Curated OER
The Magic School Bus Baked in a Cake
Students learn along with Ms. Frizzle's class. In this Magic School Bus lesson plan, students learn that baking is like a chemistry experiment as they make chemistry happen by following a recipe for pretzels.
Curated OER
Constructing a Periodic Table of Elements
Young scholars create a periodic table of elements. In this chemistry instructional activity, students work together to build all of the different elements into a complete mini periodic table. They identify similarity and difference of...
Curated OER
It's Alive! Using Microorganisms in Cooking
Students create a KWL chart about food. In this chemistry activity, students differentiate physical and chemical changes. They explain how microorganisms are used in food preparation.
Curated OER
Chemistry E3 Lesson Plan
Ninth graders perform a series of experiment to investigate heat transfer and phase changes. In this physical science lesson, 9th graders identify and calculate the different subatomic particles. They explain the importance of scientific...
Curated OER
Poster Assignment: Sports Chemistry
Tenth graders distinguish between chemical and physical properties and changes in matter when given specific examples. They view a video of sports activities. Students chose their favorite sport and design an experiment to improve sports...
Curated OER
Condensation Polymerization: Preparation of Thiokoll® (Polysulfide Rubber)
This lab activity is geared toward experienced chemistry learners, in particular, those who are familiar with organic chemistry. They will create a synthetic elastomer and then make observations and measurements of its different...
Virginia Department of Education
DNA Extraction from Strawberries
Has your class ever been astounded by the complexity of DNA analysis? Have they ever asked why genetic engineering has become so important to our daily lives? Young scientists perform DNA extraction on strawberries and explore how the...
University of Georgia
Endothermic and Exothermic Reactions
Equip your chemistry class with the tools to properly understand endothermic and exothermic reactions. Young chemists collect, analyze, and graph data to determine how the Law of Conservation of Matter is applied to chemical composition...
Curated OER
How to Clean Up an Oil Slick
Students explore how an oil spill is contained and cleaned up. They investigate an oil absorbing polymer that is hydrophobic, absorbs up to 19 times its own weight in nonpolar liquids, floats on water, and can be reused or disposed of by...
Curated OER
The Great Cafeteria Caper
Students extract DNA from their own hair roots. They run an electrophoresis gel to examine patterns of their DNA along with standard DNA. The experiment is based on a crime scene scenario.
Curated OER
Hand Lotion Analysis
Students prepare a sample of a commercial hand lotion for analysis by HPLC to determine the percent composition of two common cosmetic preservatives, methylparaben and propylparaben. They perform the analysis and the data is evaluated to...
Curated OER
Degradation and Weathering of Polymeric Materials
Students investigate issues of degradation and weathering of polymeric materials during their useful life. They evaluate photodegradable plastics and their viability as an environmental solution for litter and investigate the qualitative...
Curated OER
Determination of Phosphorus Content in River Water
Divide your chemistry or environmental science class into two groups. Each group tests water samples from a river for the concentration of phosphorus using a different method. With chemists, you can use this activity as they learn to use...
Teach Engineering
Thirsty for Gold
In the last portion of the six-part unit, teams perform an experiment with gold nanoparticles to determine which sport drink has the most electrolytes. The nanoparticles are used as chemical sensors and fluoresce in different wavelengths...
Teach Engineering
Quantum Dots and the Harkess Method
The Fantastic Voyage is becoming close to reality. The class reads an article on the use of nanotechnology in the medical field and participate in a discussion about what they read. The discussion method helps class members become more...
Curated OER
Simple Tensile Testing of Polymeric Films and Sheeting
Chemistry classes pretend to be consultants to a grocery story trying to decide what polymer to use for therir new non-paper bags. They prepare tensile bars and use them to test plastic film samples for strength and stretchability. Both...
Curated OER
The Four States of Matter
The concise slides in this presentation give a good amount of detail for many aspects of matter chemistry. There are summaries and diagrams for particle movement in solids, liquids, gases and plasma.
Curated OER
Soil Sample Lab
Students test the pH of soil samples they collected from the field trip. In this chemistry lesson, students differentiate acids and bases. They write a lab report about the experiment.
Curated OER
History of the Battery
Students study the development of batteries. For this electrochemistry lesson, students compare the different types of batteries. They explore its applications especially in the medical field.
Curated OER
Stream Chemistry Monitoring
Students become familiar with real-world gathering of chemical data. The experience how the science is done: the nature of analysis, data collection, interpretation, and presentation. They study a nearby body of water for their experiment.
Virginia Department of Education
Moles Lab Activities
Want my name and number? It's 6.0221415 times 10 to the 23rd, and my name is Avogadro. Providing nine different activities, experiments, and labs, this lesson keeps Avogadro relevant to your class all year long.
University of Colorado
Patterns and Fingerprints
Human fingerprint patterns are the result of layers of skin growing at different paces, thus causing the layers to pull on each other forming ridges. Here, groups of learners see how patterns and fingerprints assist scientists in a...
Curated OER
Slime and Intermolecular Attractions
Learners explore the strength of intermolecular attractions. They make slime and compare the difference in the physical properties of sheet and powdered polyvinyl alcohol with polyvinyl acetate.
Virginia Department of Education
States of Matter
Scientists have been studying exothermic reactions before they were cool. The lesson begins with a discussion and a demonstration of heat curves. Scholars then determine the heat of fusion of ice and the heat needed to boil water through...