Beyond Benign
Gelin’: Gel Electrophoresis Simulation
Take a look at a DNA fingerprint. Scholars run a gel electrophoresis simulation to examine the DNA of potential father cats in the eighth installment of an 18-part series. The lesson continues the series that explores DNA and its...
Beyond Benign
Urine Jeopardy
Urine can tell us a lot about what is happening in our bodies. In a hands-on activity, scholars administer pH, glucose, ketone, and protein tests to a sample of "urine" solution made from household ingredients. Their results lead them to...
Beyond Benign
ACNE (Another Cat Needs Exfoliation)
Take solace, teens ... cats get acne, too! After making a diagnosis in the previous lessons in the series, learners must now decide on a treatment to complete the sixth installment of this biotechnology unit. The typical treatment for...
University of Maine
Stress Less — Teen Stress Management
The second lesson plan in the Healthy Living series looks at stress management and provides teens with tools and coping strategies.
Beyond Benign
E-Factor: Environmental Impact Factor
Explore how chemical processes reduce production waste. The 19th lesson in a 24-part series has learners explore the impact of green chemistry techniques on waste in production scenarios. They consider petrochemicals, bulk chemicals,...
Beyond Benign
Shampoozled—Part 2: pH Neutral
Who doesn't want balance in shampoo?!? The second of a two-part lesson continues the preparation of a shampoo formula. This time, individuals focus on how to control the pH of the product. This is the 12th installment of the overall...
Beyond Benign
Shampoozled—Part 1: Formula Calculation
Time for your classes to show off what they've learned! The 11th installment in the series of 24 uses concepts learned in the previous 10 lessons to create the perfect shampoo formula. Their formulas consider both sustainability and...
Beyond Benign
Solvent Snapshot
Discover the properties and purpose of chemical solvents. Continuing with the theme of shampoo ingredients, the 10th lesson of this 24-part series investigates the choice of solvents in shampoos. Through their exploration, they learn how...
Amani Project
Write a CoronaKindness Song
And the beat goes on! Finding a way to connect during the isolation imposed by the Coronavirus pandemic can be challenging. This activity from the Amani Project offers a way to stay close during a time of physical distancing....
Amani Project
Harmony Break! Finding Emotions With Music
Gather the entire family (or class members) for a fun Harmony Break! A volunteer thinks of a color from their Mood Meter that they will express by singing, playing an instrument, or performing a dance. After the performance, the audience...
Amani Project
Harmony Break! Mood Shifting
The fifth activity in the Amani Project series, another Harmony Break, has participants demonstrate a mood shift. They begin by drumming in a way that indicates their current feelings. They then model a change in mood by transitioning...
Amani Project
Harmony Break! Mood Meter Floor Board
The big idea in the fourth lesson from the Amani Project is that people can experience different emotions in precisely the same event. One participant uses their body to express an emotion. Then other participants move to the area of the...
Amani Project
Teach the Mood Meter
The third activity from the Amani Project has youths create a Mood Meter. The colorful meter, divided into red, yellow, blue, and green squares, lets participants indicate not only how they are feeling but also permits them to indicate...
Amani Project
The 5 Elements of Music
A series of activities teach young musicians that they don't need a room full of instruments to make music. The second activity in the Amani Project has participants use their hands, feet, and voices to demonstrate the five elements of...
Beyond Benign
pH Neutral
Acids and bases combine to create our most popular shampoos—who knew?! Using the eighth lesson in a 24-part series, your classes study how acids and bases combine to create safe mixtures such as those in your scholars' shampoos. They...
Beyond Benign
The Heat Is On
Explore an exothermic reaction with a quick lab investigation. The activity builds on the previous lessons by examining an ingredient in many shampoos. Scholars record temperature data as sodium hydroxide and water interact.
Amani Project
Make an Instrument
Create a little harmony with Amani Project! Young musicians create their instruments using found or recycled objects. As an introduction, class members first experiment with sounds they can make with their bodies (clapping, stomping...
Albert Shanker Institute
Making the Case for Equality: A Comparison
Martin Luther King Jr's " I Have a Dream" speech and Atticus Finch's closing argument during the trial of Tom Robinson both address the societal need to overcome racism. After examining the rhetorical devices and figurative language used...
Beyond Benign
Is It Easy Being Green Game Show
Is it possible to create an environmentally friendly shampoo? Learners accept this challenge in the fifth lesson plan in a green chemistry series of 24. The analysis of their shampoo ingredients must address pH, exothermic reactions, and...
Beyond Benign
Writing the Principles
What is the difference between chemistry and green chemistry? The first instructional activity of the 24-part green chemistry series introduces scholars to its 12 principles. The tendency is toward nontoxic materials and sustainability.
Beyond Benign
12 Principle Match Up
Can you find a match? Scholars review the 12 principles of green chemistry by playing a matching game. The second lesson of the series reinforces the principles from the first lesson. Individuals play the matching game and also complete...
Beyond Benign
Sustainability Bingo
Play a little Bingo and learn a little chemistry. The third installment in a 24-part series gives scholars the opportunity to play a game of Bingo while they review the 12 principles of green chemistry. The principles make up the Bingo...
Beyond Benign
Water Waste
Explore the process of wastewater treatment. Scholars analyze different samples of water before drawing conclusions about the types of chemicals in the water that leaves our homes.
Purdue University
Exploring Whirligigs
What's that silly thing spinning in the wind? It's a whirligig! Explore wonderful windy whirligigs with a STEM-based unit that teaches the science and concepts behind these gigs. Scholars discover how gravity and air resistance...