One of the inventions that has greatly impacted the world is Thomas Edison's light bulb. From his incandescent bulb, to today's LED bulbs, illuminate middle schoolers with the way they convert electricity into light and heat. Handouts...

Diamonds are a girl's best friend! And crystal labs can be a science teacher's best friend because watching crystals develop is fascinating, and it results in such a pretty product! This activity is unique because the crystals are grown...

General chemistry class members engage in a mini-unit on mole conversions. Through nine lab activites with varying degrees of difficulty, they practice measuring mass and volume, molar calculations, and stoichiometry. Terrific teacher...

Chemistry stars experiment with metals to observe reactivity with salt solutions. They test magnesium, zinc, iron, and copper by immersing them into different solutions and observing for changes. A separate set of data tables is...

Is butter better? In terms of saturation, young chemists find out! Using titration methods, they will compare the degree of unsaturation of butter with that of margarine. Knowing the unsaturation, they can make conclusions about the...

Whether in the UK or in the US, the mass of the copper in a copper alloy penny can be determined. If you are in the US, just note that on the lab sheet, a penny is identified as a "1p piece." The penny is dissolved by young chemists in...

Explore the properties of solutions with a lab activity. Chemistry fans determine the boiling point of water, add salt to create a solution, and then repeat the process four more times. They design their own data table and then graph the...

Rather than simply matching up the ionic charges on paper, this exercise gets chemists into the lab to determine the chemical formula for magnesium oxide! If a know amount of magnesium is used, an oxidation reaction results in this...

This publisher has put out some terrific laboratory activities for your aspiring chemists! In this edition, displacement reactions are used to develop a reactivity series for three halogens. Not only do they explore the reactivity of...

Accomplished chemistry learners set up a calorimeter and measure the energy released by various alcohols: methanol, ethanol, and either propanol or butanol. Lab masters will first need to design their own tables for recording data....

During this lab activity, chemists discover the reactivities of chlorine, bromine, and iodine as examples of the halogens. They use a displacement reaction as a test by adding other compounds and observing for a color change. The lab...

Biotechnology pros produce their own biofuel using waste oil and fresh vegetable oil. They test the quality of their product using titration techniques and pH analysis. They write their observations and report their findings. Be aware...

After taking in background information on teeth, marble, eggshell, and fluoride, chemistry aces design an experiment. Their goal is to demonstrate whether or not fluoride has a similar effect on marble or eggshell as it does on tooth...

Construction engineers research types of bridges online and diagram the forces exerted on each. The create different shaped trusses and test for strength. Finally, they will form teams and compete in "Physics Olympics: Bridge Building."...

Chemistry pupils titrate vitamin C with indophenol indicator. They determine the amount of vitamin C in a variety of fruit juices and conduct qualitative analysis. This is an outstanding lesson for high school chemists when studying...

Elementary and middle school physical science learners explore density in a hands-on instructional activity. They measure the mass and calculate the volume of different metal and wood blocks. From these two values, they compute the...

High school engineers experiment with passing light through mesh and perform calculations using the diffratction equation. This all-encompassing lesson includes the activity sheets for four different diffraction activities and a page of...

The Green Education Foundation found that this lesson plan, written by the Texas State Energy Conservation Office, is right up their alley when it comes to teaching sustainability. It is ideal as a first lesson plan on photovoltaic...

Through two investigations, life science learners determine whether or not yeast is alive. They perform tests for metabolism by providing sugar and observing if gas is produced as a byproduct. They incubate some of the sample for at...

General chemistry classes practice spectroscopy. They grasp the relationships between wavelength, absorbance, and solution concentration. Additionally, they gain valuable practice using laboratory equipment such as burets and pipettes....

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...

In a simulated crime science investigation, chemistry or physics sleuths use spectroscopy to analyze solutions. The lesson plan gives learners practice making salicylate solutions, using spectrophotometers, calculating dilution amounts,...

This is the grown-up version of the classic "float an egg in salt water" experience, plus an experiment in soap making. High schoolers explore density, but more importantly, practice accuracy, precision, and the use of significant...

Chemistry aces use an electrochemical cell to anodize a strip of aluminum. They apply an organic dye to it. In a practical application, they design a piece of jewelry out of the anodized metal and describe the process. Thorough notes...