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Physics: Force and Motion
Students use the internet to discover the basic concepts in physics. They complete interactive simulations where variables can be changed. They answer comprehension questions to end the lesson plan.
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How Many Drops?
Seventh graders hypothesize about the number of drops of liquid that can be placed on a penny before it spills over. They examine both the concept of devising a hypothesis and the idea of surface tension. They determine the difference...
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How Can Sounds Be Different
Second graders explore energy and motion. They investigate how sound energy moves in waves. Students explore how sounds are varied and how the instruments that make those sounds are built. They observe sounds being produced and predict...
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An Enzyme- Substrate Model
Students explore reaction rates of an enzyme-mediated reaction. They examine the effects of environmental variables on enzyme function. Students collect, graph, and analyze data relating to the reaction.
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Making a Battery and Energy Transformation
Seventh graders determine what makes a battery work. For this battery lesson, 7th graders brainstorm ideas about how they think batteries provide energy. They perform an experiment in which they work as a team to assemble a battery. They...
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Density and Buoyancy Experimental Design
Students must plan, design, and conduct an experiment that answers the scientific question: "Come up with a question that addresses the factors (variables) of the water and its effect on whether an object floats or sinks."
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Ice Cold
Students design and conduct an experiment to investigate what happens when salt and ice come together and to determine if one form of salt is better for melting ice on steps and sidewalks.
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Dynamic River Model
Students develop the concepts of flood stage, levees, floodplain, and the dynamics of river flooding. They construct river models and test various flow rates and volumes. This lesson has an excellent experiment for students to do.
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Respiration
Students study the gas exchanges that occur during cellular respiration. They observe what happens as a result of a number of variables on the rate of respiration. They use microrespirometers to measure the oxygen consumption of...
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Testing Battery Combinations
Fourth graders examine the required combinations of plates and predict which combination will generate the most and least current and voltage. They use an ammeter and experiment with combinations of their own testing and record each...
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Stimulus/Response in Invertebrates
Students design and conduct and experiment to determine how invertebrates react to an outside stimulus such as light and other stimuli. Student must develop a clear plan of action, collect data in an organized manner and analyze their...
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Mutations--Preexisting or Acquired?
Students state the controls and variables of the Newcombe spread experiment. They state a hypothesis for the Newcombe spread experiment. Students distinguish between the characteristics of a preexisting mutations and those of an...
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Sea Floor Spreading I
Students use Excel to explore the geodynamics Model equation for ocean depth around a sea-floor spreading center. They complete an introductory tutorial on Excel for students with no prior Excel experience.
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Barometer Investigation
Students construct a barometer to use in an experiment that they design to measure the air pressure on a daily basis. These observations of air pressure allow students to determine how weather is affected when a storm is approaching and...
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Car Wash
Students determine the most appropriate site for a car wash, based on each site's soil characteristics (chemical, physical) and topographic features. They perform an experiment to determine the changes to three different soil types when...
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Leaf Pack Study
Young scholars conduct an experiment using leaf packs. For this leaf lesson students complete an activity in groups and complete a handout.
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Collaboration via Slime Mold
Students combine the skills and concepts that they have developed to ask a simple question which can be answered on a Petri plate. They ask questions and design experiments for verification through collaboration with their classmates.
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Snell's Law (And Then Some)
Students conduct an experiment to test Snell's Law using a block of lucite and a ray box. They measure the light rays as they impinge upon the block. Students are also asked to draw the situation of the lab or create a model of the...
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Constructing Earthquake-Proof Buildings
Students examine different materials and design options that can affect the durability of a building. In this investigative lesson plan students conduct several earthquake experiments.
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There's Gotta Be An Angle
Students examine the external variables that affect a downhill skier in the quest for speed. They access websites imbedded in this plan to become ski teams competing against one another. Each team presents results of all experiments.
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Hot Rocks
Students demonstrate that setting of plaster and cement is a change, which involves a release of heat energy, use data collected experimentally to construct comparison graphs and analyze the graphs to make predictions about future...
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What are Conductors and Insulators?
Students explore simple circuits. Students conduct a variety of experiments to discover their level of conductivity. Students summarize and explain experimental findings. Students are introduced to passive causality.
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Electromagnets
Students are introduced to the relationship between electricity and magnetism. Using a compass, they observe and record the effects of placing the object near magnetic fields and electric currents. They also experiment using a steel and...
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Weightlessness
Young scholars compare and contrast the terms "weight" and "mass". In this physics lesson, students observe an experiment in which objects are placed on a balance scale and weighed under different circumstances. Partners drop items and...