Curated OER
Colorimetric Determination of the Concentration of Blue Food Coloring in Sport Drinks
Seventh graders determine the amount of blue food coloring in sports drinks and plot the concentration and absorbance data. They summarize the data and determine why companies need to know the amount of chemicals in their products.
Curated OER
Physical Principles in Living Systems
Seventh graders experiment with white light, plane mirrors, and curved mirrors in order to demonstrate the physical principles of living systems. In this physical principles lesson plan, 7th graders take 3 days to discover what happens...
Curated OER
Changing Planet: Black Carbon - a Dusty Situation
Introduce your young meteorologists to black carbon produced by the burning of fossil fuels by showing the video, "Changing Planet: Black Carbon." Viewers discover that deposition of this carbon on polar ice impacts the absorption of...
Curated OER
Frozen Film
Students discover how light reflects off surfaces. In this hands-on demonstration, students examine how variations in color are produced by light interference.
Curated OER
Frozen Film
Students are introduced to the topic of light interference through this hands-on activity. They observe how light reflects off two surfaces and then meets to form an interesting variation of color on a film surface.
Wild BC
The Greenhouse Effect: Warming the Earth Experiment
First in a two-part lesson on the greenhouse effect, this lesson involves a classroom demonstration of the phenomenon, and a lab group experiment with color and absorption. Although there are easier ways to demonstrate the greenhouse...
Curated OER
How Far Does Light Go?
Students engage in research from the internet to search for facts concerning the scientific properties of light. The information is collected in order to gather evidence for a classroom debate. The debate includes a question and answer...
Curated OER
The Earth's Energy Budget
Students study the Earth's energy budget. In this investigative lesson students observe a lab that shows all aspects of heat transfer and light processes.
Curated OER
Light And Shadows
Fourth graders explore the properties of shadows. In pairs they trace each other's shadows in chalk and re-draw their shadow outlines every three hours, design their own shadow investigation, and complete various worksheets related to...
Discovery Education
It's Getting Hot in Here
Class members engage in a STEM experiment and investigate how materials affect heating in a house by creating models of houses and using different top surface materials. They record the temperature inside the models and consider what the...
Curated OER
Canned Heat
Learners 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
Online Exploration: Telescopes From the Ground Up
Students explore a web-based illustrated text and interactive graphics to determine the relationship between the operation of telescopes and light. optics. They work in small groups to become an expert on one of the ten eras of telescope...
Curated OER
The Space Cadet's Laboratory: Using Electromagnetic Energy to Study Astronomy
Students build their own spectrophotometer to study light. In this physics lesson, students explain the dual nature of light. They calculate the angle of incidence and refraction using Snell's law equation.
Curated OER
Spectral Surprise
Students create spectral colors. In this hands-on science lesson, students examine the electromagnetic spectrum as they follow steps to create a model that separates and displays light.
Curated OER
WorldWatcher Activity: What Happens to Sunlight?
Students examine a set of data to try to determine the amount of cloud cover. In groups, they make a list of items that reflect light in the atmosphere and how different amounts of it can change the temperature. Using WorldWatcher,...
Curated OER
Exploring With Photograms
Young scholars observe the interaction between energy absorbed, reflected or transmitted through an object in a photochemical process with a classroom demonstration.
Curated OER
Solar Energy: Become a Sun Chef!
Young scholars design and construct a solar cooker. They use the Internet to research solar collectors and the process of changing light energy into heat energy.
Discovery Education
Sonar & Echolocation
A well-designed, comprehensive, and attractive slide show supports direct instruction on how sonar and echolocation work. Contained within the slides are links to interactive websites and instructions for using apps on a mobile device to...
Curated OER
Active Wear
Students interpret and analyze data. For this middle school mathematics lesson, students conduct an experiment in which they investigate which solar collector, black, white, or silver, absorbs the most heat. Students examine the graphs...
Curated OER
Spectral Surprise
Students experience a model that produces, separating, and displaying spectral colors.
Curated OER
Modeling Drug Assimilation in the Human Body
Students investigate the accumulation of drugs in the body. In this algebra lesson, students collect data on drug retention and assimilation. They use their data to predict the behavior and effects of drugs.
Curated OER
Cool Suits
Young scholars examine the materials that are used to make space suits. They complete an experiment in which they test different materials in different colors to determine the best one for keeping astronauts comfortable. They analyze...
Curated OER
Snell's Law
Students determine whether the index of refraction of sample of Corn Syrup meets Federal standards. This task assess students' abilities to explain the procedures for investigation, plan for recording and organizing observations and...
Curated OER
Motions and Forces
Students explore motions, forces and magnetism. They investigate magnetism as a force and examine the construction of a magnet. Students examine the force that magnetism produces.