Science Matters
Motors
It's time to get moving! The 13th lesson in a 14-part unit on electricity and magnetism explores the relationship between electricity and mechanical energy. Budding scientists build motors and experiment with different components to...
Curated OER
Will the Lights Go Out?
Learners diagram nuclear power plant, describe process for generating electrical power, discuss nuclear disasters in the 20th century, and draw conclusion about value of nuclear power for the future.
Curated OER
Series or Parallel?
Physics classes that are studying electricity connect photovoltaic cells into both series and parallel circuits. Inquiry and critical thinking come into play as learners try to determine which circuit is more productive. They associate...
Wild BC
The Greenhouse Effect: The Role of CO2
Though this is meant to be second in a two-part lesson, the two are not dependent on each other. Pupils play the roles of visible light rays, light or dark surfaces, and carbon dioxide molecules. They interact and react according to...
Curated OER
Mixing Colors
In this science activity, students drop food coloring into a glass of water. Students mix different colors to create new colors.
Mr. E. Science
The Periodic Table
This science presentation focuses on the elements in the periodic table. It begins with the parts of an atom, explaining atomic mass and atomic number, valence electrons, and isotopes. Then it moves on to discuss various ways of...
Curated OER
Infrared Telescope
Most of the twenty slides in this presentation include photographs or diagrams, making it an eye-catching way to teach about infrared telescopes. The pros and cons of using infrared light to study outer regions of space are explained....
Mr. E. Science
Sound
Since light travels faster than sound, some people may appear bright until you hear them speak. The presentation covers what sound is, how fast it travels in various mediums, properties of sound, hearing, and the parts of the human...
Curated OER
Can You See the Light?
Students differentiate transparent and translucent. In this physics lesson, students design an experiment to determine which material is more effective in heating container using solar energy. They collect data and share results to...
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
Reflect and Refract
Students explore light. In this properties of light instructional activity, students define the terms refract, reflect, and diffract after listening to the teacher's description. Students listen to the book Light Magic and observe a...
Curated OER
Let There Be Light
Fifth graders explore electricity. In this electricity instructional activity, 5th graders experiment with open and closed circuits. Students determine how to properly connect a battery and bulb to illuminate the bulb.
Curated OER
Physical and Chemical Changes
Eighth graders view a PowerPoint presentation that assist them in distinguishing between physical and chemical changes. They compare their observations of demonstrations to a list of clues recognizing types of changes.
Curated OER
E3 Project Instructional Plan: Light
Eleventh graders investigate the nature of light. In this physics lesson, 11th graders determine how light intensity varies with the distance of the light source.
Curated OER
Lighten Up!
Third graders observe light as a form of energy, that it can be reflected/bounced, refracted/bent and absorbed. They explore how different types of light affect our lives as a whole. Songs are researched that involve light (ex. "You...
Curated OER
Applied Science - Built Environment (5) Pre Lab
Fifth graders look at the impact of sound and noise. In this sound lesson, 5th graders review the decibel and common sounds along with their noise levels. They complete a worksheet about the different sounds that one might hear during...
Curated OER
Integrating Physics-Atomic Fingerprints
In this atomic fingerprint worksheet, students read about the Bohr model and electrons changing energy levels and emitting energy. They answer questions about the atomic spectrum and the fingerprints for specific atoms.
Curated OER
The Physics of the Planets: How 16th and 17th Century Physicist Helped Us Understand Our Solar System
Eighth graders draw the paths of the planets in the solar system. In this astronomy lesson, 8th graders calculate speed of objects using distance and time information. They research about the work of scientists in the 16th and 17th century.
Curated OER
Physics 210 - Frequency
In this frequency activity, students use the speed of sound to determine the frequency in which sounds are heard in 5 different word problems.
Curated OER
Reflection of Light
Young scholars experiment with reflections of two plane mirrors placed at a 90 degree angle to see what will be reflected.
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Powers of Ten with the Blue Morpho Butterfly
Explore the powers of ten while examining a Blue Morpho butterfly wing. Learners discover there is a lot more than meets the eye when one looks close enough.
NOAA
Biological Oceanographic Investigations – Through Robot Eyes
How can a robot measure the length of something when we don't know how far the camera is from the object? The lesson explains the concept of perspective and many others. Scholars apply this knowledge to judge the length of fish and the...
University of Texas
Lives of Stars
Stars exist from a few million years to over 10 billion years, depending on their mass. Scholars perform a play acting as stars to learn about their different life cycles. They develop an understanding of many of the fundamental concepts...
NOAA
The Oceanographic Yo-yo
How does chemistry help deep-sea explorers? Part four of a five-part series of lessons from aboard the Okeanos Explorer introduces middle school scientists to technologies used in ocean exploration. Groups work together to analyze data...