Project: Element Web Site

For this project, you will design and construct a web site for an element of your choice. There are some required pieces of information, but I want to leave most of the project to your own creative energies. You may hand code your pages or use an HTML editor. Your web site may be used (minimum score = 85%) for the Cary Academy Electronic Periodic Table which means it will be live on the Web for all the world to see. Each element web site must include at least the following information:

• element name and symbol
• picture of the element (or a use of the element)
• historical background/story of discovery (name, date, place, event or experiment, etc.)
• atomic mass and atomic number
• melting point and boiling point
• density in natural state
• where is it found?
• what is its natural abundance?
• how is it obtained?
• explanation of structure
• list of isotopes
• chemical properties/reaction tendencies
• common and/or important compounds involving the element
• uses of the element and its compounds
• reference page
• your name at the bottom of the homepage (This site was created by _____)
• each linked page must have a link back to your homepage
• a link to my site (http://www.allatoms.com) from your homepage (but don't "frame" me!)

The web sites will be scored based on the quality and quantity of information they contain as well as the organizational design and quality of presentation.

This project will count 100 points in the lab report category. There will be two evaluations of your project. For the first evaluation, you must submit your project folder into my folder on the H drive. You must also submit a project flow chart and a scorecard. The flow chart should diagram the entire site. The chart should show the organization of all linked pages (using shapes connected by arrows) with the correct file name (with file extension) and file size written beneath each page. Indicate the presence of image files on the pages by listing their correct file name (with file extension) and file size inside the shape. I have some example flow charts if you want to see them. The initial evaluation will count 60 points and I will provide you with a written scorecard which will document where points were lost. You will have until the final due date to make changes and improve your site. You must provide written record of all additions/improvements. The final evaluation will count 40 points. If you choose not to make improvements to your site than your final score will be the same percentage as that which you received in the first evaluation. The due date for the first evaluation of the web sites will be ____________.

See the Scoring Rubric for this Project

Tips:

• Be mindful of copyright laws. Bottom line - do not present the work of others as your own. Cary Academy has a convenient copyright permission form at: http://web1.caryacademy.org/technology/webdoc/copyright.htm
• Keep a running list of books, web sites, etc. that you use as resources so you can easily construct a reference page at the end of the project. Trying to remember a website that you accessed three weeks before will be difficult. All resources must be properly referenced in MLA style. Having a copy of the Literary Survival Guide for Cary Academy would be helpful in this respect. 
• Both MS Word and Inspiration (found under English in programs) are excellent for making quick and attractive flow charts.
• Individual files should be kept under 30 Kb with a total page load of 100 Kb or less
• Avoid a random list of undeveloped "facts". A few well-developed ideas is preferable to a paragraph that mentions 100 uses of the element, but does not explain any of them. Telling the reader that the element is "essential to human health" or is "used in photography" is essentially worthless unless you explore why the element is essential to human health or how the element is used in photography. Develop the ideas - don't leave them vague!
• Focus on what makes your element interesting or unusual. Personalize your site. Don't include properties when you don't know what they are (e.g. dipole moment).
• Copy and paste your page into MS Word and run the spell and grammar check or at least run them through the spell checker in MS FrontPage Editor.
• It is generally preferable if the homepage does not require a lot of scrolling.
• When you want text and images to be neat, organized, and in a certain place - use a table! Tables are very versatile for page layout purposes. The color of the table background can be different from the page background. In fact, you can change the background of each individual cell.

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