Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Radioactive Decay and Half-Life

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Explain the importance of radioactive half-life as your high school biologists demonstrate the concept by performing a series of steps designed to simulate radioactive decay. Pupils use pennies to perform an experiment and gather data....
Lesson Plan
Chymist

Landfills and Recycling

For Students 9th - 12th
Examine the nature of landfills through experimentation. Scholars build miniature landfills and monitor changes over a six-week period. Observations allow individuals to draw conclusions about the different types of trash and their...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Symbolism and the Use of “New Language” in The Handmaid’s Tale

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
Words matter. Words frame thought. Words are symbolic. Readers of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale examine how the words In Gilead's "New Language" reinforce the power of the government and provided insight into the symbolic level...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alice Magic Cake

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Using a famous children's story as the hook, learners explore the concept of changes in matter. First, they make a cake similar to the one made by Alice in the story Alice's Adventure in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Next, they let their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecology

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders identify the steps of the different cycles of matter, while learning to use WP utilities.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Putting the Ice in Hockey

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Eighth grade physical science classes examine why the ice on which hockey is played is slippery. They do so by discussing phases of matter and the molecular motion in each. They read an article on a website and write out answers to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Anatomy of an Element

For Teachers 5th
Learners discuss matter and atoms using this resource. First, they look at a website describing atoms. Then, they learn about the periodic table and discuss how it is organized. Finally, they create a comic strip to display their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Colors of Stars

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students observe the colors found in the flame of a burning candle and examine the basic concepts of matter and energy. Students apply this information to the color's of starts and the temperature of the stars photosphere. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Blast Off

For Teachers 5th - 8th
In this physical science exploration, small groups place a piece of antacid tablet into a film canister and step back to time how long it takes for the top to pop. They repeat the activity, altering either the amount or temperature of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I'm All Mixed Up

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle school scientists compare and contrast heterogeneous and homogeneous mixtures. They differentiate solutions, colloids, and suspensions by examining samples of each. Note that the bulk of the lesson plan directs you how to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mighty Molecules

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine a PowerPoint production on molecules. Then they construct their own molecule and define what an atom, molecule, and matter is. They make a H2, HCI, and an H2O molecule. Finally, a drawing to accompany the actual model is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Air, Air-It's Everywhere!

For Teachers K - 5th
Learners engage in experiment activities, which illustrate that air is made of matter, does take up space, and is very important to our health. This instructional activity contains activities for a variety of grade levels. A very nice idea!
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Water Cycle: States of Water

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Elementary schoolers explore states of matter by concentrating on the ways in which water moves between its solid, liquid, and gaseous states in a variety of Earth environments. Learners interpret these movements through dance. The...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Temperature Changes Everything

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Middle school chemists visit interactive websites in order to discover what happens to molecular motion when heat is added to matter. They conduct an experiment that demonstrates the expansion of matter with the addition of heat. A lab...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ice Cream

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Open this instructional activity by giving a brief history of ice cream. Using liquid nitrogen to lower the temperature, preteens make their own confection. The accompanying activity sheet queries learners about freezing point, the...
Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

Bathtub Model

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Using a colorful infographic handout and a guide sheet, hold a class discussion about how a bathtub can serve as a model for the greenhouse effect created by Earth's atmosphere. Participants will understand that as energy or matter is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sky Show

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners use the internet to gather information to create their own science lesson plan. They choose from optical, wind, or electrical phenomena and use the internet to research information. Finally, they organize the information they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Conductors and Insulators

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore conductors and insulators. In this science lesson, 5th graders act as electrons moving through a wire. Students break into groups representing conductors and insulators and explore how they work with electrons.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Will It Sink or Float?

For Teachers 3rd
Learners conduct a science experiment to determine whether a variety of objects will sink or float. They discuss the concept of density, and then make predictions about whether the objects will sink or float. They then conduct the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sink or Float?

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students predict and test different items to see if they sink or float. In this sink and float lesson plan, students predict whether an item is buoyant or not, and learn that size and weight do not matter when it comes to buoyancy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ice Cube Experiment

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd
Students explore the rate at which ice melts. In this science lesson plan, students place ice cubes on colored index cards and place them in direct sunlight. Students observe which ice cubes melt fastest and slowest.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Force and Motion - Part 2

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students test different objects such as dominoes, marshmallows, slides, and more to test their force, motion, gravity, friction, and the concept of matter. For this force and motion lesson plan, students understand that the force an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solids and Liquids

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students complete activities to study the properties of solids and liquids. In this states of matter lesson, students investigate the melting and freezing of a range of materials in a virtual experiment. Students melt the substances and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Living Environment

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners explore the cycles of an ecosystem.  In this environmental science lesson plan, students work in groups to research the nitrogen cycle, the water cycle, or the oxygen-carbon dioxide cycle. Learners prepare a PowerPoint or...

Other popular searches