Science Matters
Earthquake Waves: Wave Notes
A multi-part lesson opens with a review of p waves and s waves. Then scholars use a simple s wave simulator to view the way the wave travels. Next, pupils use cups and various fluids to simulate p waves moving through different mediums....
NASA
Things Are Not Always What They Seem
Science is magic that works. Magical color-changing beads and a coffee can that follows voice commands are just two examples of magic tricks that rely on science. After completing a hands-on activity and an experiment investigating the...
Henry Ford Museum
Human Impact on Ecosystems
An environmenta science unit includes three lessons plus a cumulative project covering the ecosystem. Scholars follow the history of the Ford Rouge Factory from its construction on wetlands and how it destroyed the environment to its...
Science Matters
Volcano Models
More than 80 percent of the earth's surface originated from volcanoes. The 16th lesson in a 20-part series introduces the shape and development of volcanoes. It begins with a demonstration using a balloon and flour to illustrate the...
American Chemical Society
Forming a Precipitate
Can you mix two liquids to make a solid that is insoluble? Yes, you can, and pupils see this as the lesson uses more than one combination of liquids to form a solid. Through two teacher demonstrations and a hands-on activity, scholars...
American Chemical Society
Temperature Affects Density
Different substances can have different densities, but can the same substance have different densities? Lesson explores the effect of temperature on the density of water. Extension idea connects the concept of how melting ice in lakes...
NASA
The Cycle of Matter
An educational activity focuses on the idea of conservation of matter through a demonstration of the water cycle, a discussion of digesting food, and the path of carbon and oxygen atoms as they change form.
American Chemical Society
What is Density?
Density: the reason a giant pumpkin will float, but a tiny cranberry won't. Lesson begins with a demonstration of two of the same-sized cubes having different densities. Then pupils take eight cubes, each of the same size, and have to...
American Chemical Society
Temperature and the Rate of a Chemical Reaction
Putting glow sticks in the freezer makes them last longer, but why is that? Lesson focuses on how temperature impacts the rate of a chemical reaction. It begins with a teacher demonstration, then scholars design their own experiments...
American Chemical Society
Using Chemical Change to Identify an Unknown
If you discover an unknown powder, how do you determine if it is safe? Lesson uses four different tests to identify the properties of various powders that appear the same. Then scholars get an unknown powder and have to determine which...
American Chemical Society
pH and Color Change
Did you know strong bases can feel slippery and slimy? Lesson allows scholars to practice using the pH scale to identify acids and bases and their strengths. By changing the concentration of an acid and a base, they create the entire...
American Chemical Society
Density: Sink and Float for Liquids
We don't think of liquids as floating typically, but a quick look at any oil spill tells a different story. Lesson explores various densities of liquids and why this fact is important. After observing the density variation, scholars...
American Chemical Society
Natural Resources and Synthetic Materials
All synthetic materials began as natural materials. An engaging lesson begins with a hands-on activity and an example of the type of research that scholars perform independently. Then pupils receive a topic and begin researching the...
National Wildlife Federation
Master P in the House: An All School Energy and Climate Change Plan
A person in the US uses 20 times more energy than a person in India—that's a drastic difference! The final lesson in the 12-part series goes back to the initial energy audits, analyzes which room showed the most conservation of energy,...
NASA
Dark Matter NASA Conference
Young scholars calculate the escape velocity of planets in our solar system and use that knowledge to calculate the escape velocity for NGC 2300 group. They then suggest reasons for the escape velocity to be higher than possible given...
American Chemical Society
Carbon Dioxide Can Make a Solution Acidic
Can your breath change the acidity in a liquid? A lesson begins with a demonstration that proves it can. Then scholars perform an experiment to determine if other gases can change the pH of liquids. Finally, they research how this...
Columbus City Schools
Asexual and Sexual Reproduction
Can you name a type of reproduction that produces no variation in the offspring? The multimedia lesson covers both sexual and asexual reproduction through videos and discussions. It includes topics such as genetic modification, meiosis,...
Science Matters
Fault Formations
The San Andreas Fault moves about two inches a year, approximately the same rate fingernails grow—crazy! The third lesson in the series allows for hands-on exploration of various fault formations. Through the use of a Popsicle stick,...
Science Matters
Spaghetti Fault Model
Does increasing the pressure between two moving plates provide a stabilizing force or create more destruction? The hands-on lesson encourages exploration of strike-split fault models. The sixth lesson in a 20-part series asks scholars to...
Science Matters
Earth Shaking Events
The world's largest measured earthquake happened in 1960 in Chile, reaching a terrifying 9.5 magnitude on the Richter Scale. The second lesson in the 20-part series introduces earthquakes and fault lines. Scholars map where previous...
Science Matters
Finding the Epicenter
The epicenter is the point on the ground above the initial point of rupture. The 10th lesson in a series of 20 encourages scholars to learn to triangulate the epicenter of an earthquake based on the arrival times of p waves and s waves....
Science Matters
Eruptions and Volcano Types
The Mammoth Lakes area regularly releases warnings to hikers and skiers to be careful because melting snow releases trapped gases from volcanic vents. The 17th lesson in the 20-part series opens with a demonstration of carbon dioxide...
Science Matters
Earthquake Building/Shaking Contest
Japan is one of only a handful of countries that constructs buildings that are almost earthquake proof. The 13th lesson in the 20-part series challenges scholars to build structures to test against earthquakes. With limited materials and...
Science Matters
Earthquake Preparedness
Forty-five states and territories in the USA are at moderate to very high risk of earthquakes. The discussion-based lesson plan covers what to do before, during, and after an earthquake. The 14th lesson plan in the series includes how to...