Curated OER
Observing Trees
Students create a timeline of a tree in a given time span. In this life cycle lesson, students observe one particular tree at the beginning of the year, and continue their observations for several weeks to create a timeline of the...
Curated OER
Changes All Around Us
Sixth graders, in groups, observe the difference between physical and chemical changes and create a collage of pictures to show the difference.
Curated OER
Chemical Changes
Fourth graders examine and identify chemical and physical changes in a variety of substances. They observe a vinegar and baking soda demonstration, and a water, laundry detergent, and Epsom salt mixture demonstration. They discuss the...
Curated OER
Climate Change
Learners focus on the production of maple syrup in Northern New England as they study the effects of climate change. They investigate other environmental factors on the forests of Northern New England.
Curated OER
Chemical Changes and Biscuits
Fourth graders investigate chemical changes in everyday life settings, such as cooking. They investigate leavening which is one of the classic chemical changes that people experience. Pupils observe leavening in biscuits with the...
Curated OER
The Climate Change Skeptic's Argument: Natural Solar Cycles or Human Activity?
Teachers explore patterns in sunspots and total solar irradiance to understand the counterpoint to the human effect of global warming. In this professional development tool, teachers work through a lesson on the sun's natural...
Curated OER
Fun With Chemical Changes
Fifth graders observe and identify the differences between chemical and physical changes. In small groups they mix different substances together in glass beakers, and identify which had a chemical change, supporting their statements...
Curated OER
Musical Change
Young learners record observations about different coin denominations and create a song about coins to the traditional song, "The Wheels on the Bus." This lesson plan is based on the Tennessee Quarter Reverse, and has all sorts of...
Curated OER
Laboratory: Observing a Candle
In this observation worksheet, scientists observe a burning candle and answer eight post-lab questions. Topics include the phase changes occurring during the observations, the role each part of the candle plays in the chemical reaction,...
American Chemical Society
Change in Temperature - Endothermic Reaction
Now that learners have been exposed to chemical changes, they learn that some take in heat and therefore, decrease in temperature. The same reaction that they have been investigating between baking soda and vinegar is revisited,...
American Chemical Society
Changing State: Melting
Dry ice is extremely cold — it is -109.3°F or -78.5°C. Scholars observe and explain the molecular motion associated with melting. Then they design their own experiments to speed up the melting process. Finally, a teacher presents a...
American Chemical Society
Changing State: Freezing
There are five types of frost: ground frost, air frost, hoar frost, glaze, and rime. Scholars mix ice and salt in a metal container to observe frost forming on the outside of the can. Animations and videos enhance the learning.
Curated OER
Temperature Changes Everything
Middle school chemists visit interactive websites in order to discover what happens to molecular motion when heat is added to matter. They conduct an experiment that demonstrates the expansion of matter with the addition of heat. A lab...
Curated OER
Observations of Properties of Matter
To guide learners through observations of chemical samples in the lab, this resource asks them to give all formulas and complete the attached data sheet. There are multiple questions about categories of elements and general...
Concord Consortium
Seeing Specific Heat and Latent Heat
What happens inside a melting solid? Prospective physical chemists observe a solid-to-liquid phase change at the molecular level using an inspired interactive. Pupils add heat to a close system, then monitor changes in kinetic and...
Concord Consortium
Pendulum and Spring
Up, down, back, and forth. When you make a pendulum out of a spring, there's a lot to observe. Aspiring masters of motion examine the combined kinetic energies of spring and pendulum motion using a detailed interactive. Learners observe...
Curated OER
Change Since 1609
Young scholars recognize how the climate of the Hudson Valley has changed since the last glaciation. They explain these changes using a reconstruction of the land use changes in the Hudson Valley composed of confetti, Ziploc bags and...
Concord Consortium
Boiling Point of Polar and Non-Polar Substances
Go to extremes to illustrate boiling point! Junior chemists explore the effects of heating and cooling on polar and non-polar substances. The interactive allows users to raise and lower the temperature, set specific temperatures, and...
Curated OER
March of the Polar Bears: Global Change, Sea Ice, and Wildlife Migration
Students study global change and how these changes impact wildlife. In this polar bears lesson plan students analyze maps and data to understand climate change.
Curated OER
Global Warming - The Heat is On: Global Climate Change Revisited
After listening to your lecture on climate change, young scientists access NOAA's database listing Mauna Loa's carbon dioxide data. They graph the monthly means and then compare their graphs to NOAA's. This is a concise plan that could...
National Wildlife Federation
I Speak for the Polar Bears!
Climate change and weather extremes impact every species, but this lesson focuses on how these changes effect polar bears. After learning about the animal, scholars create maps of snow-ice coverage and examine the yearly variability and...
Curated OER
Observing Chemical Reactions
Start this series of lessons with a bang! Five exothermic reactions are outlined in this resource, including a demonstration that produces both light and sound. In the lab, chemistry apprentices record temperature changes, make hand...
Curated OER
A'planting We will Go
Germination is an amazing process that results in amazing things. The book The Tiny Seed is the inspiration for a set of activities that will help build early literacy, observation, language, and writing skills. The class observes how...
Berkshire Museum
Adopt a Schoolyard Tree
Help young scientists connect with nature and learn about trees with a fun life science lesson plan. Heading out into the school yard, children choose a tree to adopt, taking measurements, writing descriptions, and drawing sketches of it...