Using the words glass and grass, students practice using the G-blends at the start of a word. Students have to write a sentence using the word and think of three more words that start with the same blend.
Ions are electrically charged particles. Cations have a positive (+ ) charge. Anions have a negative (-) charge. Ions have a charge because electrons can be transferred. The charge is produced when atoms gain electrons (to form anions) or lose electrons (to form cations). Sodium, Na, is in group 1A. It loses one electron to form the sodium ion, Na1+. The charge is written after the symbol as a superscript.
In both cases, these elements have a neutral charge. An atom becomes charged when the number of protons does not equal the number of electrons. For example, if an element has six protons but only five electrons, the net charge of the element is +1. Conversely, if an element has six protons but seven electrons, then the net charge of the element is -1.