Element Quest
Set up the round, then send it to the board.
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Element Quest
Red Team
Waiting for the round to begin.
Scoreboard
Blue Team
Waiting for the round to begin.
Element Quest: A Free Periodic Table Game for Your Smartboard
The periodic table is one of those things students have to know, not just look up. Symbols, atomic numbers, which elements are metals, which family a mystery element belongs to. And there is only so much a worksheet can do for that kind of recall.
So here is Element Quest, a free periodic table game built for the front of your room. Two teams, one clock, and as many questions as they can answer before time runs out.
How it works
Split the class into a red team and a blue team. Each side gets its own element tile on the board, its own question, and four answer choices to tap. Get it right, earn a point, and a brand new element appears instantly. The teams are never waiting on each other, so nobody stands around while the other side thinks.
There is no login, no account, and nothing to install. Open the page, set it up, and play.
Setting up a round
Before you start, you get to shape the game around whatever you taught that day:
- Team names. "Red Team" works, but "The Noble Gases" versus "The Halogens" works better.
- Round length. One to ten minutes. One minute is perfect as a bell-ringer.
- Elements in play. Just the first 20, the first 36, the first 54, everyday elements, or all 64. Start small in September and widen it as the year goes on.
- Question types. Nine of them, and you turn on only the ones you have covered.
- Penalty points. Optional. When it's on, a wrong answer hands the other team a point, which makes students slow down and actually read the tile.
- Streak bonus. Every third correct answer in a row is worth double.
Then hit Send to the board and the game jumps to full screen, ready for the class.
The nine question types
| What students see | What it builds |
|---|---|
| A symbol, name the element | Symbol recognition |
| An element, give the symbol | The tricky ones like K, Fe, Na, Au |
| An atomic number, name the element | Reading a periodic table tile |
| Count the protons | Atomic number equals protons |
| Electrons in a neutral atom | Protons equal electrons |
| Which family does it belong to | Alkali metals, halogens, noble gases |
| Find a member of a family | The same idea in reverse |
| Metal, nonmetal or metalloid | The staircase |
| State at room temperature | Physical properties |
That last one is a quiet favorite. Students are genuinely surprised the first time they learn that only two elements on the whole table are liquid at room temperature.
Every question is generated fresh, so the same round never repeats. And the tile never gives away its own answer. When the question asks for a symbol, the tile shows the name with a question mark. When it asks how many protons, the atomic number corner is hidden.
A few ways to use it
As a bell-ringer. One minute, first 20 elements, symbols only. Students are working before the announcements finish.
As a review day warm-up. Three minutes, everything turned on, penalty points on. It gets loud in the best way.
As a closer. Turn on just the one skill you taught that period. Two minutes tells you immediately whether it landed.
As a substitute plan. It runs itself. Any adult in the room can press start.
One small piece of advice from my own classroom: send one student from each team to the board at a time and rotate after every question. Otherwise the same two confident kids will answer everything, and the students who most need the practice will happily let them.
Little touches that matter on a smartboard
The answer buttons are large enough for a finger on a board, not just a mouse. After each tap the correct choice lights up green for about a second before the next element loads, so a wrong answer becomes a teaching moment instead of just a lost point. The timer bar shifts from green to orange to red as the clock runs down. And when time expires, the winning team gets confetti in their colors, along with each team's accuracy and their best answer streak.
There is also a mute button right on the scoreboard, because the sound effects are fun for one round and less fun for the fourth.
Play it now
Element Quest is completely free, works on any smartboard, tablet or laptop, and needs no login. Try it above with your next class.
If your students enjoy the team format, they will probably like the rest of the collection too, including Integers Smackdown, Coordinate Plane Battle and the One Step Equation Challenge. You can browse them all on the Smartboard Games page.
Have an idea for a question type I should add, or another science topic that deserves the same treatment? Tell me on the contact page. Most of the tools on this site started as a request from a teacher.
Frequently asked questions
Is Element Quest really free? Yes. No login, no account, no trial. Open the page and play.
What grades is it for? It fits middle school physical science and introductory high school chemistry. Narrow the element range for younger students and open it up for older ones.
Do I need to install anything? No. It runs in any modern browser on a smartboard, laptop, Chromebook or tablet.
Can students play alone? It is built for two teams on one screen, but a single student can absolutely play both sides for practice.
Can I turn off the sound? Yes, either in the setup screen or with the mute button on the scoreboard during play.
