NASA
MASS, MASS – Who Has the MASS? Analyzing Tiny Samples
What is it worth to you? A hands-on activity asks groups to collect weights of different combinations of coins and calculate weighted averages. They use the analysis to understand the concept of an isotope to finish the third activity in...
Magic of Physics
Loads Lab
Take a load off! Introduce junior engineers to the effects of load on structural design with an easy-to-use interactive. Individuals apply one of many load options, examine its effects, then learn about the safeguards employed during...
Pingry School
Acid-Base Indicators
Acid-base indicators are an essential part of any chemistry classroom. Individuals explore the color-changing feature of the important indicators in a vibrant hands-on activity. Using serial dilution, learners create solutions ranging...
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...
Sunlight Cal-Tech
Chromatography of Plant Pigments
Through a hands-on activity, an acetone-spinach solution is pre-made and learners use this solution to separate the pigments found in spinach using chromatography. The comprehensive resource includes an analysis and conclusion...
DiscoverE
Build a Better Bubble Blower
Add an element of play to a hands-on science activity that challenges learners to design, build, and test bubble blowers. Participants share their experiences and thoughts about blowing bubbles and then begin designing their bubble...
Curated OER
Fun With Food
Students participate in hands-on scientific experiments relying solely on household kitchen materials.
Teach Engineering
Dirty Decomposers
Do not let the class just sit and rot. Pupils learn how decomposition and nutrient recycling is important to an ecosystem. Groups design an experiment to determine how environmental conditions affect decomposition. They develop a poster...
Exploratorium
Balancing Stick
Have some physical science fun when studying the center of gravity or center of mass. Simply have balancing artists stand a dowel on one finger and keep it from falling over! A lump of clay is added and moved up along the dowel over a...
Curated OER
Germs Experiment 2
Students express artistic ideas thru art glitter and science. Students experiment with the theory of how germs spread. Students summarize findings in an art format. Students work in groups to analyze data.
Curated OER
What Wavelength Was That?
A combination of informative text, photos, and graphics comprise this sharp show on electromagnetic radiation. Some slides mention hands-on activities for demonstrating concepts, so if you want to include them you will need to figure out...
Curated OER
PRIMARY Activity: Racing Jars
Students explore how mass affects speed in this hands-on physics experiment. In this mass and speed lesson, students fill a baby food jar with water and leave a second jar empty. They roll the 2 jars down a ramp to observe which jar will...
Curated OER
All About Germs
How do people get sick? Youngsters explore the world of germs and microbes with a lab sheet and science investigation. After identifying the unhygenic practices in a picture of a kitchen, fifth graders conduct an experiment with bread...
Exploratorium
Cardboard Tube Syllabus
Construct paper tubes and then try out a few optical illusion tricks:
See a virtual hole in your own hand
Get a grasp of how the eyes combine images
Notice that one eye is dominant over the other
Reveal how your eyes adjust to...
Teach Engineering
Edible Algae Models
Sometimes it's okay to eat your science experiment. A hands-on activity has pupils create models for algae to learn about its cellular structure. The best part of the experiment? The resulting juice-filled gels are edible—yum!
Teach Engineering
Things That Matter to Flocculants
How does the dirt get out of your drinking water? A hands-on activity introduces the use of flocculants to help clear solid particles out of water. The plan walks learners through the process of setting up an experiment that...
Discovery Education
Cushion It!
Sugar cubes, collide! Groups design protection systems using bubble wrap to protect sugar cubes from being destroyed by falling batteries in the STEM lesson plan. They consider how the experiment relates to collisions in real-world...
Curated OER
Can You Make a Muscle?
Why are muscles important? Third graders study the different kinds and functions of muscles in the human body. After drawing arrows in an illustration to indicate where a muscle contraction would occur, they do their own experiment about...
Curated OER
Water Down the Drain
Did you know that leaky faucets waste $10 million worth of water? Conservationists perform an experiment and draw best-fit lines to explore how the US Geological Society determined this value.
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Animals
Scholars explore the animal kingdom with help from two texts, Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey and A Bed for the Winter by Karen Wallace. The literature and informational text set the learning stage for thoughtful discussion and...
August House
A Tale of Two Frogs
Ribbit ribbit! Hop through a series of activities based on A Tale of Two Frogs. Kids read the Russian folktale and answer reading comprehension questions before working on phonics exercises, tracing dotting lines to make a path...
Art Institute of Chicago
Color Combinations
Explore color through an examination of pointillism and light. Class members view Georges Seraut's famous painting on a computer, zooming in and out to see the details and effects of the technique. They then cover how light and color are...
CK-12 Foundation
Metamorphic Rock Classification: Changing Under Pressure
Change is coming — but how much? Geology pupils discover the transformation of metamorphic rock using a well-rounded interactive. Topics include the effects of pressure and temperature on metamorphic rock, how time factors into the...
Curated OER
Temperature and the Density of Air
Here is a hands-on activity in which junior scientists put air into a balloon to create a closed system. They measure its circumference, warm it in hot water, and then remeasure its circumference to discover how temperature affects the...