Curated OER
How Electric Current Produces Energy
Fifth graders are introduced to the concept of electric currents. In groups, they develop their own game board to test different circuits to determine if they are complete. They record their observations of the energy transfer between...
Curated OER
Climate And the Greenhouse Effect
Students demonstrate the greenhouse effect. They recognize that relatively small changes to our environment can stimulate significant climate changes. They determine that the "scientific method" is a process of testing hypotheses and...
Curated OER
Magnetism
Young scholars experiment with the concept of magnetism. Working in small groups, students design an experiment to test the magnet attraction of various substances. After completing their experiments, young scholars research magnetism...
Curated OER
What happens to water before we use it?
Learners examine how water is treated prior to becoming available for human consumption. In this water treatment lesson plan, students conduct an experiment in which they filter water. Learners formulate a hypothesis, test, analyze data,...
Mr. E. Science
Stars, Galaxies and the Universe
It takes 225 million years for our sun to travel around the galaxy. The presentation covers astronomical units, light years, telescopes, types of stars, the life cycle of a star, and types of galaxies. This is the last lesson in a...
K5 Learning
Space Based Astronomy
How much astronomy can you study with the naked eye? Learn more about the ways scientists explore the galaxy with a short reading passage and set of short-answer questions.
Colorado State University
How Can You Demonstrate the Different Efficiencies of Different Light Bulbs?
Need a bright idea for an engaging lab? Watch your class light up as they explore the difference in efficiency between incandescent and LED bulbs! The resource makes use of simple materials and encourages learners to infer what's...
Curated OER
Stellar Spectral Fingerprints
Learners listen as the teacher introduces Newton's early discovery of the diffraction of light. They use multiple sources of light (fluorescent, incandescent, sunlight, etc) to bend the light. They first use a prism then a diffraction...
Curated OER
Motion and Forces
Eighth graders define the terms: magnetism, poles, compass, magnetic field, lines of force, electromagnet. They name two properties shared by all magnets and describe how one magnet will affect another.
Curated OER
Making A Compass
This interesting science lesson is about the compass. Students make a compass out of a magnet, sewing needle, cork, and a glass dish. The lesson includes both a pre and post-test for the students to take, and some very good links to...
Curated OER
Build a Simple Ammeter
Pupils build and work with a simple ammeter to test theories on why solar cells connected in parallel produce more current that in series. Students use the ammeter to indicate the presence, direction, and strength of an electric current...
Curated OER
You, Me and UV
Students explore the validity of claims of UV protection. Students research UV rays and the cancer danger presented by these rays. Working in groups, they perform tests on sunglass and sunscreen products to determine if their claim of UV...
Virginia Department of Education
Modeling the Big Bang Theory
Young astronomers learn about the Big Bang Theory and redshift through a hands-on activity in the last installment of a three-part series. Participants draw dots on balloons and then inflate them to model how galaxies moved farther apart...
Virginia Department of Education
Atomic Structure: Elements
It's all relevant, really. Individuals use the scientific method to learn more about elements, atoms, and their placement on the periodic table. They conduct experiments using materials common in nature to explore how elements affect our...
Virginia Department of Education
States and Forms of Energy
Energy is just energy, right? Explain various forms of energy to your young scientists by using an interactive experiment that contains common objects to demonstrate complex concepts. Pupils conduct experiments for radiant, thermal,...
California Institute of Technology
Physics of Light
Gummy bears are tasty, but did you know they are also used to determine color and light properties? Use the activity as a way to demonstrate light absorption, light reflection, and refraction with high schooler. Pupils conduct small...
Nikola Tesla documentary student worksheet
PBS documentary: Tesla - Master of Lightning; this worksheet will keep the students engaged while watching this excellent documentary about Tesla. The documentary can be found on Netflix or YouTube. It will take two class periods to...
Curated OER
Solar Kit Lesson #6: Solar-Powered Battery Charger
In a previous lesson plan, learners build an ammeter. That ammeter, or a pre-made one, is required in order to carry out this lesson plan. The objective is for lab groups to design a way to connect solar cells that can recharge a...
Cornell University
Light Waves: Grades 9-12
Explore the behavior of light waves with a lab activity. Scholars build new vocabulary through experimentation and observation. Using different mediums, they model reflection, refraction, transmission, diffusion, and scattering of light.
Cornell University
Optical Simulation of a Transmission Electron Microscope
Don't have an electron microscope? Have your classes build the next best thing! A hands-on lesson asks scholars to build a model of Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). They then use their models to identify the function of each...
Curated OER
Theories, Hypothesis, Laws, Facts & Beliefs
In this scientific statements activity, students are given 35 statements and they are to identify if each statement is a fact, law, hypothesis, theory or belief.
Curated OER
Science Lesson: Home-made Generator
High schoolers are able to design and conduct an experiment related to electrical generation. They are able to list the factors that affect the amount of current that can be generated by a simple generator, such as the number of turns...
Curated OER
Chemiluminescence
Students explore chemiluminescence through various experiments. In this chemistry lesson, students explain the chemical reaction that drives the process. They give real life applications of chemiluminescence.
Curated OER
Magnetic Discovery Bottle
Students examine how to conduct simple investigations and use simple equipment to gather data. For this magnet lesson students decide what types of objects are attracted to magnets.