Curated OER
Experimenting with Physical Changes
Fourth graders explore physical changes. They discuss that physical change is a change in size, shape, or state of matter of a substance. Students explore what change takes place when two substances can dissolve each other. They observe...
Curated OER
The Land is Changing: Stories from Across the North
Young scholars explore the changing environment in their community. They interview elders about the issues, impacts and potential ways of adapting to climate change in the north. Students post pictures and information on the student...
Curated OER
Recognizing and Describing Chemical Changes
Seventh graders distinguish between physical and chemical changes in both natural and technological settings. They identify the reactants and products for a given chemical reaction. they then write simple chemical equations given the...
Curated OER
Nothing New? A Physical Change
Fifth graders discuss the differences between chemical and physical changes. In groups, they complete experiments and discover how a physical chnage can be reversed. To end the lesson, they review the steps of the water cycle and...
Curated OER
Classification of Changes
In this classification of changes learning exercise, students identify each example as either chemical or physical changes. Students also classify other examples as either element, compound, solution, colloid, or suspensions. In the...
Curated OER
Physical and Chemical Changes in Matter
Students investigate chemical and physical changes. For this chemical and physical changes lesson plan, students distinguish between a chemical and physical change when observing baking bread and hot dogs and bagels cooking on a grill....
Curated OER
Chemical Changes
Students identify the characteristics of what occurs during a chemical change. In groups, they review the two types of chemical changes and practice balancing equations. In an experiment, they observe the change occuring and must use...
Marcia's Science Teaching Ideas
Observing the Moon Activity
In this moon worksheet, students observe the moon on three consecutive nights and draw their observations. They answer questions about the phases of the moon and its position in the night sky. They identify the position of the sun, earth...
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Students observe and discuss what happens when water turns to ice and when ice turns into water. In this freezing and melting lesson plan, students observe ice and water and complete hands on activities that change their properties.
Curated OER
11 - The Heat Is On
Students observe physical change of melting by observing substance in original state, melting substance, allowing substance to return to original temperature, determining if substance retained its original properties, and recording results.
Curated OER
Environmental Studies: The Environment Rocks!
Rock exploration, so exciting! After reading the book Everybody Needs a Rock, the class makes sandwiches to better understand that the Earth is made in layers. They then use a description of the 3 types of rock to conduct an observation...
Curated OER
The Tilt of the Earth And the Seasons
Fourth graders measure the change in the size of their shadow over time. They visit a fixed structure and record the date, the time, and the measurement of the length of their shadow. They do this over the course of the school year. They...
Curated OER
Physical and Chemical Reactions - Factors Which Affect Reaction Rate
A total of five experiments lead chemistry pros to understand the difference between physical and chemical change. They also experiment with exothermic reaction factors that affect rate of reaction. The procedures are not written in the...
Curated OER
Hedgerows
Hedgerows prevent soil erosion, capture pollutants running off fields, store carbon to help combat climate change, and provide homes for predators of many pest species. The biodiversity lesson begins with an activity that...
Curated OER
The Peanut Wizard
Students read and discuss information regarding George Washington Carver and how the peanut became cultivated in the southern colonies of the United States. For this George Washington Carver lesson, students develop vocabulary that...
Beyond Benign
Chemical or Physical Reaction?
Ready to take your chemistry class on its first big lab adventure? Dive in to differentiation between chemical and physical changes with a thoughtfully designed set of experiments! Partners conduct a series of reactions, describe their...
National Academy of Sciences
CO2 and Temperature
Scientists can model global surface temperature with and without considering human emissions, but does do these factors really make a difference? Two interactive graphs demonstrate some factors that affect climate change. The first graph...
Concord Consortium
What Is a Chemical Reaction?
Take your class inside a beaker for an up-close view of a chemical reaction! Junior chemists examine how chemical reactions occur using an interactive resource. The activity allows users to change the temperature and observe how it...
Concord Consortium
Double Pendulum
What's better than a pendulum for studying motion and periods? A double pendulum! Young physical scientists use an interactive to explore pendulum motion—times two. The resource boasts a host of parameters to change and a running graph...
Royal Society of Chemistry
A Reversible Reaction of Hydrated Copper (II) Sulfate
How can removing water change the color of a substance? Lab partners remove the water of crystallization from hydrated copper (II) sulfate, record their observations, then rehydrate the solid. The resource is printable and contains ideas...
NASA
The Types of Clouds and What They Mean
Learn to forecast the weather using cloud types. Budding meteorologists identify cloud types and learn to use a dichotomous key. As scholars develop observation and identification skills, they discover how different cloud types cause...
Royal Society of Chemistry
Sodium Halide Reactions with Conc. H2SO4
What do you get when you combine precipitate reactions with puzzles? Maximize the engagement in a single replacement reactions lesson by incorporating fun puzzles. Chemistry scholars observe the reaction between several sodium halides...
Magic of Physics
Spring Motion
Get the class all wound up about spring motion! Science scholars manipulate interactive springs and observe the effects of change using an online activity. Customizable options include the number of springs as well as the spring and...
Virginia Department of Education
Thermochemistry: Heat and Chemical Changes
What makes particles attract? Here, learners engage in multiple activities that fully describe colligative properties and allow the ability to critically assess the importance of these properties in daily life. Young chemists...