Curated OER
Fizzy Pop
Fifth graders compare and identify variables that affect the rate of a chemical change using Alka-Seltzer, water, ice, and hot water. They time how long each variable takes to pop the canister into the air, and record the results on a...
Curated OER
What's the Reaction?
Learners combine baking soda and vinegar and observe the chemical and physical changes that this mixture can produce.
Curated OER
Chemistry in the Kitchen
Students, in groups, combine given materials from an everyday kitchen until a chemical reaction occurs and record the reaction time.
Curated OER
Stomach Chemistry
Fifth graders compare physical and chemical changes. They perform a simulation experiment/activity that replicates what happens in the stomach as food is digested by stomach acids.
Curated OER
Changes All Around Us
Sixth graders, in groups, observe the difference between physical and chemical changes and create a collage of pictures to show the difference.
Curated OER
Transition Metals (II)
Learners discuss transition metals, their properties, and where they are located on the periodic table as well as why transition metals are ideal for coins. After discussion, they conduct an experiment using copper in the form of old...
Curated OER
Change It
Fourth graders expand their knowledge about how the physical properties of a substances can be changed. They are given multiple opportunities, using first-hand experiences and familiar objects in different contexts, to identify...
Curated OER
Adhesives: Measuring Stickiness
Students test the stickiness of natural substances. In this adhesion as a property of matter lesson, students build a tool to test the adhesion of natural "glues" such as honey, peanut butter, flour and water paste, and jelly. Students...
Curated OER
Water Filtration Competition
Students design water filtration systems. They draw sketches and write paragraphs about their systems. After presenting their systems to the class, each group then builds their system and determines its effectiveness for purifying...
Curated OER
What's The Scoop?
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...
It's About Time
Elements and Compounds
Young scientists use electrolysis to separate water into its elements before experimenting with fire to learn about their properties. A helpful resource provides a reading passage and analysis questions.
NASA
States of Matter
Water, one of the basic needs of humans, is found in all three states of matter on Earth; no other planet—that we know of—possesses this quality. Here is a unit that allows learners to explore through experimentation what it...
Santa Monica College
The Density of Liquids and Solids
There are underwater rivers that flow on the ocean floor thanks to a difference in density. Scholars learn about the density in both liquids and solids in the second lesson of an 11-part series. They then determine the density of water,...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
How Dry am I? Exploring Biomimicry and Nanotechnology
Help your classes feel like they can walk on water! An engaging inquiry-based lesson has young scholars experiment with different surface coatings. They make observations about their properties and how they relate to the surface tension...
NASA
Making Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide
Some like it hot! Scholars observe both exothermic and endothermic reactions as part of the carbon dioxide oxygen cycle. First, scientists demonstrate (or watch) a chemical reaction to create pure oxygen using fire for...
National Institute of Open Schooling
Solutions
Aqua regia, or royal water in Latin, is a solvent that can dissolve solid gold and platinum into a solution. Activity nine in a series of 36 allows classes to learn, through readings and answering questions, what a solution is and the...
Teach Engineering
Wetting and Contact Angle
Explore terminology related to water droplets. The sixth installment of a nine-part series teaches young scientists about wetting and contact angles between water droplets and surfaces. It also distinguishes between hydrophobic and...
National Institute of Open Schooling
Adsorption and Catalysis
Adsorption, not absorption, is when atoms stick to the surface of an object, like water sticking to a grain of sand. An informative lesson delves into adsorption, teaching physical and chemisorption and the factors that affect them....
NASA
Melting Ice: Designing an Experiment
Sometimes, despite the best laid plans, the unexpected will occur. Learners witness this firsthand as they carefully design an experiment to determine the time needed for ice to melt in salt water or pure water. They uncover facts not...
Discovery Education
School of Rock
Why do rocks break down over time? Learners explore this concept by simulating physical and chemical weathering of different types of rocks. They use an abrasive to demonstrate physical weathering and acid to demonstrate chemical...
Chymist
Determination of the Volume of CO2 in Pop Rocks
Where does the pop in pop rocks come from? An engaging activity asks scholars to measure the amount of carbon dioxide in a package of Pop Rocks candy. Learners dissolve the candy in water and use the solubility of CO2 to determine its mass.
Science Geek
Ionic Bonding
Here's a presentation that answers the age-old question of the covalent bond to the ionic bond, "Why won't you share?" Included is information about covalent and ionic bonds, the octet rule, ionic compounds, cations versus anions, and...
Teach Engineering
Engineering and the Periodic Table
Elements, to the rescue! Scholars first review the periodic table, and then learn about the first 20 elements and their properties and uses in the fourth of six lessons in the Mixtures and Solutions unit. Applying their newfound...
Curated OER
Properties of Matter
Students investigate the properties of matter. In this properties of matter lesson plan, students observe containers of different metals and discuss their properties including density. Students find the density of an unknown metal and of...