Curated OER
Do new kinds of insects appear after soil modification?
Students explore and experiment with the concept do new kinds of insects appear after soil modification. They assess and review scientific methods of observation, predicting, variables, math skills, ratio, proportions, graphs and the art...
Curated OER
Busted Bubbles
Using the scientific method, and bubble gum, learners conduct a motivating experiment. After conducting a series of tests involving bubble gum, they graph and analyze their results. This is the type of activity everyone loves.
Nuffield Foundation
Controlling Body Mass
Many variables impact your body mass, not just diet and exercise. Scholars collect and study data about body mass to better understand the complexity of a sensitive topic. They learn about leptin deficiency, the hypothalamus, and more.
California Academy of Science
The Heat is On: Cause and Effect and Climate
The higher the number of letters in the final word for the National Spelling Bee, the higher the number of people killed by venomous spiders. Obviously, those two facts correlate, but no causation exists. Scholars view data based on...
Curated OER
Scientific Method: How Many Drops of Water Fit on a Coin?
Young investigators conduct an experiment using the scientific method. They see how many drops of water fit on a coin; have them conduct several different trials. This involves making a hypothesis, looking at controls, and introducing...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Lab 2: Nanocatalysts Clean Your Car Emissions
Surface area certainly surfaces as a variable for chemical reaction rates. Scholars perform an experiment to discover how the size of catalysts affect the rate of a chemical reaction. They record their results in tables and graphs to...
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
Digital Video Lesson Plan: Brine Shrimp
Students participate in classroom experiment to gain better understanding of type of environment brine shrimp can best survive. Students then explore effects of common saltwater pollutants on survival of animals in sea.
Curated OER
Eutrophication
Students observe the effects of eutrophication and determine why it is harmful to aquatic ecosystems. They create mason jar ecosystems to observe the growth of algae in pond water. In addition, they observe the effect of introducing...
Curated OER
Recyclers to the Rescue
Producers, consumers, food chains, and plants are the stars of this science lesson. Learners take part in an inquiry which helps them to discover the most effective and efficient way to grow a producer. They have a variety of containers...
Curated OER
Leaves, the Sun, and the Water Cycle
As a way to combine life and physical science, or simply as an investigation of plant transpiration, this instructional activity is sure to inspire! Middle schoolers capture the moisture given off by plants that are placed in different...
Science Matters
Energy from Water Wheels
Historians believe the first vertical water wheel was invented in Rome during the Augustan Age. The sixth instructional activity in the series of 10 has scholars experiment with designing their own water wheels. Through testing various...
Cornell University
Beam Focusing Using Lenses
Explore optics using an inquiry-based experimental approach! Young scholars use a set of materials to design and build a unit capable of focusing a beam of light. They experiment with different lenses to determine the best approach to...
Curated OER
Junior Solar Sprint Series: Gears and Drive Belts
Activate middle schoolers' minds with this physical science activity. Learners vary the diameter of gears and the number of teeth on them to find how energy output is affected. This writeup features well-developed background...
American Chemical Society
Using Dissolving to Identify an Unknown
There is a solvent called aqua regis that can dissolve gold! After observing a solubility demonstration, groups receive four known crystals and one unknown. Based on the demo, they design an experiment to determine the identity of the...
Curated OER
Teen Driving: Skills, Responsibilities and Reactions
As an introduction to the skills required for and responsibilities of driving, pre-teens and teens engage in a series of activities, chart their response times, and analyze how variables effect these reaction times. Class...
Curated OER
The Miracle Fish: Learning to Design an Experiment
Students develop procedures to explore the behavior of fish. For this scientific experiment lesson students from a hypothesis, write a question, identify different variables and controls in their experiment.
Curated OER
Experiences and Experiments - There is a Difference
Sixth graders plan and conduct an experiment on food spoilage. They design the experiment, create a display, record and analyze data, and make inferences regarding the results of the experiment.
Curated OER
How are Seeds the Same and Different?
Young scholars examine seeds from various plants. In this science lesson, students cut open fruits and vegetables in order to see the seeds. Young scholars describe each type of seed and classify the seeds.
Curated OER
Baggie Science
Students observe and describe a chemical reaction. For this chemistry lesson, students record observations of the materials they will be using, then follow a written procedure to perform the experiment in a baggie and record their...
Curated OER
Oat Seed Lab: A Model Scientific Experiment
Students investigate seed germination. In this lesson on scientific prediction, students conduct a scientific experiment using oat seeds.
Curated OER
Using Chromatography to Identify Unknowns
Students are introduced to the concept of chromatography. They practice using new vocabular and observing experiments. They answer discussion questions to end the lesson.
Curated OER
Science: Objects That Rotate with Gravity
Students conduct experiments in gravity by rolling objects down an incline and determining which ones roll slower than others. As part of the experiment, they design objects which will roll the slowest. Using digital movie cameras or...
Curated OER
Graphing in Science
Students manipulate and interpret data. They are given a dataset from a described experiment and interpret the data. A "How to Sheet for graphing" is included in lesson plan.