Virginia Department of Education
Vapor Pressure and Colligative Properties
Hate to vacuum, but enjoy using a vacuum pump? Explore a lesson plan that starts with a demonstration of boiling water at various temperatures by using a vacuum pump. Then scholars design their own experiments to measure vapor pressure...
American Chemical Society
Using Color to See How Liquids Combine
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...
Curated OER
Physical and Chemical Change of Six White Substances
Students investigate chemical and physical changes in reactions. In this chemical and physical change lesson plan, students mix 6 different white substances with water, vinegar and iodine. They make hypotheses about each substance and...
Curated OER
Wetland Water Testing
Students examine the different properties that affect water quality. In this pollution lesson students play a game, complete a hands on activity and computer lab.
Curated OER
Water Cycle
Ninth graders explore ways water moves through various reservoirs on Earth, examine how human activities change water cycle, investigate substances present in water that indicate human activity, and discuss how understanding water cycle...
Curated OER
How Stuff Is Put Together (Chemical Bonding)
Fourth graders participate in a simple experiment that shows the ratio of elements that make up water.
Curated OER
Dry Ice Activities Mini Lesson
Get your middle schoolers experimenting with dry ice. In the first activity, they place a piece in water and then use phenol red to identify its pH. In the second, they place a piece in a limewater solution and watch as the combination...
Curated OER
Sink or Float?
Students analyze the relationship between density, buoyancy, and salinity. In this chemical properties lesson, students read a background activity for the lesson and experiments to the topics. Students discuss the questions and complete...
Curated OER
How to identify a physical change from a chemical change
Students identify the difference between some physical and chemical properties and compare some physical and chemical changes. They design an experiment to distinguish between a physical or a chemical property of their choice.
Curated OER
Food Chemistry: The Chemistry of Sweeteners
Students investigate the properties of sweeteners. In this chemical property lesson, students examine the unique properties of sweeteners by performing several experiments. They will analyze the data to form a conclusion about the...
Curated OER
Stream Scanners
Students investigate quality of water in a stream, lake, or pond by examining chemical, physical, and biological characteristics.
American Chemical Society
Exploring Baking Powder
Birthday cake wouldn't be light and fluffy without the chemical reactions between ingredients. Young scientists explore some chemical reactions in the 11th installment of a 16 lesson plan Inquiry in Action series. They determine the...
Curated OER
Physical and Chemical Changes
Students observe examples of physical changes that can take place between the three states of matter and develop common sense and intuition in distinguishing between chemical and physical changes. They observe diagrams on the board from...
Curated OER
Fun With Chemical Changes
Fifth graders observe and identify the differences between chemical and physical changes. In small groups they mix different substances together in glass beakers, and identify which had a chemical change, supporting their statements...
Curated OER
Chemical Fun
Fifth graders observe and conduct a variety of experiments to differentiate between physical and chemical changes. They mix cabbage juice with different liquids and record their observations on a chart. Students write down their...
Curated OER
Investigating Chemical and Physical Changes
Students explore physical and chemical changes by looking at how different powders react to a variety of substances. They observe and identify the difference between physical and chemical change using a mystery powder.
Curated OER
Amazing Water Changes
Students explore the properties of water and how it changes states. In this kindergarten to 2nd grade science lesson, students pair a hands-on science activity with two suggested books. This inquiry lesson has extension activities to...
Curated OER
Physical and Chemical Changes
Sixth graders complete several experiments about chemical and physical changes. In this physical and chemical science instructional activity, 6th graders complete 6 experiments about chemical and physical changes. Students examine the...
Curated OER
Properties of Metals
Fifth graders study the properties of metals and use them to identify different properties. In this metal properties lesson plan students complete a demonstration .
Curated OER
Changes in Nature
The goal of this science lesson is to have youngsters be able to identify the physical and chemical changes in the carbon cycle, and water cycle due to weathering. The in-class inquiry/experiment is quite interesting and easy to...
Michigan Sea Grant
Water Quality
Learners observe water samples and measure the samples' water quality. Students develop their own criteria for measuring water quality and test for temperature, acidity, oxygen levels, turbidity, conductance, sediment and hardness.
Curated OER
Measuring the Heat Energy of a Chemical Change
High schoolers investigate the Law of Conservation of Energy and the relationship between heat and temperature. In this heat energy and chemical changes lesson, students observe a candle heating a paper cup of water and make predictions...
Curated OER
The Effects of Temperature on Chemical Mixtures
Students explore chemical cahnges and the effect of temperature on chemical mixturees, They make observations of the behavior and appearance of certain chemical mixtures and reactions.
Curated OER
Elements and Compounds
Eighth graders explore the chemical and physical properties of a variety of elements in a lab setting. They organize the data they collect onto a spreadsheet and then choose one element from the periodic table to research. They...