Curated OER
Diving Raisins
Students hypothesize and observe what occurs when raisins are dropped in a carbonated liquid. They examine buoyancy and how density effects ascent and descent.
Curated OER
The Floating Golf Ball
Students explore density by floating golf balls. They explore having their golf balls float halfway in a container of water and discuss density and its realtionship to where the golf balls are floating. After adding food coloring, they...
Curated OER
How Does the USS Alabama Float?
Learners investigate buoyancy. For this buoyancy lesson, students apply the Archimedes Principle of Buoyancy to the experiment conducted in class to determine how battleships float.
Curated OER
Pumpkin Properties are a Smash!
Learners receive a miniature pumpkin and proceed through several stations to measure a variety of physical properties. The data is entered into a data sheet and the mass and volume measurements are used to calculate density. They also...
Curated OER
Salt Water Wedge
Students conduct an experiment to observe the properties of both salt and freshwater. They explain why freshwater will stay at the surface while salt water will travel up a river bottom because of density. Students also research the...
Curated OER
Motion in Fluids
Young scholars explore physical science by participating in a science activity. In this liquids lesson, students discuss how fluids can be affected by motion unlike solids. Young scholars define other scientific vocabulary terms and...
Curated OER
Ocean Layers
Students investigate how temperature and salinity causes ocean layering. In this ecology lesson, students observe and sketch their experimental result. They report their findings in class.
Curated OER
DIY Lava Lamp
Students examine lava lamps and what causes them to work. For this density lesson students make a lava lamp and write the scientific explanation of what happens.
Curated OER
Will It Sink Or Float?
Have your class predict whether objects will sink or float in water. Learners consider a data table of mass, volume and whether the object sank or floated. They develop an evidence-based explanation for the results.
Polar Trec
Do You See What Icy?
Here is a lesson that kicks off with a question. "How does ice floating on the ocean act as it melts?" As learners investigate this natural phenomenon, they'll discover that it has a lot to do with temperature, salinity, and the effect...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Insoluble Paintings
Insolubility and density? Yup, it's art class, of course. To create insoluble paintings that continually move and change, kids mix water-based paint with mineral oil and seal the mixture in laminating pouches.
Curated OER
Water Olympics
A fascinating and engaging lesson on the properties of water awaits you. In it, learners engage in four activities that are designed to teach about the properties of water. This exciting plan has worksheets embedded in it which make the...
Curated OER
Saltwater Science
Students conduct an experiment that shows them how salt water allows things to float. In this salt water lesson plan, students mix ingredients together to create salt water and observe how it makes the oceans dense. They then interpret...
Museum of Science
Hot Air Balloon
It is more than just blowing hot air. Pupils first build a hot air balloon out of tissue paper by cutting enough panels of tissue paper to form a balloon shape and glue the panels together. Using a hot air gun, individuals then inflate...
Purdue University
Model of Prosthetic Leg
Give the class a leg up in their understanding of engineering. A STEM activity has learners design a prosthetic leg that can kick a ball. They build a prototype of the prosthetic, keeping track of the design costs associated with their...
PBS
Sink or Swim?
What's with all the numbers on plastic products? Learners complete an in-depth analysis of the physical properties of the different plastic types. They connect the properties of the plastics to uses and test their observation skills by...
Teach Engineering
Aerogels in Action
Model an oil spill cleanup. An engaging engineering lesson has groups using aerogels to simulate an oil spill cleanup (vegetable oil in water). Along the way, they learn about nanotechnology and hydrophilia/hydrophobia.
NASA
Whip Up a Moon-Like Crater
The moon is famous for its craters, but they haven't always been there. Young learners experiment with materials to simulate the creation of moon craters. Pupils are able to see patterns in their materials that are similar to the...
Curated OER
Dry Ice: Simply Sublime
A fascinating lesson on states of matter is here for your young scientists. Dry ice is used to challenge learners preconceived notions about how solids work. They discover all sorts of interesting facts about states of matter from...
Curated OER
Can You Make A Penny Float?
Students explore the concept of density by trying to make a penny and other materials float.
Curated OER
Teacher's Guide For: Water Temperature and Salinity Experiment
Learners experiment with water density, temperature and salinity. For this water lesson, students observe how the coldest water sinks to the bottom of a test tube, and how saltwater sinks in comparison to freshwater.
Curated OER
Float Your Boat
Students design an experiment to find density using Archimedes' Principle. In this physics instructional activity, students calculate density using mass and volume. They share their findings in class.
Curated OER
Waste Aggregates and Material Properties
Students define specific waste materials that could be used as aggregate in concrete. In this aggregate and waste lesson plan, students brainstorm on how to incorporate waste in construction and define different aggregate materials.
Curated OER
The Great Heat Escape
Students observe a demonstration on the role of thermal conductivity in heat transfer. In this thermal conductivity lesson, students design and conduct an experiment to compare the thermal conductivity of four substances. Lesson...