McGraw Hill
Population Biology
The carrying capacity of an environment varies based on the organisms that live there. Using a virtual lab simulation, scholars test two protists living in their own environments and a third environment where both protists live....
Curated OER
Rock My World
Middle schoolers conduct a hands-on experiment designed to demonstrate how continents and oceans formed and why the manner of formation is relevant to a study of volcanoes.
Curated OER
Germs and the Importance of Washing Your Hands
Students observe what happens when bread is handled by dirty hands. They read and discuss the book "Germs." Students participate in an experiment. Students touch bread with a variation of hands: dirty, washed with soap and water, washed...
Lawrence Hall of Science
HowtoSmile
Access countless activities to use in STEM curriculum. This app is a collection of science, technology, engineering, math, and even art ideas are cataloged by topic and easily accessed from one spot.
Curated OER
Impersonating Great Poets Using "Science Verse" by Jon Scieszka
A great way to bring poetry and parody into your language arts classroom, this instructional activity mimics famous poems based on Jon Scieszka's Science Verse. The activity not only allows the class to see examples of poem parodies, but...
Virginia Department of Education
Molecular Model Building
During this hands-on activity, young chemists build molecular models based on the Lewis dot structure before studying valence shell electron pair repulsion theory.
Curated OER
Glenbrook South High School Science Scoring Rubric: Student Laboratory Reports
Here is an unexpected, but practical resource. It is not a activity, but rather an outline of what a science laboratory participant should include in a report. Especially valuable is a grading rubric that spells out what is expected for...
Virginia Department of Education
The Law of Conservation of Matter
The Law of Conservation of Matter can be complex for young scientists to fully grasp. Use this experiment to help simplify the process as pupils perform two experiments to determine mass: one that melts a substance and the other that...
NASA
Ripening of Fruits and Vegetables
How long do fresh foods last in space at the International Space Station? Which foods perish quicker than others? How can astronauts preserve their foods to make them last longer in space? Young scientists test the rates at which...
Mascil Project
Water Quality
How do you prevent the spread of water-borne illness in large public swimming areas? Scholars discover the challenges to identifying safe water through an inquiry experiment. They then produce posters sharing their understanding of water...
EduGAINs
Understanding Viscosity through Investigation and Comparison of Fluids
Not all liquids are the same. Investigate the viscosity of different fluids with a series of activities designed for eighth grade science. As learners move through learning centers with different experiment setups, they determine...
Scholastic
What Are Clouds Made Of?
Tiny bubbles, in my...clouds? Offer youngsters a hands-on, visual learning experience when reviewing the scientific concepts of condensation, water vapor, and the collection of droplets that make up clouds.
Virginia Department of Education
Formulas and Percent Compositions of Ionic Compounds
Try not to blind anyone with science by following the safety rules. The lesson encourages scholars to form an ionic compound from magnesium and chlorine. Then they determine the empirical formula and determine the mole ratio and percent...
Royal Society of Chemistry
Halide Ion Tests
Young chemists love it when colorful solid products appear in a reaction vessel! Scholars discover the products that form during halide ion tests through a hands-on activity. Users go online and apply chemistry knowledge and reasoning...
University of Minnesota
Balance: The Ears Have It
Don't go around and around with the same concept! A hands-on activity explores the vestibular system and circular motion. After spinning a group member, lab partners examine their eye movement. Making observations allows the group to...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Classroom Activities: Stem Cells and Diabetes
How close are we to a cure for diabetes? It seems the cure which has a connection to stem cell research is a possibility! Learners explore the concept of stem cells with an engaging hands-on activity. A PowerPoint presentation provides...
Science Matters
Digestive System Simulation
What do a sandwich bag and a mouth have in common? Your classes are about to find out in a hands-on lesson that has groups build models of the digestive system. Using a little imagination, learners use everyday materials to create a...
Curated OER
Look on the Bright Side!
Students explore solar eclipses by participating in a number of hands-on activities. In class, students work in teams using tennis balls, grapes and flashlights to model partial and total solar eclipses.
University of California
Hot! Hot! Hot!
Calories are not tiny creatures that sew your clothes tighter every night, but what are they? A science lesson, presented at multiple levels, has learners experiment with heat, heat transfer, and graph the function over time....
Curated OER
Steps of the Scientific Method
Steps of the scientific method are summarized, and then an example experiment is presented to allow practice identifying the steps. The graphics and animations are a little blurry, but this otherwise well-formulated presentation will...
Museum of Science
Cloud in a Bottle
Perhaps one day humans will learn to control the weather. Future scientists simulate clouds and fog in a plastic bottle. They conduct an experiment where they place smoke and hot water in the bottle, then squeeze and release repeatedly....
Virginia Department of Education
Permeability and Porosity
Covering both permeability and porosity, scholars perform a hands-on experiment testing various soil types. The material includes a pre-lesson worksheet to help focus pupils on the task at hand.
Columbus City Schools
The Mystery of Earth’s History
Every living creature can leave a fossil record, yet most fossils belong to extinct organisms rather than ones currently living. Scholars learn about dating rock layers, fossils, and the environment of the past. Pupils understand that...
TryEngineering
Sugar Crystal Challenge
Be sure to use this sweet resource. Scholars perform an experiment using sugar to investigate how surface area relates to the coarseness of sugar. They consider how this concept connects to nanotechnology.