A sweeping history of both the discovery and classification of elements and the development of the modern periodic table. Included are discussions of the discovery of matter, atoms, atomic structure, molecules, compounds, ions, and isotopes, as well as the first identifications of the 118 (and counting) elements and the various ways they have been classified and organized by prominent scientists up to the present-day periodic table. Instruction in how to read the periodic table is accompanied by examinations of the various groups of elements, their location on the table, and their properties and practical uses. This text strongly supports Common Core Standards for the reading of scientific and technical texts and accounts, and furnishes ample opportunities to summarize, cite evidence, and analyze connections between ideas, individuals, and events.