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Metals and Reactivity Series: Free Printable Chart for Year 8
- ForYear 8
- StageKey Stage 3
- CostFree
- FormatPrintable PDF
Metals and Reactivity Series is a free printable chart for Year 8 (ages 12 to 13), in Key Stage 3. Children put common metals in order from most reactive to least reactive. It takes about 15 minutes, needs only a pencil, and page 2 gives the grown-up notes, help ideas, a stretch task and the answers.
It comes from the Mini Minds Hub, the free library of printables from Jaques of London, the British games and toy company that has been making games for families since 1795. Print both pages, give page 1 to your child and keep page 2 for yourself. Black and white printing works well.
What is on the sheet
Children meet a set of familiar metals, including copper, sodium, zinc, gold, potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium. Their job is to put the metals in order from most reactive to least reactive. They have to decide where each metal belongs and be ready to explain why. The sheet works well for one learner or a pair who talk through each choice.
- Copper
- Sodium
- Zinc
- Gold
- Potassium
- Magnesium
- Iron
- Calcium
How to build confidence with the order
Find the two ends first
Pick out the most reactive and the least reactive metal. With the ends fixed, the middle is easier to sort.
Group before you rank
Sort the metals into very reactive, middle and low reactivity. Then put each group in order.
Say the reason
For each metal, say one thing you know about it. Where have you seen it used? What do you remember about how it behaves?
Use a memory phrase
Make a phrase from the first letters of the metals in your final order. Say it aloud, then cover the list and test yourself.
What the reactivity series tells us
The reactivity series is a list of metals ranked by how readily they react with other substances. A metal high on the list reacts more easily than one low on the list. Chemists use the order to predict what a metal will do, and to decide which metals can be swapped out of their compounds by others.
In the National Curriculum for England, the order of metals in the reactivity series sits within the Materials strand of Key Stage 3 chemistry. This sheet gives short, focused recall and ordering practice. It supports classroom learning and does not replace it. Learners at this stage are moving from remembering a list to using it to explain what they see.
This sheet is paper only. Reactions of very reactive metals with water or acid are not for home experiments. In school, a teacher carries them out with the right equipment. Children should never collect or test metals themselves.
Metal facts to talk about
- Most metals conduct electricity and heat well, which is why copper is used in electrical wiring.
- Iron rusts when it is in contact with both oxygen and water.
- Steel can be coated with a layer of zinc to help protect it from rusting.
- Metals are found in the Periodic Table on the left and in the middle.
- Rust is a different substance from iron. It forms when iron reacts, so it is a chemical change.
Skills and curriculum link
- Ordering
- Chemistry vocabulary
- Recall
- Explaining reasons
- Using memory aids
What children will be able to do
- I can name common metals in the reactivity series.
- I can order metals from most to least reactive.
- I can say what reactive means.
Ideas that help children think about reactivity
- Reactive means ready to reactA reactive metal changes into new substances more easily than a less reactive one.
- Reactions leave cluesFizzing, heat, light or a change in colour can show that a reaction is happening.
- Uses link to propertiesThe metals we choose for a job depend partly on how they behave with air, water and other materials.
- A ranking is a toolThe order lets us predict what a metal might do, so it is worth understanding and not only memorising.
Key words
- ReactiveLikely to take part in a chemical reaction. A more reactive metal reacts more easily.
- Reactivity seriesA list of metals put in order of how reactive they are.
- MetalAn element that is usually shiny, and a good conductor of heat and electricity.
- ElementA substance made of only one type of atom.
- ReactionA change where substances turn into new substances.
- CorrosionThe slow damage of a metal when it reacts with substances such as air and water.
How to use it
- Print both pages. Page 1 is for your child. Keep page 2, which has the notes and answers.
- Read the instructions together. Ask your child what they think reactive means before they start.
- Let them pick out the most and least reactive metals first, then fill in the middle.
- Check against page 2. Ask, "How did you decide the order?" Listen for the reasoning.
- Come back another day and try to write the order from memory. Repeating a familiar activity builds confidence.
Help, stretch and game ideas
If it feels too hard
Start by finding the most reactive metal and the least reactive metal. Write them at each end of the chart. Then place the others one at a time, checking each against the ends. Say your reasons aloud as you go.
