+
Activity
DiscoverE

Coding Without Computers

For Teachers 6th - 12th
See what it feels like to be a robot. Scholars use programming vocabulary to program a human robot and test out their codes by acting them out. The code should result in stacking six cups into a pyramid.
+
Lesson Plan
Colorado State University

What Is a "Model"?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Model the transfer of energy during a typical 24-hour period. Young scholars use a game-like approach to learning the patterns of heat transfer through the day and night. Groups of four exchange different tokens as the energy transfers...
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

How Does the Earth Cool Itself Off?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Where does all the heat go when the sun goes down? An interesting lesson has learners explore this question by monitoring the infrared radiation emitted over time. They learn that hot spots cool more quickly that cooler spots.
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

What Is a "Convection Cell"?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Round and round in circles it goes! A hands-on activity has learners recreate a model of a convection cell. They watch as the difference in density of their materials creates a current.
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Why Do Raindrops Sometimes Land Gently and Sometimes with a Splat?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
A mouse can fall from large heights without injury! Air resistance is a large influence on small falling objects. In an exploratory lesson, young scholars build a raindrop bottle to compare the falling rate of different-sized objects.
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Can Boiling Make Something Freeze?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Use boiling as an avenue for freezing. Young scholars watch as liquid nitrogen removes heat from the ingredients for ice cream. As this happens, the nitrogen boils and the ice cream freezes—all in the same container. A little science magic!
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Do Cities Affect the Weather? (Making a Cloud in a Bottle)

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The dynamics of a city can have a drastic effect on the weather. A hands-on lesson asks learners to build a model to illustrate how city pollution provides a nucleus for condensation. The greater the pollution, the greater chance for...
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Why Does it Get Colder on a Clear Night than a Cloudy Night?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Clouds are nature's insulator! A lab investigation asks learners to use an infrared thermometer to measure differences in infrared temperatures. They find that pointing the thermometer at a cloud has a much different result than pointing...
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

How Can Clouds Keep the Air Warmer?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Condensing water warms the air around it. Young scholars consider this concept as they experiment with air temperature around evaporating and condensing water vapor. They simulate the formation of clouds to experience the associated...
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

How Can Freezing Make Something Warmer?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Crazy fact—freezing liquid actually gives off heat! Young scholars investigate the transfer of energy when liquids freeze using a chemical heat pack. The heat pack gives off heat as its liquid core freezes.
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Why Do Clouds Form in the Afternoon?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The stability of the atmosphere changes on a daily basis. A kinesthetic lesson models how the stability of the air changes as it's warmed by the sun. Learners connect their models to the changing air currents and movement of warm and...
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Can Gravity Push Something Up?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How does a hot air balloon fly? An experimental lesson has scholars build a balloon from a garbage bag and monitor the movement of air. As the temperature of the air in the balloon increases, gravity moves the denser cool air down,...
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

If Hot Air Rises, Why Is it Cold in the Mountains?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Investigate the relationship between temperature and pressure. Learners change the pressure of a sample of air and monitor its temperature. They learn that as air decreases its pressure, its thermal energy converts to kinetic energy.
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Does Air Weigh Anything?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Can you feel the weight of the air on your shoulders? Your classes may not believe that air has weight. A straightforward experiment asks individuals to weigh a bottle before and after adding air. Their results may surprise them!
+
Activity
Colorado State University

What Causes Pressure?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Are you feeling the pressure? Let loose a little with a kinesthetic activity that models molecular motion in a closed space! The activity varies conditions such as volume and temperature and examines the effects on molecules.
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

What Does Color Have to Do with Cooling?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Study the rate of cooling for objects of different colors. Learners focus on the reflection and absorption of infrared light. Your classes may be surprised to learn objects that heat the slowest also cool the slowest.
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Would You Get a Sunburn on Mars?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What are the best materials for preventing sunburn? Young scholars consider this question as they test materials for the presence of ultraviolet light. They use a string of beads that changes color with different intensities of UV light.
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Why Is the Sky Purple?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The color of the sky depends on the time of day. Young scholars experiment with scattering different wavelengths of light to recreate the color of the sky. They observe both the longer blue wavelengths and the shorter red and orange...
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Can You See Beyond the Rainbow?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
There's more to light than ROYGBIV! An enlightening laboratory investigation has learners explore the world of infrared light. When they use goggles that take away visible light, they experience how things look with only infrared light.
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

What Is Beyond the Rainbow?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Help your classes see what they cannot see. Using different eyewear, scholars experience different light spectrums. Learners may be surprised by how the world looks with infrared light, thermal imaging, and ultraviolet light.
+
Activity
Colorado State University

How Do Long and Short EM Waves Interact with the Earth's Atmosphere?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Things are about to heat up in your classroom! A kinesthetic lesson asks learners to play the part of the gases in the earth's atmosphere and interact with the sun's radiation. The focus is to learn the impact of the increasing...
+
Activity
Colorado State University

Why Do Hurricanes Go Counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Test your class' coordination as they model the Coriolis Effect. Forming a large circle, learners move to the right as they try to toss a ball to the person across from them. The movement of the circle represents the rotation of the...
+
Activity
Colorado State University

Why Can Warm Air "Hold" More Moisture than Cold Air?—Vapor Pressure Exercise

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Does it feel a little humid in here? Learners assume the role of water vapor in the atmosphere as they explore the differences between warm and cold air. They roll dice to determine their level of energy, which determines if they stay...
+
Activity
Colorado State University

What Makes a Gas, a Greenhouse Gas?—The Carbon Dioxide Dance

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Investigate a heated topic in environmental science. Scholars team up to play the parts of gas molecules in the atmosphere. As the teacher moves about, acting as the electromagnetic wave, learners react as their molecules would to the...