Teach Engineering
Nanotechnology and Cancer Treatments
Information on the biomedical use of nanotechnology, specifically in the detection and treatment of cancer, is the focus of a lesson that seems like it is out of a science fiction novel. Pupils learn about electrophoresis, which is used...
Teach Engineering
Solar Power
How much solar energy is available at my location? An engaging resource provides a presentation along with script to give the class background information on determining solar radiation. Pupils then work through a worksheet to...
Teach Engineering
Six Minutes of Terror
Help your class understand the design challenges when trying to land a remote spacecraft on a planet. Class members examine the provided information to understand how each component of a spacecraft is designed in order to safely land a...
Teach Engineering
Capturing the Sun's Warmth
Passive solar heating is a technology that's been in use for thousands of years. Here, elementary schoolers are exposed to this type of heating, the materials that are used in passive solar heating, and they study how engineers design...
Curated OER
Cooking with the Sun
Students explore using energy from the sun for heating and cooking as they build and compare the performance of four solar cooker designs. This excellent two-day lesson has groups of students build and test a variety of solar cookers....
Teach Engineering
Solar Power
Elementary schoolers discover how engineers use solar energy to heat buildings. They take a close look at some of the materials used: sand, salt, water, and shredded paper and evaluate the efficiency of each material. An incredible...
Curated OER
Motion Lotion
Young scholars view a video to explain the meaning of friction. In a hands-on experiment using gelatin, students test the effects of lubrication on friction. They complete a worksheet imbedded in the lesson to describe their observations.
Curated OER
"Heat Transfer and Ice Cream!"
Learners analyze earth science by creating a frozen treat in class. In this heat transfer activity, students discuss how matter is transformed from solid to liquid and liquid to gas when energy is removed from the equation. Learners...
Curated OER
First Aid Booklet
Students engage in a hands-on activity to create their own first aid booklet. In small groups, students define the terms, using their own words, then use the dictionary to complete definitions for any remaining words.
Curated OER
Making Energy "trails"
Students explore ten different stations that demonstrate either chemical, kinetic, or mechanical energy. They examine the way energy is transferred during each station's hands-on activity. Stations include vinegar and baking soda,...
Curated OER
What Is Energy? Short Demos
Young scholars engage in three short, hands-on, in-class demos which expand students' understand of energy. First, using peanuts and heat, young scholars see how the human body burns food to make energy. Then, they create paper snake...
Curated OER
Warming by Freezing
Ninth graders discover the reasoning behind spraying water on fruit and seedlings in preparation for hard freezes. In this conceptual physics lesson, 9th graders conduct an experiment to measure the heat released when water goes from a...
Curated OER
Energy Activities
Students conduct a variety of experiments related to solar energy, heating, cooling, gravity, physical insulation and wind. They consider how the experiments relate to energy and the consumption of energy and then participate in a class...
Teach Engineering
Human Power
How many humans does it take to power a light bulb? The 10th part of a 25-lesson Energy Systems and Solutions unit has learners conduct an experiment to calculate power. They then use the results to determine how many classmates they...
Curated OER
What’s That, I Can’t Hear You?
Students investigate forms of energy as well as light and sound. In this science instructional activity, students participate in hands-on activities that require them to evaluate how sound affects astronauts in flight. A video of this...
Curated OER
Cell Energy-Bubbling Plants
Middle schoolers discuss the process of photosynthesis in plants and that oxygen is produced as a by product. They observe underwater Elodea plants "breathing" in a hands-on activity. After setting up the experiment, they observe the...
Curated OER
A New Approach to Developing Images on Clay
Students make story telling plates or tiles based on David Stabely's technique. They are shown slides of original work contemporary artists who are using nontraditional approaches to the clay surface. Students are shown work that David...
Curated OER
Science: Daily and Seasonal Cycles
First graders use their observations to describe daily and seasonal cycles. through a demonstration using a suspended ball and flashlight, they determine the time of day in various locations. Next, 1st graders participate in a...
Curated OER
The Heat is On
Third graders experiment with heat through investigations. They rub objects together and compare the relative differences in the amount of heat given off. They write in their journals about the results they find.
Curated OER
Heat from Machines
Third graders continue their examination of the heat energy from machines. In groups, they make predictions on which machines might produce a measureable amount of heat. They take the temperatures of the various machines and record them...
Outdoor Learning Center
Outdoor Survival
Which of the following can you survive without for the longest time: water, food, or a positive mental attitude? The answer may surprise you. Guide learners of all ages through games, activities, and discussions about surviving in the...
It's About Time
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Emerging biochemists more fully understand the flow of energy in ecosystems as they explore the laws of thermodynamics and relate them to energy transfer in food chains. They also investigate heat loss from the human body and how...
Teach Engineering
Energy Conversions
What energy conversions occur in the operation of a device? Small groups investigate devices and the energy conversions that occur. The groups create energy flow diagrams with added conversion processes for each of the devices...