Serendip
Changing Biological Communities – Disturbance and Succession
After cutting down a forest to make a farm, how long would it take the environment to turn an abandoned farm back into a forest? Scholars study this exact scenario while they interpret many charts and graphs of the changing ecosystems as...
Curated OER
Climate Change: Carbon Cycle
Students explore the carbon cycle. In this carbon cycle lesson, students discuss the four main reservoirs where carbon is stored and then discover the process through which each reservoir absorbs and releases CO2. This lesson includes a...
Serendip
Diffusion and Cell Size and Shape
Is your class ready to size up the topic of diffusion? Help them get cell shape savvy with a well-written handout. The resource covers how substances such as oxygen passively move through the cell membrane and how cell size and shape...
Curated OER
Estimating Maximum Cell Sizes
In this estimating cell sizes activity, students read about the relationship between a cell's size and the rate of cell waste diffusion. Students solve 4 problems including writing the equation for the rate of waste exchange, finding the...
Nuffield Foundation
Measuring Respiratory Quotient
How do scientists prove tiny living things respire? Young scientists build a respirometer and measure respiration rates in living creatures. By comparing the measurements of both plants and animals, they understand the similarities.
Curated OER
The Spread of Aids
This is an effective simulation of how communicable diseases such as AIDS can be spread throughout a population. Classmates exchange samples from their individual cups of liquid: one of them containing a dilute NaOH solution, and the...
Curated OER
Cardiovascular Homeostasis
Students develop and conduct an experiment to answer the question," How does cardiovascular exercise affect the pulse rate?". They record the changes to heart rate during different levels of exercise.
Curated OER
Hot Rocks
Students demonstrate that setting of plaster and cement is a change, which involves a release of heat energy, use data collected experimentally to construct comparison graphs and analyze the graphs to make predictions about future...
Curated OER
Diffusion through Membranes
Students identify diffusion and its processes through experimentation and calculations. They also use a CBL and conductivity probe to measure the conductivity of various solutions and study the effect of concentration gradients on the...
Curated OER
Energy: Eco-Icons that Electrify
Students examine environmental issues. In this energy lesson, students explore the topic of energy conservation and then create marketing (to be implemented in their school) meant to communicate the benefits of energy conservation.
Curated OER
Latin America and the Caribbean in the Classroom: The Economy and Trade
Students use the internet to gather information on daily exchange rates. They calculate the exchange rates between two countries by role playing they are going on vacation to these destinations.
Curated OER
Animal Skin
Students investigate the skin surface to body area ratios for different animals. In this seventh/eighth grade mathematics/science instructional activity, students explore heat transfer between an animal’s body and the...
Alabama Learning Exchange
What Burns When a Candle Burns? an Introduction to Using the Scientific Method
Middle schoolers use the scientific method to discover the role of a candle's wick and how radiation allows candle wax to change from solid to liquid to gas. They work in small groups to use the steps of the scientific method approach in...
Curated OER
Mountain Building
Fourth graders identify variables that influence rates of change. They, through group consensus and using the assigned materials, design and build what they believe to be the strongest mountain possible.
Curated OER
Ethyl Alcohol
In this ethyl alcohol learning exercise, students read about the characteristics of ethanol including the effects it has on the body when ingested and digested. This learning exercise has 2 short answer questions.
Curated OER
THE SPREAD OF AIDS
Pupils perform a hands-on activity in which they simulate the spread of a disease such as aids. One student with unknowingly be the "carrier" of the infection and Students witness how fast it can spread.
Curated OER
What Is The Relationship Between Radon and Breathing?
Students examine the effects of radon on their breathing. They review the anatomy of the respiratory system before completeing this lesson. They also complete equations to show how carbon dioxide forms in their body.
Curated OER
Urban Impact on Chollas Creek (California): A Field Study
Students, in groups, take samples from a creek and keep a field journal on their samples. They also perform tests on their samples.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments: Absorption and Radiation
Different surfaces absorb and radiate radiation at different rates. In this activity you will analyze the absorption and radiation rates of two surfaces by monitoring the temperature changes of each of them.
University of Sydney (Australia)
University of Sydney: Structure and Properties of Materials/thermal Physics
An exhaustive set of "lecture notes" on various topics in thermal physics (including thermal expansion). Explanations are well done and more interesting than most. Includes both a mathematical and conceptual treatment of topics. Humor,...
University of Sydney (Australia)
Equations for Thermodynamics
An exhaustive list of equations and formulas which are commonly used in thermal physics (including equations for triple point). Equations are organized according to category. Meaning of the symbols is clearly stated.