Virginia Department of Education
Macromolecules
Finally, a chance for the class to play with their food! Allow pupils to simulate stomach acid with common foods, and introduce specific macromolecules into the mixture to explore characteristics of carbohydrates, lipids,...
Virginia Department of Education
DNA Extraction from Strawberries
Has your class ever been astounded by the complexity of DNA analysis? Have they ever asked why genetic engineering has become so important to our daily lives? Young scientists perform DNA extraction on strawberries and explore how the...
Curated OER
More on Conduction and Convection
Why do some items feel colder when they are the same temperature? How should you keep your soda cold? What makes the wind blow? These are just some of the things middle schoolers discover when completing a lesson on...
Museum of Science
Straw Bridges
There is never a bridge too far. Using common items, class members build bridges to span an opening. Pupils test different geometric shapes to determine which is the strongest. Learners use pennies to find the strength of their bridges...
National Library of Medicine
Your Environment, Your Health: Chemicals in Your Home
Many people know about chemical pollution, but are all chemicals bad? The third unit in a series of six addresses chemicals common in everyday life. Scholars learn about the chemicals found in their own homes, chemical safety, and...
Curated OER
Minerals Commonly Found in the Home
For this mineral worksheet, students collect 5 common household items that contain minerals and analyze them. After filling in a data table, students complete 3 short answer conclusion questions.
American Chemical Society
Heat, Temperature, and Conduction
How does heat move from one item to another, even when the items are in different states of matter? Pupils experiment with adding washers to hot water and adding hot washers to room temperature water to observe the heat transfer.
Pyro Innovations
Beach Exploration
Little ones will absolutely love this lesson. It's all about the beach and what they can find while sifting through the sand. A large bucket of sand filled with hidden items is brought into the classroom. Learners will discuss what kinds...
WakeGOV
Plastic Sight Words
Plastic math? Have young learners count and name the number of plastic items in their centers. Kindergartners match sight word cards to the number of plastics in a given group, while learning that plastics come in all different shapes,...
Curated OER
Electrifying Electricity
Students explore the basics of electricity using common everyday items as well as demonstrate how parallel and series circuits can be used in electronics and electrical devices. They explore how common items in their world can be wired...
Curated OER
GARBAGE 1: THE ROOTS OF TRASH
Students identify the various natural resources used to produce common items; to explain how people use science and technology to produce those items.
T. Smith Publishing
Common Measures
Try introducing this assigment on converting measurement by presenting a scenario: "Last night I found a recipe for cookies, and it called for a half pint of butter. All I had was measuring cups - what should I do?"...
Curated OER
Social Studies and Economics
Learners investigate the products agriculture provides in raw materials. In this agriculture products lesson, students make a list of common items used and foods eaten. Learners work in teams to categorize agriculture products based...
Curated OER
Sorting
Students understand that sorting helps find things at a later date. In this sorting lesson, students use a website game and sort the common items. Students sort folders and other classroom items. Students discuss how sorting helped them...
Curated OER
It May Be Yucky, But Someone Has To Teach It. . .
Fourth graders study the names and parts of the excretory system in this hands-on activity. They use common items to make a model of the system.
Curated OER
Growing Pains
Students compare common food items with the parts of a plant. They grow their own plants to assess the difficulties in assisting a plant's growth and reproduction.
Curated OER
Chemistry & The Community
Students complete a Webquest which investigates the chemistry in items such as shampoo. They research the Internet, perform a lab experiment, and write a scientific lab report with their findings. Upon completion of the activities, the...
Curated OER
Making Decisions: Packaging and the Environment
Students work in small groups to redesign the packaging of several common items. They attempt to reach the goal of 25% reduction in packaging materials currently used and explore the impact of various materials and designs in landfills...
Santa Monica College
Introducing Measurements in the Laboratory
We use basic units of measurement to break down things and communicate clearly. The first lesson in an 11-part series teaches the proper way to measure various items. It starts simply with measuring the dimensions and areas of geometric...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Science at 100,000 Feet
Take your class up, up, and away with an engaging weather balloon simulation! Individuals get hands-on experience in creating and launching their own airborne labs to study how temperature and pressure affect substances at 100,000...
Curated OER
Investigating Brass Instruments and Pitch
Students observe the sounds of different brass instruments in order to understand how to create different pitches. In this musical instructional activity, students create a "brass" instrument from everyday household objects. The students...
Curated OER
Plant Part Exploration: Stems
Explore water transport in plant stems using this fun experiment! Your scientists will start by reading Stems by Vijaya Bodach. Then, activate prior knowledge about plant stem functions and water transportation....
American Chemical Society
Changing State: Melting
Dry ice is extremely cold — it is -109.3°F or -78.5°C. Scholars observe and explain the molecular motion associated with melting. Then they design their own experiments to speed up the melting process. Finally, a teacher presents a...
Curated OER
A Mass of Pennies
Learners estimate and determine the number of cents (pennies) that are needed to equal the mass of a variety of common objects. They develop a process for measuring and explore concepts related to units of measurement.