Lewis Dot Diagrams

A Lewis dot diagram is a representation of an element surrounded by its valence electrons.  The diagram consists of the element symbol (from the periodic table), with dots on the top, bottom, and sides representing the s and p sub-levels of its valence shell.

For example, aluminum has 3 valence electrons.  The orbital-notation electron configuration for aluminum is: 

Its Lewis dot diagram is  

Notice that it shows two dots on the right for the full 3s sub-level, and one dot on the left for the one electron in the 3p sub-level.

Nitrogen has 5 valence electrons.  Its orbital-notation electron configuration is:

Its Lewis dot diagram would be  

Again, notice that it has 2 dots on the right for the 2s sub-level, and one dot on the top, bottom, and left sides for the one electron in each of the orbitals of the 2p sub-level.

Neon has 8 valence electrons.  Its orbital-notation electron configuration is:

Its Lewis dot diagram is