Virginia Department of Education
Solution Concentrations
What happens when you combine 6.022 times 10 to the 23 piles of dirt into one? You make a mountain out of a mole hill. Scholars use dehydration to obtain percent composition and then calculate the molarity of the original...
K20 LEARN
Untwining And Intertwining: Chemical Reactions
What happened when the chemistry teacher told a bad joke? There was no reaction! A creative take on the traditional reaction types lesson invites learners to draw their own conclusions about how compounds and elements combine. Groups...
K20 LEARN
Water We Going To Do? Floodplains And Watershed Management
How has human activity affected Earth's watersheds? An action-packed lesson plan, part of the K20 Center, examines water's ability to go with the flow regardless of what is in its path. Scholars build model watersheds, examine time-lapse...
Curated OER
Open Inquiry Using C. elegans
Ever wondered what motivates a roundworm? Introduce your biology class to C. elegans, a non-parasitic model organism that can help them understand behavioral stimuli. Paired pupils design an experiment to test the worm's reaction to...
K20 LEARN
Speedy Cat: Enzymes
Enzymes have a need for speed! What happens when they are forced to slow down? A well-rounded lesson plan from the K20 Center examines enzyme activity through role playing and a lab. Biology scholars work in teams and pairs to understand...
Concord Consortium
Deformed Electron Cloud
Dispel the misconception that atoms are always little round balls! Illustrate changes in the electron cloud with an entertaining interactive. Pupils push and pull on the cloud by altering the charge on plates located on either side of...
Concord Consortium
Gas Pressure in a Syringe
Plunge into a gas pressure activity! Junior physical scientists manipulate a syringe to study the particle model of gases. The interactive invites investigations of particle movements in capped versus uncapped syringes.
Colorado State University
Can it Really Rain Fish and Frogs?
You've heard of it raining cats and dogs ... but what about fish and frogs? It turns out, one scenario is much more likely than the other! Intrepid weather investigators examine the curious behavior of waterspouts using a leaf blower,...
Curated OER
Scale Activities
How do you put something as large as the universe in perspective? Use a series of scale experiments. Classmates collaborate around four experiments to examine the scale of the earth-moon system, our solar system, the Milky Way galaxy,...
Royal Society of Chemistry
Mass Changes in Chemical Reactions—Microscale Chemistry
What better way is there to introduce conservation of mass than a few simple experiments? Young chemists conduct two chemical reactions, take the masses of reactants and products, then compare their results to determine...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Lesson 5: Tracking Lion Communities
Researchers in Gorongosa National Park placed cameras there many years ago to understand what was happening with the lion communities that lived there. Little did they know, they opened a door to so much more! Inquisitive...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Lesson 4: Gorongosa's Food Webs
Who eats who in the savannas of Africa? Explore trophic levels with part four of an eight-part series of lessons focused around Gorongosa National Park. After young explorers identify animals using trailcam images, they construct a food...
Physics Classroom
Waves - Case Studies
What can your class tell about a wave just by looking at it? Using a simulation, physics pupils work through a series of case studies to determine the effects of speed, frequency, and density on waves. Part of a larger playlist on waves...
Curated OER
Wig-wag Physics
Learners make observations on the effects of a small, medium and large weight on the movement of a wig-wag apparatus. They use their observations to develop a generalized inference of the effect weight on movement patterns.
Curated OER
Mystery Boxes
Students make observations about Mystery Boxes that their teacher has made up and describes the motion of the object inside the box and hypothesizes it's shape based on their observations.
Curated OER
Hey, Look Me Over!
Students make observations about mealworms using hand lenses, rulers, and cotton swabs. Students complete their own mealworm observation chart, then they share their observations with the class. This is one station out of five in an...
Curated OER
Snails
First graders investigate the organism known as a snail. They use snails to make observations of the body structure and the basic needs. The class is shown a chart and the teacher uses questions to induce student thinking. Then they...
Curated OER
Bouncing Balls
Students make observations of a bouncing ball and study how it travels. In this height lesson students complete a lab activity and describe and explain the motion of the ball.
Curated OER
The Mystery of the Missing Hummingbirds
Students record scientific observations in a science journal. In this season lesson, students make observations about each of the seasons and record in their journals. Students record organisms response to seasonal changes...
Curated OER
Me And My Shadow
Students investigate the concept of a shadow. They design a tool to create shadows for an experiment. They make observations and record the size and shape of shadows. The lesson contains background information for the teacher to deliver...
Curated OER
Scientific Measurement Exercise
Young scholars measure irregularly shaped bones, once using a variety of measurement methods and tools, and then again using standard conventions and metric tape measures. They explore firsthand that standardizing data collection makes...
Curated OER
Algae Part One: An Introduction
Students have the opportunity to view two types of algae under 400x magnification with a compound microscope. They make observations and record their observations through drawings and words. In addition, they identify different qualities...
Curated OER
Classifying Conundrum
Fourth graders identify plant characteristics from different environments and communicate that information in different ways. They use a simple scheme to classify Utah plants and animals and make observations and record them in a...
Curated OER
What is the purpose of Karyotyping?
Students explain how karyotyping is used to diagnose specific genetic disorders. They use karyotypes to make observations and analyze chromosomal errors. This activity can be completed online or without computer access.