study chemical elements,
symbols, and atomic numbers?

Figure 4. Example of Elemental Knock-Out activity explained in the

text: (a) the rst session and (b) the second session.

Question

No

Possibly

Yes

33
28%
41
35%

79
67%
60
50%

6
5%
17
15%

10
8%

80
68%

28
24%

0
0%
2
2%
0
0%
2
2%

38
32%
58
49%
18
15%
57
48%

80
68%
58
49%
100
85%
59
50%

1
1%

48
41%

69
58%

activity, most students said that Elemental Knock-Out was

interesting and sparked their interest in learning the periodic
table. Another benet is that even students who lack table
tennis skills can play this game. Furthermore, table tennis is a
sport that students of any age can learn to play. Therefore,
Elemental Knock-Out should facilitate the promotion of
chemistry knowledge. During the activity, we also found that
Elemental Knock-Out promotes interactions among team
members and provides a low-stress format in which students
can learn the chemical elements, symbols, and atomic numbers.
Finally, we also suggest that the instructors provide worksheets
to allow the participants to solve their puzzles from the small
PP boards that have been hit by the participants. On the other
hand, this activity can further be extended to let students
become familiar with periods and groups while playing. When a
player hits balls to knock the knock-out panels out of their
holes, students solve the puzzles on the white board and then
try to pick out which elements belong to the same group or to
the same period. For example, if the chlorine element was
solved, the students can nd out if the same group elements
(i.e., uorine, bromine, iodine, or astatine) were also solved, or
the same period elements (i.e., sodium, magnesium, aluminum,
silicon, phosphorus, sulfur, or argon) were solved.

EVALUATION AND DISCUSSION

A poll survey (with methodology taken from ref 12) and one
quiz were carried out before and after the activity in order to
collect the opinion of the students toward this activity and
evaluate the eectiveness of this activity on the familiarity with
chemical elements, symbols, and atomic numbers. The poll
survey and results are listed in Table 1. At the same time, the
students answered a quiz of ten dierent questions including
chemical elements, symbols, and atomic numbers before and
after the activity. The quiz contained 10 cloze tests, including
chemical elements, symbols, and atomic numbers, each with 10
points. The results of the quiz before and after playing the game
show an increase of average score of the students from 3.8
2.9 to 6.2 2.8. Comparing the poll results of before and
after exposure to the activity, there was an obviously increase
in students motivation to study chemical elements, symbols,
and atomic numbers. Also, the quiz test showed an increase of
average score of the students after using this activity.
The goals of this activity aimed at helping students to learn
chemical elements, symbols, and atomic numbers in an
entertaining way, and helped students to become familiar
with chemical elements, symbols, and atomic numbers. Also,
relative to general pedagogy, we provided another method for
the instructors to examine the results of students learning
chemical elements, symbols, and atomic numbers. From the

HAZARDS
There are no hazards involved in this activity.
FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
Using educational games or puzzles in a chemistry course is
motivational, increases interest, and has a positive impact on
student learning. Combining a game, particularly a popular
sport, with an exercise in a course is sound methodology for
promoting active learning. This activity, Elemental Knock-Out,
encourages students to work cooperatively and to communicate
with each other. Students play the game in teams to reinforce
their study of the chemical elements, including the names,
symbols, and atomic numbers, in the periodic table. The game
D

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00341
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXXXXX

Journal of Chemical Education

Activity

is designed for rst-year undergraduate students. The game has

also been implemented successfully with dierent grade
students including undergraduate and graduate students.
Accordingly, this activity can be applied to people of all ages
for teaching science.

(15) Dkeidek, I. M. The elements drawing. J. Chem. Educ. 2003, 80,

501502.
(16) Franco-Mariscal, A. J.; Cano-Iglesias, M. J. Design and
implementation of a bingo game for teaching the period table. Sch.
Sci. Rev. 2014, 95, 5559.
(17) Russell, J. V. Using games to teach chemistry: an annotated
bibliography. J. Chem. Educ. 1999, 76, 481484.

ASSOCIATED CONTENT

* Supporting Information
S

The Supporting Information is available on the ACS

Publications website at DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00341.
Cloze test names of the elements, answers and atomic
numbers, blueprints of cards, and assembly instructions
(PDF, DOC)

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Corresponding Author

*E-mail: meilin_ho@scu.edu.tw.
Notes

The authors declare no competing nancial interest.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Generous support from the Ministry of Science and
Technology and the Ministry of Education is acknowledged.

REFERENCES

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E

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.6b00341
J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXXXXX