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It's a Crash Test, Dummy
Students use the internet to research air bags in cars and trucks. In groups, they discover air bags history and the safety issues surrounding them. They create their own design of a new air bag and test it using a raw egg in...
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Create Your Own Cloud
Students explore and analyze weather conditions, climates, compositions and characteristics of the atmosphere and weather patterns. They explain in detail the water cycle and its relationship to weather patterns. A lab experiment is...
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Determining Acids and Bases
Students use purple cabbage indicator to test five know substances for acidic/alkaline balance. They discuss the safety precautions required both inside and outside a lab in handling acids and bases.
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Identification of Animals by Serum Electrophoresis
Students compare their unknown serum against a set of known serum standards and determine the animal source of their serum. They write a lab report to communicate their results.
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Chemistry: Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy
Students research on renewable and nonrenewable resources. In this chemistry lesson, students design and build solar panels. They evaluate their device and write a lab report.
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Bacteria Pool Party
Students investigate the organisms of bacteria. They are given a culture of bacteria that can be observed under a microscope. The students make observations that are recorded. The lesson includes the mention of specific safety...
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From Polymers to Bioplastics: Looking Toward Finding Renewable Resources
Young scholars investigate the properties of polymers. For this chemistry lesson, students explain the importance of energy sources. They produce a bioplastic from the lab and evaluate its structural integrity.
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Glucose Factory
Fourth graders determine, through laboratory activity, the presence or absence of glucose in a variety of plant leaves and stems. They work in groups and perform a three part laboratory which shows them how plants convert sunlighht to food.
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Nuclear Fleas
Seventh graders distinguish characteristics of living things and identify the importance of careful observation. They identify five things that are not alive, but display characteristics of life and list five things that are alive, but...
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Plant Classification
Students share with the class how they think plants are classified and are assessed on their prior knowledge. They use a packet to complete throughout the week at their own pace, which includes various activities to familiarize...
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How Shocking
Students describe the characteristics of polymers and rubbers and how they improve human lives. In this shock lesson students build a shock absorbing structure using different polymer materials.
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Introduction to Dissolved Oxygen and Demonstration of a Simple Test Procedure
Young scholars explain the importance of dissolved oxygen in water ecosystems. They describe the aquatic oxygen cycle and the effect of water pollution on oxygen. They make observations, collect data and draw a conclusion.
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It is a Crash Test, Dummy
Students research air bags on the Internet and use the information to design their own version of an air bag. After exploring the benefits and dangers of air bags students perform a chemistry lab in which they mix baking soda and vinegar...
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Measuring Acceleration
Students create an accelerometer and take measurements of acceleration in a moving car. They study the car speeding up in a straight line, slowing in a straight line and curving at constant speed. They prepare a lab report showing...
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Mighty Minerals
Students investigate the physical and chemical characteristics of minerals. They make a list of the uses of minerals found in Illinois. They write a report individually based on their observations.
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Project Geode
Students predict the appearance of a geode's internal structure based on its mass and density. They form a hypothesis based on the data they collect. They also identify common minerals found in Illinois.
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Taking Picture Using a Pinhole Camera
Ninth graders produce a lithographic negative from a pinhole camera and solve problems if light leaks appear on the negative. They are able to describe and use lab safety procedures presented in class.
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Bungee Barbie
Pupils discover the relationship between force and the amount of time over which the force is applied. They discover the meaning of impulse and it equals the change of momentum. Students connect things to a computer to test their results.
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Measuring Aquatic pH
Middle schoolers apply the scientific method and safety rules to aquatic pH. They test unknown solutions for pH levels.
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Flame Test
Students conduct a flame test on different substances. In this chemistry instructional activity, students predict the element present based on the color emitted during the flame test. They explain how different elements produce different...
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National Chemistry Week
National Chemistry Week lessons enliven classroom science investigations.
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Water Chestnut Graphing Activity
Young scholars are taught how to format and enter data into an Excel spreadsheet. They make a graph and interpret graphed data. Students discuss possible impacts of water chestnut invasion. They graph data on water chestnut. Young...
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Dirty Worms
Students examine the functions of earthworms and their effect on soil. They conduct an earthworm dissection lab, and complete a checklist.
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Density of a Gas
Eighth graders investigate the mass, volume, and density of a gas by producing it in a chemical reaction. The entire Density of a Gas Lab and L section of the K W L chart be formatively assessed.