To stretch confident children
Explain why gold is used in jewellery. Use the words reactive and corrosion in your answer. Then think of another metal in everyday use and explain why it suits its job.
Make it a game
Make up your own memory phrase from the first letters of the metals in your final order. Swap phrases with a partner and see if they can work out the metals. The funnier the phrase, the easier it is to remember.
Mistakes to watch for
Watch forA child puts the order the wrong way round, with least reactive at the top.
Try thisCheck the heading on the chart. Write "most" and "least" at each end before starting.
Watch forA child ranks metals by how hard or heavy they seem, not by how reactive they are.
Try thisRemind them that reactive means how easily a metal reacts. Hardness and weight are different ideas.
Watch forA child learns a memory phrase but cannot say what the order means.
Try thisAsk them to explain what a higher place on the list tells us. Then use the phrase as a back up.
Talk about it
- Which metal is most reactive on your list, and how do you know?
- How did you decide the order?
- What does the word reactive mean in your own words?
- Which metals have you seen in everyday life? What were they used for?
- Why might a less reactive metal be useful for some jobs?
- Which part of the order is hardest to remember, and what could help?
Take it off the page
Metal hunt
Walk around your home or classroom and list metal objects. Beside each one, write what it is used for and what property makes metal a good choice.
Rust watch
An adult sets up two saucers. One has an iron nail on damp paper towel. The other has a nail kept dry. Look each day and write down what changes. Talk about why.
Phrase maker
Choose a list of eight items, such as animals or foods. Make a memory phrase from the first letters. Test a friend or family member.
Who it is for
Parents
Sit beside your child for the first go, then let them lead. Ten to fifteen minutes is plenty. If they get stuck, ask them to find the two ends of the list first and talk through their thinking.
Teachers
Use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task or homework. The order of metals in the reactivity series sits within the Materials strand of Key Stage 3 chemistry. Ask learners for a reason behind each placement, not only the final order.
Home educators
Print the sheet as part of a wider science plan. Pair it with a metal hunt around the house and a talk about why different metals suit different jobs. Use page 2 to check answers and plan a repeat a few weeks later.
Where this fits in science learning
Before this, children learn that elements are sorted in the Periodic Table, and that metals share common properties. They also meet chemical reactions and begin to see that new substances can be formed.
After this, the order helps learners make predictions about how metals behave. It links to later work on displacement and on how metals are extracted from their sources. A secure grasp of the order makes that work easier.
Check it worked
Ask these when the sheet is finished. Listen for the reasoning, not just the answer.
- Which metal is most reactive on your list?
- How did you decide the order?
- What happens when a reactive metal meets water or acid?
Questions parents and teachers ask
- What age is Metals and Reactivity Series for?
It is written for Year 8 (ages 12 to 13), in Key Stage 3. It suits learners moving from recalling facts to using them. Year 7 and Year 9 groups can use it for introduction or revision.
- What will children practise?
They practise putting common metals in order from most reactive to least reactive. They also build chemistry vocabulary, recall and the habit of explaining their reasons, which matters as much as the order itself.
- How long does it take?
It takes about 15 minutes. Work through it together the first time and let children try alone on a repeat. Page 2 has help and stretch ideas to make it shorter or longer.
- What if it feels too hard?
Start by finding the most reactive and the least reactive metals. Place them at each end, then add the others one at a time. Say each reason aloud. Short, repeated attempts work better than one long session.
- Does the sheet include answers?
Yes. Page 2 is for the grown-up and includes the answers, along with notes on how to use the sheet, help for children who find it hard, and a stretch idea. Keep it back until your child has had a go.
- Is it free, and do I need colour printing?
Yes, it is free to print for home and classroom use. No, you do not need colour. It prints well in black and white on plain A4 paper, so it is easy to use again.
- Can teachers and home educators use it?
Yes. Teachers can use it as a starter, plenary, early finisher task, homework or table activity with no preparation beyond printing. Home educators and tutors can use it alone or as part of a wider science plan.
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Made by Jaques of London, making games for families since 1795. A printable supports classroom learning and does not replace a teacher.