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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Exploring Moisture on the Outside of a Cold Cup

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
As a stand-alone or as part of the intended unit, this is a valid investigation of what causes condensation to occur.  By limiting the amount of air around a cold cup of water and comparing it to one out in the open, they find that the...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Matter on the Move

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Start this mini unit on matter out by demonstrating how food coloring behaves when placed in cold and in hot water. Then have the class experiment with warm water and soap film. Pupils will learn that an increase in thermal energy also...
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Activity
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Noodling Around: Powers of Ten

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
How many noodles long is your classroom? Find out when engineers of all ages explore measurement through the use of pool noodles. With the noodles pre-cut to certain metric lengths, the activities could be used to introduce the metric...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Condensation

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
It's time to break the ice! If you are doing all of the lessons in the unit, children have already seen that increasing heat increases the rate of evaporation, but is the opposite true? Does decreasing temperature cause more condensation...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Evaporation

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
This is one in several lessons that explore the relationship between temperature and phase changes of water. After some discussion, elementary physical scientists place wet paper toweling on a hot and a room-temperature water bag and...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Solubility Test

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Make sure to consult the teacher's handbook, Inquiry in Action - Investigating Matter Through Inquiry, for two demonstrations that can be done to introduce solubility and measuring crystal mass before having the class conduct this...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Look-Alike Liquids

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Here is the first of four experiments to differentiate among unknown liquids by their behaviors and properties. Pupils observe how different liquids respond to being placed on plastic and paper, and they take notes about their...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Temperature Affects the Solubility of Gases

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Dare your class to drive dissolved carbon dioxide out of carbonated liquid at different temperatures to discover if there is a difference in rate. To make this experiment more sound, have explorers use equally measured amounts of soda...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Dissolving Different Liquids in Water

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Not many youngsters realize that solids aren't the only materials that can possibly be dissolved in water. During this investigation, they find out that some liquids can dissolve in water as well. This is part of a unit on solubility,...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Temperature Affects Dissolving

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Stir chocolate drink mix into hot and cold water to see if there is a difference in how quickly it dissolves. Number three in a six-instructional activity unit on dissolving, this installment investigates the effect of temperature. If...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Dissolving a Substance in Different Liquids

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Second of six lessons in a unit on dissolving, this one focuses on how sugar behaves in different liquids. Learners stir it into water, alcohol, and oil and make observations. This instructional activity can stand alone, but is best used...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Defining Dissolving

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Physical science investigators mix sugar and food coloring into different cups of water and cooking oil to compare how the solid and liquid behave in each. As the introduction to this unit on dissolving, it is relevant.
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Using the Combining Test to Identify Unknown Liquids

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Once investigators have learned how their mystery liquids interact with water during the preceding activity, they now use their observations to identify them. This is an ideal conclusion to the mini unit on the properties of water. 
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Using Color to See How Liquids Combine

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Blue-tinted water is added to unknown liquids that have been tinted yellow to find out how they interact. This is a memorable activity that is part of an investigation on the properties of liquids, which is part of a unit on the...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Recrystallization Test

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Crystallize the answer to the question that has been investigated since the first of four lessons: What is the unknown crystal? Pupils have examined, crushed, and dissolved four samples plus an unknown as an exploration of the properties...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Curious Crystals

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Crystals are more than meets the eye! Can learners tell them apart simply by observation? As they examine five samples with a magnifier, they find that appearance alone is not enough. This serves as an introduction to a mini unit on...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Mysterious M&M's

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
The first in a six-lesson mini unit, all using M&Ms® candies, this physical science activity gets kids to observe a single piece and discover what happens when it is placed in a plate of water. The activity can be used to introduce...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Dispenser Designs

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
After reading about the history of tape dispensers, learners compare and contrast different dispenser designs. Next, teams work within budgetary and time constraints to design a better dispenser. When finished, each engineer reflects on...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Popsicle Bridge

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Using popsicle sticks and glue, groups must work together to design and build a bridge that can support weight and is aesthetically pleasing. The lesson begins by learners reading about different features of bridge architecture, followed...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Interactive Gumball Machine

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Sure, you may be able to build a better mousetrap, but what about a gum dispenser? In a fun engineering challenge, teams must design and build a working interactive gumball machine with specific constraints and criteria.
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Statue Display Tower

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Sometimes engineering problems that seem easy prove to be more challenging than imagined. Present your class with the challenge to build a functional display tower to support a statue using only the supplies available in class while...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Water Tower Challenge

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Providing clean water to a town is quite a feat... is your class up for the challenge? After a short reading about water towers, groups work together to design a working water delivery system. The water flow must be adjustable (able to...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Tall Tower Challenge

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
A fun and challenging activity for nearly any age group, partners must work together to build the tallest structure possible using paper clips, straws, and pipe cleaners. In addition to being tall, the structure must also be able to...
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Lesson Plan
PricewaterhouseCoopers

Conservation: Water

For Teachers K - 2nd
Here is a fantastic experiment-based instructional activity on water conservation, waste, and filtration. The lesson plan is well-developed and provides background information, discussion leads, and six scripted lab activities anyone can...