Curated OER
Energetic Atoms - Active & Spaced Out
Students discover the power of the sun through an outdoor experiment. In this solar power lesson, students view a PowerPoint presentation on atoms before they complete an atom worksheet. Students utilize a solar bag to...
Curated OER
Coffee Cooling
High schoolers explore the factors that affect how long coffee stays hot. They develop a question and a testable hypothesis for one factor such as initial temperature or size of opening of the container. Then they design and conduct an...
Curated OER
Kingdom Fungi
In this kingdom fungi worksheet, students conduct an experiment creating and observing dough. They describe what happened to the dough while they observed it and name the type of fungus is the yeast added. Students also explain what...
Curated OER
Cooler in the Shadows
Students explore Earth science by creating a scale model in class. In this shadow lesson plan, students research the impact the sun has on Earth shadows and complete a space science worksheet. Students create models of the Sun and Earth...
Curated OER
CONVECTION
High schoolers experiment to produce a visual convection current in the classroom and compare it to the images taken of convection cells in the Sun. They analyze the source of the Sun's energy and this type of energy transport.
Curated OER
Climate And the Greenhouse Effect
Students demonstrate the greenhouse effect. They recognize that relatively small changes to our environment can stimulate significant climate changes. They determine that the "scientific method" is a process of testing hypotheses and...
Curated OER
Heat And Heat Transfer
Students role play molecules in a container as the container is heated to develop a definition of heat and temperature. They also observe demonstrations of conduction, convection, radiation, and phase transfer. Using these observations...
Curated OER
Herschel Infrared Experiment
Students perform a version of the experiment of 1800 by the famous astronomer Sir Frederick William Herschel.
Curated OER
Enzymatic Browning Experiment
Students, in groups, experiment with Heat Blanching, Vitamin C Dip, and Sulfur Dioxide Dip to see if they can prevent enzymatic browning.
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
Experiment: Refraction And The Reappearing Coin
In this refraction worksheet, students perform an experiment by putting a penny in a bowl, walking off and turning back around to see if they can still see the penny or not.
Curated OER
Canned Heat
Young scholars demonstrate that light and dark colored objects absorb the sun's radiation at different rates. They experiment with the temperature change of water in two locations and discuss the results.
Curated OER
Water 1: Water and Ice
Learners experiment with states of matter with water and ice. In this states of matter lesson, students experiment to discover what happens to water as it freezes to become a solid, ice. They observe what happens when ice melts back to...
Carnegie Mellon University
Consumer Preferences in Lighting
What is a watt? This tongue-twisting, mind-bending question and others are answered through this lesson on the different lighting options available. With the support of a PowerPoint, teach your physical science class about units of...
Curated OER
Melt Away
Students explore objects before and after heating using their senses. In this matter and energy lesson, students experiment with a variety of objects and use their senses (except taste) to make predictions and record observations...
Curated OER
Jackie Gore
Students identify the amount of heat given off by solar energy. In this solar energy lesson, students complete an experiment using soil and sand measuring the heat from solar energy.
Curated OER
Ecological Impact of River Dams
Students investigate their environment by completing an in-class experiment. For this ecological lesson, students define the roles of dams and how electricity is created by them. Students utilize plastic jugs, sand and tap...
Curated OER
Snack Attack: Food Packaging Activity
Students design and create packaging material for food. For this snack attack lesson, students design a package to protect a food item from heat and water. Students consider costs of materials, design, and test the package to see if it...
Curated OER
The Physics of Toys
Students explore physics by experimenting with classic toys. In this physical science lesson, students utilize gliders, energy balls, bouncing balls, marbles and other toys to explore how they work. Students explore each toy at a work...
Curated OER
Modeling Hot and Cold Planets
Learners, in teams, design and construct models of two planets, one hot and the other cold, using a variety of materials. They attempt to create the models out of substances that will actually show the greatest temperature differences...
Curated OER
The Great Ocean Conveyor
Students investigate water density. In this water density lesson plan, students conduct an experiment with food coloring, water and salt to see how the salt effects bodies of water.
Polar Trec
Staying Warm in Antarctica!
Has your class ever wondered how animals and scientists stay warm in the Polar Regions? Kids will investigate to understand the three types of heat transfer and how heat transfer affects those trying to stay toasty in sub-zero...
Curated OER
Rat Round Up
Students build a device that captures and carries a pet rat safely back to its cage with out "harming" the rat or themselves. They build and experiment with wind-up or battery operated rat cat toys after predicting the outcome of their...
McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center
Global Warming in a Jar
This well-organized lab activity introduces earth science pupils to the greenhouse effect. They will set up two experiments to monitor temperatures in an open jar, a closed jar, and a closed jar containing water. Ideally, you would have...