Teaching overview

Learning points

  • Marie Curie discovered two new elements, which she called polonium and radium.
  • An element is a pure chemical substance made up of a single type of atom.
  • If something is radioactive, it means that it radiates (gives out) a type of energy that can be extremely harmful in large amounts.

Curriculum keywords

  • Energy
  • Structure of Materials
  • Elements

Read the story

Find out about the incredible life and work of Marie Curie, one of the most famous scientists in history.

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Share with students

Spark a discussion

  • What did Marie Curie discover?
  • What is an element?
  • What does it mean if something is radioactive?

Twig Science: A Complete Pre-K–8 Program for the NGSS

Immersive Investigations with High-Quality Multimedia

  • Investigating, designing, building, and understanding phenomena
  • Hands-on, digital, video, and print investigations
  • Synchronous/asynchronous distance learning