Curated OER
WATTS UP?
Second graders research the Internet as they classify different forms of energy, investigate electrical energy and how to conserve energy.
Curated OER
Sugar and Light
Students connect starch to sugar as the storage form of energy. They find that no starch is produced in the plant without light. Students perform the old favorite of looking at starch deposition in geranium leaves using Lugol's iodine...
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Don't Marry the Mole!
Third graders examine the power of solar energy. In groups, they create their own pizza box solar oven to discover the power of the sun and how it is a source for heat and light. To end the lesson, they use the internet to examine...
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Solar Lesson
First graders complete sunlight and solar effects activities to learn about light and its power. In this solar activity instructional activity, 1st graders complete a sunscreen test activity, a light test, a black light test, a cloudy...
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Waterwheel Work
Learners investigate the history of the waterwheel and common uses for water turbines today. They construct an experimental waterwheel using a two-liter plastic bottle, measure the rate of revolution of a waterwheel, and complete a...
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Making Waves with the Electromagnetic Spectrum
Learners explore various types of electromagnetic waves, the range of the spectrum, and common sources of electromagnetic waves.
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Volcanic Activity in the U.S.
Students locate and map ten volcanoes in United States, create chart comparing volcanoes by last eruption, type of volcano, location, and interesting fact, and create Powerpoint slide show describing basic
information about volcanoes and...
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Breezy Energy
Third graders view photos of machines that measure wind energy and chart what they observe in the pictures and the questions they have about the pictures. In this wind energy lesson, 3rd graders make a pinwheel. Students show...
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Active Transport
In this active transport learning exercise, students review the cellular process of active transport including the structures and functions of the cell organelles involved. This learning exercise has 28 fill in the blank statements.
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A Pre-Treatment Model for Ethanol Production Using a Colorimetric Analysis of Starch Solutions
Students recognize the benefits of ethanol and study photosynthesis. In this ethanol lesson plan students complete an experiment that shows the procedure that starch can be hydrolyzed by salivary amylase.
TryEngineering
Here Comes the Sun
Students explore concept of how solar energy is gathered by solar panels and adapted to provide power to machines, disassemble solar powered calculator and explore component parts, and work in teams to suggest design enhancements to the...
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NUMB3RS Activity: Financial Futures
High schoolers discuss the calculated risk example in Numb3rs about a businesswoman from a company that made its money trading in futures. They use a formula given by the teacher to compute the estimated value of an investment after...
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The Path of Electrons
Students engage in an interactive "hot potato" demonstration to gain an appreciation for the flow of electrons through a circuit. They role play the different parts of a simple circuit and send small items representing electrons (paper...
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Stop Heat from Escaping
Students explore the uses of insulation and describe how insulation helps to conserve energy. They work in groups and use plastic, wool, paper and aluminum to experiment with the heat-retaining properties of various materials.
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ABCs of Hydrogen and Fuel Cells
Students are introduced to the concept of hydrogen technologies through inquiry-based classroom activities.
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Completing the Circuit
Students use a battery, wires, small light bulb and a light bulb holder to learn the difference between an open circuit and a closed circuit, and understand that electric current only occurs in a closed circuit. They describe the...
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Stations of Light
Student groups rotate through four stations to examine light energy behavior: refraction, magnification, prisms and polarization. They see how a beam of light is refracted (bent) through various transparent mediums. Young scholars...
Teach Engineering
Corn for Fuel?!
Can corn power the world? Young scientists learn about how corn and other plants can provide renewable biofuels in the second of nine lessons. They set up an experiment to investigate how different variables affect plant growth. All of...
Teach Engineering
Trash to Treasure!
One person's trash is another man's treasure. Challenge your class to build something useful out of the trash they throw away on a regular basis. Groups design and build a practical item from trash they collect, allowing the class to...
Teach Engineering
Exploring the Lotus Effect
The Lotus Effect ... is it not some kind of yoga pose. In the last installment of a nine-part series, young scientists observe the Lotus Effect on lotus leaves and water-repellent cloths. They observe how motion and damage affect the...
Teach Engineering
Live Like an Animal
When your parents say that your room's a pig sty, tell them about biomimicry. The sixth installment of a nine-part Life Science unit has scholars research the shelters used by animals in the natural world, like turtle shells. Using the...
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Technology and Oil
Middle schoolers demonstrate how much our society depends on petroleum products. They show how advances in technology have allowed us to find, obtain, and transport oil more efficiently.
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Recycling-Taking it Easy on the Environment
Learners review the garbage/landfill graphs included with the lesson. They discuss the information on the graphs and discuss which garbage products come from their homes. Students collect examples of over packaging to share with class...
Teach Engineering
Thrown for a Loop
Round and round it goes. Class members observe a current carrying loop in a magnetic field and calculate its associated torque. They then apply what they have learned to example problems to solve for the torque and to calculate the...