Curated OER
Yesterday in Energy
Clever! Collaborative groups of environmental scientists create a museum exhibit and presentation for an energy-using activity such as heating a home or transportation. They must compare past to present use of energy for that particular...
NASA
Measuring Solar Energy During an Eclipse
Don't leave your classes in the dark! An inquiry-based lesson has young researchers analyze the light intensity before, during, and after a solar eclipse. They use their data to make inferences about the solar energy available during...
Exploratorium
Give and Take
Heat-sensitive liquid crystal sheets are available in a variety of sizes and temperature ranges. Purchase a class set of hand-held sheets and color half of each with a silver permanent marking pen. Learners of light can hold them under a...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Building a Parabolic-Trough Collector
Amateurs of alternative energy build a mini parabolic-trough solar energy collector and use it to heat water. Temperature is recorded over a three-minute period and the data is graphed and analyzed. Note that in order to paint aquarium...
NASA
Dark Matter NASA Conference
Young scholars calculate the escape velocity of planets in our solar system and use that knowledge to calculate the escape velocity for NGC 2300 group. They then suggest reasons for the escape velocity to be higher than possible given...
Curated OER
The Energy of Empty Space
In this energy in empty space worksheet, students use an equation for Cosmic Inflation to solve eight problems. They find the domain and range of the function of the equation, they determinethe axis of symmetry, they find the critical...
NASA
Measuring Dark Energy
You're only 10 minutes late? Do you know how much the universe has expanded in those 10 minutes? Scholars graph supernovae based on their redshift and see if the results verify Hubble's Law. If it does confirm it, the universe is...
Green Learning
Build Your Own Solar Oven
This is not exactly a lesson plan, but rather a six-page document detailing how to build a solar oven. A bit of background information, materials list, diagrams and photos, and clearly-written procedures are all included. There are no...
Carnegie Mellon University
Renewables Workshop
Youngsters examine resource maps to find out which states are using solar and wind power and discuss as a class various other renewable energy sources. They use a provided data table to record pros and cons to each technology, build and...
Curated OER
Measuring Solar Energy
Students study solar energy and how to measure it. In this energy sources instructional activity students complete a lab, obtain data and use that to convert surface temperature to energy.
Curated OER
Day and Night
Expand your third graders' universe with a science activity about Earth's rotation. They read a short explanation about the direction of sunlight, then draw an arrow to indicate which way the sun is pointed at an illustration of the...
Ocean and Coastal Interdisciplinary Science
The Dark Ocean
Is the ocean blue at all depths? Nope! Explore the science behind the light spectrum in deep, dark waters. The lesson recommends watching The Blue Planet: Open Ocean—The Deep, but it's not integral, or you can substitute another clip....
Curated OER
The Science Behind Glow-in-the-Dark Toys
For this glow-in-the-dark worksheet, students read about substances that phosphor and their characteristics. Students also read about photo luminescence and glow-in-the-dark toys. They answer 6 questions about the light emitted by...
Curated OER
Earth Energy Budget Pre Lab
Students explore energy by conducting an in class experiment. In this climate change lesson, students conduct a water vapor experiment in a soda bottle. Students utilize graphs and charts to analyze the results of the experiment and help...
Serendip
Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration
How does energy from the sun make plants grow? Scholars move step by step through the processes that promote plant propagation during a detailed lesson. The resource illustrates ADP production and hydrolysis, then allows learners to...
It's About Time
Coal and Your Community
When I was young, I was afraid of the dark. Now I am afraid of getting the electric bill. This fourth lesson in a series of eight focuses on coal mining, conservation, and energy efficiency. Scholars start by taking data from a table and...
Curated OER
Energy and Metabolism - Photosynthesis
Although the title slide says that this is a reading check, valuable and applicable information is included in this presentation that you can use in your biology class. Foster an understanding of photosynthesis with the notes, graphs,...
Curated OER
Light Energy and Colors
Learners participate in experiments to observe the effects of light energy on colored objects. They conduct various experiments, create a graph and a word bank, record the results, and write an evaluation.
Curated OER
Let's Learn About Energy Sources
Second graders identify at least four energy sources through sensory experiences.
Curated OER
Energy from the Sun
In this energy worksheet, students conduct an experiment and observe the various ways in which heat energy can be transferred. They explain what happened to the wooden block when it was placed in direct sunlight. Students also explain...
Curated OER
Light Can Heat Too!
Third graders explore absorption and reflection of light energy. In this solar energy lesson, 3rd graders explore how light energy transfers to heat energy through the construction of a solar water heater. Students will discuss and...
Curated OER
Things That Glow
Third graders study the concept of light as an energy source. In this energy lesson students participate in a lab that show them the concept of light as an energy source.
Serendip
Using Models to Understand Photosynthesis
Is your class in the dark about photosynthesis? Shed some sunlight on an important biological process with a thoughtful activity. After answering questions to help determine their level of knowledge, learners work with chemical equations...
Curated OER
Everything Breathes!
Fifth graders test plants in the dark and in the light to see which grows better and produces more carbon dioxide. For this plants lesson plan, 5th graders also create ways for plants to go through photosynthesis that they can observe.