Scientific didactics and communication have very different objectives and methods. This article aims to analyze and differentiate these two types of materials (science didactic and communication) based on Primo Levi’s book, The periodic table. A recent edition of the book includes suggested teaching activities that illustrate its specificity in comparison to Levi’s original material. I hope this article will help teachers who wish to explore scientific communication in the classroom or incorporate some of these activities into their teaching activities.