California Academy of Science
Nuclear Energy: What's Your Reaction?
OSHA confirms that rules governing worker safety at nuclear power plants ranks higher than worker safety in offices. Scholars must consider safety, cost, alternatives, and other factors before recommending whether a town should build a...
Curated OER
Losing Ground
Students examine how effects of farming practices in the early 20th Century contributed to severe soil erosion of a large portion of the North American grasslands.
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Gyroscopes in Motion
Physics stars will enjoy learning about the conservation of energy as you demonstrate gyroscope precession. The lecture is broken into five subtopics: cross product, rotating vectors, angular momentum, rotating rigid bodies, and torque...
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Gases and Plasmas
Students determine what plasma is and why the sun is made up of plasma. They recognize situations where plasmas are found in nature and made by man. They discuss why the sun is a huge ball of plasma and if there are different levels of...
Nuffield Foundation
Identifying the Conditions Needed for Photosynthesis
Budding biologists often ask how scientists know what they do about different topics. In the lab described here, they have a chance to find out first-hand about the requirements for photosynthesis. Three sequential investigations are...
Nuffield Foundation
Interpreting an Investigation of Plant Hormones
How important is the tip of a new shoot on a growing plant? Individuals learn about the results of experiments on shoot tips and must interpret them. They apply previous learning and connect complex ideas through advanced analysis.
Nuffield Foundation
Investigating the Effect of Temperature on the Activity of Lipase
How does temperature affect lipase activity? Young scholars conduct an experiment to collect data on the interaction of lipase at different temperatures. They add lipase to a solution of milk, sodium carbonate, and phenolphthalein and...
Mascil Project
Closed Greenhouses
Controlling the efficiency of a greenhouse is a mathematical task. A collaborative project challenges learners to create an efficiency plan for a closed greenhouse. Using algebraic equations, they consider a set of constraints, design...
Curated OER
UV light & Ozone layer
Middle-school meteorologists absorb information about ultraviolet radiaton and consider the ozone layer. The book that learners are supposed to refer to is not available, so you might want to locate some graphics or posters...
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Switcheroo
Students construct a simple switch and determine what objects and what types of materials can be used to close a switch in a circuit and light a light bulb.
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Circuits
Fifth graders discover the differences between parallel and series circuits. They draw and construct the two types of circuits using wires, bulbs, batteries, sockets, and switches.
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Orienting a Photovoltaic Cell
Students explore the optimum angle for orienting a solar collector relative to the rays of incoming sunlight. They review equinoxes, solstices, and various locational ideas before students investigate using meters, light sources, and...
Curated OER
Bulbs & Batteries Side by Side
Pupils build parallel circuits, exploring how they function and looking at their unique features. They describe how current changes when batteries are added in parallel or removed from a parallel arrangement, demonstrate the process of...
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Basic Circuits
Students explain the difference between a closed circuit and an open circuit. They construct simple to more complicated series and parallel circuits. They explain the difference between a series and parallel circuit.
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What is the Underlying Causality of a Simple Circuit?
Young scholars explore simple circuitry. They compare four models of circuits and explain how each works. Students contrast the cyclic cequential and cyclic simultaneous models using a shower curtain illustration and software simulation.
Curated OER
TE Activity: Does Weight Matter?
Students design and conduct experiment to determine if weight added incrementally to an object affects amount of friction encountered when it slides across a flat surface. They graph data from their experiments, and calculate...
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Powering a Green Earth
Students compare and contrast renewable and nonrenewable energy. In this environmental science lesson plan, students discuss the importance of going green. They identify the different components in a power grid system.
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When the Lights Go Out!
Students identify coal as the primary fuel used to generate electricity. After discussing coal's use in the generation of electricity, have students complete "When the Light Go Out" worksheet.
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Turn On A Light And Do Your Own Revegetation
Students use electricity and plant a seed to observe the process when coal is the major fuel source to produce electricity. They use the packet of native seeds to experiment with revegetation.
Curated OER
Three Switches
Young scholars describe the types and parts of a circuit. They discover three types of electrical switches and create a chart showing the many uses for each type of switch.
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Uses of Coal
Students be aware of the products made possible by coal by studying about the four major markets of coal: electric utilities, industrial/retail users, the steel industry and exports.
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Alternative Energy
Students identify the five major alternative energy sources. For this physical science lesson, students assess the advantages and disadvantages for each type of energy. They complete a concept map using information they researched.
Curated OER
Magneto-hydrodynamic Drives
Young scholars examine how electric and magnetic fields can be used to force water out of a chamber to move a vehicle forward.
Curated OER
Hazardous Waste
Students define technology and relate the definition to the production of electricity using nuclear energy. They also list the technologies involved and relate the use of these technologies to their effect on society in general, and...