Cornell University
Light Waves: Grades 9-12
Explore the behavior of light waves with a lab activity. Scholars build new vocabulary through experimentation and observation. Using different mediums, they model reflection, refraction, transmission, diffusion, and scattering of light.
Curated OER
Fuel Cell Experimentation
With rising oil prices and increasing concerns over global warming, the pressure is on for engineers to develop alternative sources of energy. Among the new technologies being developed are hydrogen fuel cells, which young scientists...
National Science Teachers Association
Paper Car Crash Design
High school physical scientists collide with motion. They work in pairs to design a paper car that will protect a raw egg during a head-on collision. Measurements of distance traveled, time of run, vehicle specs, and photo gate flags are...
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...
Carnegie Mellon University
Introduction to Climate
Begin a full activity on climate change by demonstrating how carbon dioxide gas contributes to increased temperatures. Be aware that pressure inside the antacid-containing bottle in Activity 2 may cause the lid to fly off; keep viewers...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Basic Electric Transformers
Life as we know it would not be possible without electric transformers, so there are fewer more pertinent topics for your eager young engineers. An astounding amount of background information is provided to help you develop a lecture on...
Beyond Benign
Is It Easy Being Green Game Show
Is it possible to create an environmentally friendly shampoo? Learners accept this challenge in the fifth lesson plan in a green chemistry series of 24. The analysis of their shampoo ingredients must address pH, exothermic reactions, and...
American Chemical Society
Does Temperature Affect Dissolving?
When making sweet tea, why do people dissolve the sugar in hot tea instead of cold tea? The class discusses the previous lab and builds upon it. Working in groups, they design an experiment to determine how temperature affects the...
Curated OER
Introduction to Science
Seventh graders investigate scientific methods to solve problems. They demonstrate creating data tables and graphs. They study the role of a scientist and the importance of safety in a science lab. They distinguish between an...
Physics Classroom
As the Crow Flies Lab
A simple, yet memorable, way of practicing with displacement vectors is described here. Divide your class into groups and assign each a different landmark on campus. They measure smaller legs of the path from the classroom to their...
Columbus City Schools
Rocking the Cycle!
Time to rock out! Discover the "life" cycle of the average rock using an illustrative stations lab and stimulating pairs game. Roll the dice to determine your fate: will it be melting in magma or chilling out to form igneous rock? The...
Curated OER
Science Safety is Elementary
Third graders are introduced to the importance of science safety. As a class, they role play through different safety procedures and decide which senses need to be protected for different scenerios. They discuss how to avoid hazardous...
Curated OER
Creating a Student Safety Committee to Support Lab Safety for the 21st Century Workplace
Learners create a Student Safety Committee. In this lesson for science lab activities, students discuss the communication skills required to help each other in the science lab. Learners analyze their classmates' response to a scenario...
Curated OER
Illustrated Safety Contract
Students create illustrated contracts that spell out chemistry lab safety rules. They create original drawings illustrating one of the safety rules published by Flinn Scientific.
Curated OER
All About Safety
High schoolers create a safety podcast. In this safety lesson plan, students in a robotics lab are introduced to the safety rules for each station. They create a podcast about one station explaining the rules with video, graphics, voice...
Teach Engineering
How Effective is Your Sunscreen?
Protect skin from UV radiation! Groups design and conduct an experiment to test the effectiveness of UV safety products. The groups collect the data from the experiment and prepare a lab report. In the second day of the activity,...
Code.org
Identifying People with Data
How much information about you is out there? Scholars explore this question as they investigate data breaches and how these violations occur. They then take part in an activity where they research how easily people could get access to...
Nuffield Foundation
Observing Osmosis, Plasmolysis, and Turgor in Plant Cells
Create the perfect conditions for osmosis. Young scholars use a microscope to observe plant cells exposed to distilled water or sodium chloride. They observe how osmosis creates turgid or plasmolyzed cells.
Curated OER
Lab Safety
In this safety worksheet, students read about lab safety including safety equipment and procedures. Students learn about reading chemical labels and the MSDS. This worksheet has 14 matching and 13 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Safety Procedures Lab
In this safety procedures worksheet, students answer questions about eye safety, broken glass safety, lab area safety, chemical safety, fire safety and chemical disposal safety.
Curated OER
Rules of Laboratory Safety
Students create a list of lab safety statements in small groups. They share their lists with the entire class and the entire group decides on at least seven rules, with accompanying reasons for using proper lab safety.
Curated OER
Introduction to Materials Science
Young scholars locate, identify and describe the purpose and proper use of all safety equipment in the classroom. They describe the processes involved in following the scientific method, and classify matter according to natural or...
American Chemical Society
Energy Foundations
Only 10 percent of an incandescent bulb's energy is used to create light; the remaining 90 percent is heat. In the unit of activities, young chemists examine energy through hands-on activities, videos, discussions, and readings. Scholars...
Science 4 Inquiry
Bubbles and Colors and Smells...Oh My!
A demonstration of elephant toothpaste hooks pupils' interest as they complete multiple experiments with colors, smells, bubbles, and more. By the end, they understand the differences between physical and chemical changes in the world...