Smithsonian Institution
Watching Crystals Grow
Amazing science can sometimes happen right before your eyes! The class gets cozy as they watch crystals grow. They use Epsom salts, rocks, and food coloring to create crystals. They'll observe the entire process, documenting every step...
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Making a Thermometer
Pupils observe a demonstration of how a thermometer functions. They apply the scientific method while determining which of three cups hold the coldest water. They write a hypothesis before conducting the experiment and gather data.
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Fire Brigade
Students examine how a community works together to protect them from fire. They work together to design a functional tool that could be helpful in fighting fires. They share their tool with the class.
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A Little More Advanced Biotechnology Tools: Better Plasmids
A nice set of information that will help your students understand the process of using recombinant plasmids. DNA hybridization and blotting mechanisms help illustrate expressed genes and the concepts behind the Human Genome Library....
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A Little More Advanced Biotechnology Tools; Better Plasmids
After using this DNA and plasmids slide show, the steps of the delicate procedures of southern blotting and DNA libraries should be more clear to your students. Students will read the guidelines and are also prompted to answer...
California Academy of Science
Energy: A Day in My Life
If only we could harness the energy of fifth graders, our energy problems would be over! The class discusses where different forms of energy come from and how we use them. They complete a chart of the activities that they do daily...
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Double Toss
Students experiment with potential and kinetic energy. They design a device that will toss a ball at least 30 centimeters, catch it and to the ball up again.
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Let the Sun Shine!
Students investigate how the sun can be used for energy. They read a handout, discuss the pros and cons of passive solar building design, develop flashcard questions, and identify jobs that can be helped by solar energy.
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What is the Best Insulator: Air, Styrofoam, Foil, or Cotton?
Students investigate the properties of insulators by attempting to keep a cup of water from freezing, and once it is frozen, to keep it from melting. They conduct the experiment, record and analyze the results, and answer discussion...
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Potato Power
Students light a LED clock or light bulb using potatoes. They examine how a battery works in a simple circuit. They determine how chemical energy changes to electrical energy while experimenting with potato powered circuits.
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Go with the Flow
Young scholars gain an understanding of the difference between electrical conductors and insulators, and experience recognizing a conductor by its material properties. They build a conductivity tester to determine whether different...
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TE Lesson: I've Gotta Get Some Air
Students investigate types and sources of indoor air pollutions both at home and in school. They decide on how to prevent poor indoor air quality. They debate smoking in order to determine how language usage can be an influence in...
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What a Drag
Students learn examples of friction and drag, and suggest ways to reduce the impact of these forces. The equation that governs common frictional forces is introduced, and during a hands-on activity, students experimentally measure a...
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Recycled Vegetable Oil Powers Vans, Cars
Students share their knowledge about fuel sources, then read a news article about vegetable oil as a cleaner alternative to gasoline. In this current events and environmental science lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a...
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A Day In My Life
Students brainstorm how they can conserve energy in their daily lives. For this energy lesson plan, students discuss how they use energy and ways to conserve it.
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Sports Helmets and Impact Testing of Polymers
Students examine the importance of good quality safety gear. In this investigative lesson, students will tests various polymers, collect data, and analyze the data to determine which polymer is best for safety helmets. They will design a...
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Algebra: Mirror, Mirror on the Universe
Students assess how algebra, telescopes, space exploration and optics are so important in astronomy. They encounter studies on the Hubble Space Telescope, Hubble Deep Field and how algebra helps to determine the effects of contamination...
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Reaction Reasoning
Third graders experiment with chemical reactions and examine what happens to the atoms when different reactions occur. In this matter lesson students divide into groups and complete a lab experiment.
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Buoyant Boats
Students design and construct a boat out of aluminum foil and a few other simple materials. The boats then be tested by floating them in water, then adding mass until they sink. They explore the various shapes of boat construction.
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Bat Ecology
Students, through hands on games and activities, discover how bats live and how bats benefit ecosystems. They play a game designed to show them how echolocation works and another to show how mother bats locate their young through their...
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What is Energy?
In this potential and kinetic energy learning exercise, students will learn how potential energy and kinetic energy are used to make a roller coaster go. Then students will complete 2 short answer questions based on what they read.
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Water Desalinization
In this water desalinization worksheet, students will design and construct their own desalinization plant. Then they will describe how they set up their experiment and if it worked or not.
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Math Challenges
Students engage their critical thinking skills to solve challenging math problems. In these problem solving lessons, student work with tessellations, weights/measurement, reasoning, surface area, geometric shapes, and algebraic procedures.
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Sources of Electricity
In this online electricity activity, students are asked 10 questions about electric current and battery energy, an online answer key provided.