Baylor College
Using Heat from the Sun
Let's heat things up! This simple experiment demonstrates for young scholars the important role the sun plays in providing the earth with energy. Place one cup of water in direct sunlight and one in shade, then take measurements in order...
Foundation for Water & Energy Education
What is the Water Cycle? Activity B
Curious physical scientists follow a lesson on the properties of water with this lesson on distillation. They observe a miniature water cycle model that filters dirty water into clean water. These two lessons combined are an enriching...
Curated OER
Water Cycle Activities
Explore the water cycle in all aspects with a resource packed full of activities and lessons. The 37-page packet comes with vocabulary, a game, writing prompts, printables, and opportunities to journey through the stages in the water...
NEED Project
Calibrating Thermometers
Engage young scientists in the upper-elementary and middle school grades with this collection of simple experiments. Whether you're teaching about heat transfer, density, or potential energy this resource has a lab for you.
Baylor College
Moving Air
In lab groups, young scientists place aluminum cans with a bubble-solution cap into different temperatures of water to see what size of bubble dome forms. As part of an atmosphere unit in preparation for learning about convection...
Curated OER
Liquid Rainbow
Young scholars develop their own techniques for drawing a small sample of solutions into a straw. They hypothesize ways to increase the density of water, and discuss how salt-free rainwater tends to float on top of salty seawater.
Space Awareness
Oceans on the Rise
Temperature rises and land disappears! Through a lab exploration, learners understand the effect of temperature increase on water similar to the effect of global warming on our oceans. As they heat the water in a flask, they measure the...
Curated OER
Rain On
Fourth graders explore evaporation and condensation. In this water cycle lesson, 4th graders investigate their surroundings for real-life examples of evaporation and condensation. Students conduct various experiments.
Forest Foundation
Fire - How Does it Relate to You?
Forest fires can be a necessary step in keeping a forest healthy, but what happens when they get out of control? Learners investigate the causes and effects of forest fires in two specific areas, culminating in a report about the ways...
Curated OER
Lake Effect
Fourth graders explore some of the effects Great Salt Lake has on Utah's local weather/temperature moderation, lake effect storms, and temperature inversions. They observe the differences of specific heat between soil and water and...
Curated OER
Evaporation
Fourth graders study the water cycle and the different processes involved, specifically evaporation. They explore the processes of evaporation through hands-on collaborative activities and relate learning to life through...
Curated OER
Origins: Earth Is Born
Students develop a timeline of all the major events involved in the formation of the Earth and the emergence of humans. In groups, they focus on a specific topic by watching a PBS program and taking notes. After the video, they list...
Curated OER
What is the Best Insulator: Air, Styrofoam, Foil, or Cotton?
Students investigate the properties of insulators by attempting to keep a cup of water from freezing, and once it is frozen, to keep it from melting. They conduct the experiment, record and analyze the results, and answer discussion...
Curated OER
Diffusion of Molecules
Students conduct a series of experiments to observe factors that impact molecular movement. In this molecular chemistry lesson plan, students drop food coloring in water with different properties (hot, with ice, with alcohol) and observe...
Curated OER
Bat Ecology
Young scholars, through hands on games and activities, discover how bats live and how bats benefit ecosystems. They play a game designed to show them how echolocation works and another to show how mother bats locate their young through...
Curated OER
California Crops
Students explore agriculture by researching the native food crops of California. Students define a list of agriculture vocabulary terms and analyze maps of California which explain which foods come from which area. Students write a...