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Chemical Bonding: Sharing or Transferring Electrons

Students learn how atoms bond to become stable — by transferring electrons (ionic bonds) or sharing them (covalent bonds) — and how these two kinds of bonds explain the properties of everything from table salt to water.

Grade 10Bonding55 minutes1 class period5E ModelExplicit teaching4 StandardsCommon Core
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Explain why atoms bond.
  • ✓Describe ionic bonds (transfer).
  • ✓Describe covalent bonds (sharing).
  • ✓Predict which bond forms.
Essential Question

Why does sodium (a violent metal) plus chlorine (a poisonous gas) make harmless table salt? The secret is what happens to their electrons.

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Ionic or Covalent? · Interactive

Ionic or Covalent?

Project this and sort each feature into ionic or covalent bonding. Ask: are electrons transferred, or shared?

⚛️ Sort each feature — ionic or covalent bond?Try it
⚡ Ionic (transfer)
🤝 Covalent (share)
Tap a feature, then tap a bucket.
The Lesson · 5E Model

55 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Engage — An Unlikely Combination

5 min

How do a violent metal + a toxic gas make safe salt?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Pose the sodium + chlorine puzzle.
  • Ask what changes.
  • Set the goal: bonding.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Consider the puzzle.
  • Wonder how.
  • Predict the idea.
2

Explore — Sort the Bonds

12 min

Students investigate.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Ionic or Covalent?
  • Sort each feature.
  • Note transfer vs. share.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sort each feature.
  • Note the difference.
  • Explain it.
3

Explain — Transfer vs. Share

13 min

Teacher explains.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Explain why atoms bond (stability).
  • Explain ionic (transfer → ions).
  • Explain covalent (sharing).

🎒 Student Actions

  • Explain stability.
  • Explain ionic.
  • Explain covalent.
4

Elaborate — Elaborate — Predict Bonds

12 min

Apply.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Predict bond type from elements.
  • Explain resulting properties.
  • Draw a simple bond.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Predict the bond.
  • Explain properties.
  • Draw one.
5

Evaluate — Evaluate — Exit Ticket

5 min

Three quick checks.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Hand out the exit ticket.
  • Look for transfer vs. share.
  • Collect as formative data.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name a bond.
  • Explain it.
  • Give an example.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (High School Chemistry) and Common Core literacy in science.

NGSS
HS-PS1-1

Use the periodic table to predict bonding and properties based on electrons.

NGSS
HS-PS1-3

Gather evidence about how particle-level structure affects properties.

NGSS
HS-PS2-6

Communicate why molecular structure is important in materials.

CCSS
RST.9-10.4

Determine the meaning of scientific terms and symbols.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Bond-type cards.
  • Sentence frame: “Electrons are ___ in a ___ bond.”
  • Model with electron dots.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Focus on transfer vs. share.
  • Use clear examples (NaCl, H₂O).
  • Sort a few at a time.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Draw Lewis dot structures.
  • Explain polar covalent bonds.
  • Connect bond type to melting point.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 📓Science notebooks
  • 💻Ionic or Covalent?
  • 📋A periodic table
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

chemical bonda force joining atomsionic bonda bond formed by transferring electronscovalent bonda bond formed by sharing electronsiona charged atommoleculeatoms joined by covalent bondsvalence electronsouter-shell electrons that bondmetalan element that tends to lose electronsnonmetalan element that tends to gain/share
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What is the difference between ionic and covalent bonding?
Ionic bonds transfer electrons (forming charged ions); covalent bonds share electrons (forming neutral molecules).
QUESTION 2
What type of bond forms between two nonmetals, like in water?
A covalent bond.
QUESTION 3
Why do atoms form bonds at all?
To become more stable — usually by achieving a full outer shell of electrons.

Going deeper? Lewis dot structures.

Have students draw Lewis dot diagrams showing how atoms share or transfer valence electrons to bond. A printable bonding sheet is in the Science library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Chemical BondingFlip
Card 1
Term
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Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Chemical BondingQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Chemical BondingPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: chemical bond, covalent bond, ion, ionic bond, metal, molecule, nonmetal, valence electrons
  1. outer-shell electrons that bond
  2. a bond formed by sharing electrons
  3. a force joining atoms
  4. atoms joined by covalent bonds
  5. a bond formed by transferring electrons
  6. an element that tends to lose electrons
  7. an element that tends to gain/share
  8. a charged atom

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What is the difference between ionic and covalent bonding?
  2. What type of bond forms between two nonmetals, like in water?
  3. Why do atoms form bonds at all?
Answer key — Part A: 1) valence electrons · 2) covalent bond · 3) chemical bond · 4) molecule · 5) ionic bond · 6) metal · 7) nonmetal · 8) ion
Part B: 1) Ionic bonds transfer electrons (forming charged ions); covalent bonds share electrons (forming neutral molecules). 2) A covalent bond. 3) To become more stable — usually by achieving a full outer shell of electrons.