Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solids and Water

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate mixtures made of water and familiar solid materials. They observe and discuss the changes that occur immediately and set the mixtures aside for a day. Finally, students observe the mixtures, note changes, and graph...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Matter Matters!

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders experiment with heating and cooling and research the states of matter (solid, liquid, gas).
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the Properties of Matter in the Preschool

For Teachers Pre-K
Students study the properties of the physical and natural world. In this properties of the physical and natural world lesson, preschool students work at discovery tables to see how simple machines work, what happens when items are put...
Worksheet
Curated OER

States of Matter and Gas Laws

For Students 10th - Higher Ed
In this matter worksheet, students review the states of matter and the gas law formulas and equations. Students then complete 7 multiple choice questions and 6 problems.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Money Matters

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students practice spending money by completing math word sentences.  In this economics lesson, students utilize problem solving strategies to complete word problems written on the board involving making purchases with money....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biological Succession in a Microecosystem

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the concept of biological succession by simulating the process in a microenvironment with various microorganisms. By engaging in a lab, students determine the factors causing succession and learn population sampling...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Enhancing Uptake of Glucose in Rabbit Muscle Cells

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Young scholars observe diffusion of glucose through a cell membrane and research the function of chromium picolinate in glucose uptake into a cell. They conclude and understand the role of insulin and chromium picolinate in the uptake...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Does the Water Around Our School Go?

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students in groups, map quadrants of the area around the school and make predictions about the direction of waterflow and zones of accumulation that will occur when it rains. Then when it does rain they check to see if their prediction...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Weathering of Limestone

For Teachers 9th - 12th
We all know limestone weathers, but what affects the rate of weathering? Young scientists investigate the physical and chemical weathering of limestone (chalk) through experimentation. First, they conduct trials with different-size...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mini-Ponds

For Teachers 7th - 9th
In this mini pond worksheet, students create a mini-pond ecosystem with soil, water, and plant life. Students let their ecosystem sit for a day and they observe a sample the next day. Students identify all the pond water microorganisms...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's The Scoop?

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students explore the properties of matter.  In this cross curriculum three states of matter science instructional activity, students listen to the poem "Eighteen Flavors" by Shel Silverstein, and predict what will happen if listed...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Skin

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students investigate the skin surface to body area ratios for different animals.  In this seventh/eighth grade mathematics/science lesson, students explore heat transfer between an animal’s body and the environment.  Using...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Environmental Issues

For Students 8th - 10th
For this environmental issues worksheet, students are given 10 current topics that are problems in our environment today. They complete sentences about each topic by filling in the blanks with the appropriate terms. Some of the issues...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hot and Cold Colors

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students engage in an activity that will allow them to observe that hotter conditions can speed up changes in materials. They will predict whether food coloring disperses more quickly in hot, cold, or room temperature water, and then...
PPT
Curated OER

Chalkboard Challenge

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Here's a terrific Jeopardy-style game that's designed for 3rd and 4th grade students of science. The topics include living things, animals, plants, matter, and "hodge-podge." The questions are all age appropriate, and there is an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solids in Bottles

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students use funnels to put the five solid materials into clear bottles with caps. They observe how the particulate materials look, sound, and move when they shake and roll the bottle. Finally, students write "sound and touch" poetry.
Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

You've Got to See it to Believe It!

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Youngsters develop an understanding of how smog is produced, and how exhaust from automobiles is one of the major sources of smog. They explore the roles that engineers play in developing technologies that reduce smog, then work in teams...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Determining the Density of a Liquid

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students find the density of diet soda and regular soda. In this density lesson plan, students measure the mass of a graduated cylinder with 10 different volumes of each soda. They find the mass of the liquid alone and use the volume to...
Activity
Exploratorium

Hand Battery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Get hands-on in your physical science class by having learners conduct electricity with their own hands! By placing one hand on each of two different metals, a current can be generated and measured on a microammeter. Make an experiement...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ready, Set, Let's Dough! It's a Matter of System

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students will look at a complex system when they create their own play dough by taking several parts and creating a whole. The students will construct understanding that individual parts are used to make a whole.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Project Geode

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young geologists attempt to predict the appearnace of a geode's internal structure based on how it looks from the outside, its mass, and its physical characteristics. In this geologly lesson, learners use scientific equipment to collect...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Westward Ho!

For Teachers 5th - 9th
For any teacher of American History, The Lewis and Clark Expedition is a watershed event that should be shared with your students. This is a very good instructional activity on the Expedition, and the events that led up to it; including...
Worksheet
Curated OER

It's A Gas!

For Students 5th
Fifth graders complete a worksheet which has them place a list of gases in order from the least to the most dense. The density in grams is given for each. There's a good paragraph which provides background knowledge about the volatility...
Lesson Plan
LABScI

Freezing Point Depression: Why Don’t Oceans Freeze?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Can you go ice fishing in the ocean? Learners examine the freezing point of different saltwater solutions. Each solution has a different concentration of salt. By comparing the freezing points graphically, they make conclusions...