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How Things Fly
Students conduct a series of hands-on experiments that help them explain the role of lift in fixed-wing flight. They observe the flow of air and water around several surfaces and then consider the dynamics of airflow around an aircraft...
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Float My Boat
Fourth graders, in groups, experiment with density and the displacement of water by creating and designing their own boats and seeing which boat holds the most centimeter cubes without sinking..
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Dissolving Salt
Fifth graders, in groups, complete an experiment/activity in which they dissolve salt in a cup of hot water and then observe what happens as the water evaporates over the next few weeks.
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Fuel Cells
Students examine how fuel cells and combustion engines work. Using the internet, they research the positives and negatives of the various energy sources. In groups, they complete an experiment with a working fuel cell model and take a...
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The Importance of Water
Young scholars explore the importance of water. They discuss why water is important and students design an experiment that evaluates the water quality and methods of improving water quality. Young scholars perform testing and report...
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Air Pollution: Visible And Invisible
Fourth graders observe air pollution that is visible and invisible with experimentation. During the experiment the students collect data that needs analysis. The observations are recorded in the lab journal. The data also is represented...
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Oxygen: What a Gas!
Eighth graders explain how oxygen reacts to other elements. They also explain why oxygen is a reactive substance, how it has weight, and how it reacts with other substances. They construct an experiment to relate their findings.
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Testing Foods
Students perform an experiment using brown paper bags to determine which foods have oil in them. This task assesses student's abilities to make simple observations and inferences from them.
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Water and Ice
Learners explore the states of water. In this water states lesson, students observe ice over time and the changes that take place. Learners read a related text and draw their observations in a journal entry. Students discuss the...
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Flight Home
Students experiment to investigate the role in fixed-wing flight. They watch as air and water flow around surfaces to examine the dynamics of airflow around an aircraft wing.
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Learning Lesson: Sweatin' to the Coldies
Students participate in a demonstration to show the change of water vapor to a liquid. They discuss the three states of matter. They examine flash flood safety to end the lesson.
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Selecting Soil Organisms in Compost
Students conduct an experiment to demonstrate that many of the enzyme systems needed to break down society's wastes exist in nature among the decomposers in a compost pile. They culture compost bacteria on starch agar to examine the...
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The Same but Different Part II
Third graders experiment with beakers of water and balloons to measure the volume of the gas in the balloon. They determine ways to change the volume of air in the balloon which changes its size but not its physical state. By heating the...
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Air: You Can't See It, But It's There!
First graders investigate that air occupies space by performing experiments that show this principle. Students are provided with a lunch bag. Students open the lunch bag and look inside. Students determine if there is anything in their...
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Exploring Magnetism
Twelfth graders experiment with magnets in order to visualize that magnets have a north and south pole, some materials can be magnetized, and magnetization occurs because of the magnetic moments of individual molecules in matter.
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Spectral Surprise
Students experience a model that produces, separating, and displaying spectral colors.
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Energy for Free: Perpetual Motion Machines
High schoolers observe the "drinking bird" perpetual motion machine and critically examine the designs of other so-called perpetual motion machines. They use this experience to create their own definition of conservation of energy.
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Ugh! We DRINK This Stuff?
Students explain the processes involved in the cleansing and purifying of surface water. After a lecture/demo, students engage in an experiment that illustrates how water is cleansed before we drink it.
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Melting and Freezing
Fifth graders observe experiments with ice and water. They complete a Venn diagram listing the properties of each. They experiment with ice and water, comparing their weights. They note the weights are equal.
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Here Comes the Rain
Second graders help to prepare a model of the water cycle before the conduction of this experiment. They use the model in order to observe changes that happen to water when it changes states of matter.
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Mass vs. Weight
Students make generalizations about weight and mass by engaging in two hands-on experiments. In this weight and mass lesson, students weigh both an empty beaker and beakers with various amounts of weight inside of them in order to find...
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Water and Ice
Students explore what happens to water as it goes from solid to liquid and back. In this state of matter lesson, students observe, measure, and describe water as it changes state.
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Energy Defined
Fourth graders complete activities to study the sources of energy and forms. In this energy lesson, 4th graders discuss the origin of energy and define it. Students participate in several experiments to further study energy including a...
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Perpetual Motion
Students discuss movement of air currents and then experiment to create visible models of air currents. Students connect the model to weather patterns.