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Hot Air Balloon Design Lesson Plan
Sixth graders discuss what they know and what they want to know about hot air balloon using a KWL chart. They then use a wide array of materials to design a hot air balloon that will lift successfully in cooperative groups referring to...
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SMOKING: A RISK WORTH TAKING OR JUST A DRAG?
Students identify and state a tobacco-related decision problem/issue, viable options regarding the selected problem; research and discuss risks and benefits associated with the decision problem; and state a decision based upon rational...
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Ziplock Chemistry
Students investigate various chemical reactions when creating mixtures in ziplock baggies. In this chemistry lesson, students will recognize various chemical reactions and cite evidence. Safety and assessment strategies are included in...
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Dust in the Wind; Chemicals in the Water
Students explore mechanical and chemical weathering at stations. They articulate some mechanisms of chemical and mechanical weathering through exploration in a lab. Students stations describe how chemical weathering differs from...
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You Light Up My Life: Developing a Scientific Theory for What Fuels a Candle's Flame!
Students examine how candles work and how scientific theories are developed and tested. Students propose hypotheses about what is burning in a candle then perform tests in order to develop their scientific theory. After a teacher...
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TE Lesson: Factors Affecting Friction
Middle schoolers investigate the effect of weight on normal friction or the friction due to surface roughness. They tell about the effects of contact area that occurs as a result of molecular attraction by looking at data on line graphs.
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Chemical Change
Fifth graders watch a demonstration in which a balloon is inflated using the gas created by combining vinegar and baking soda. Then, in groups, they combine various assigned substances and watch and record the results.
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Hydrogen Powered Cars
Students apply the principles of chemistry to investigate the concept of how a hydrogen powered car works. They study the electrochemical reactions that provide the energy source. Students also record observations in the functioning of a...
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Using a Spreadsheet to Understand Density
Learners use density to identify what metal a gold colored weight is made of. They use a spreadsheet to graph the experimental density of common metals and compare the know densities to their calculated density of the known metal.
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Rock-A-Bye Pendulum
Third graders analyze the effects of force on an object in motion and its relationship to a change in speed. This lesson uses a pendulum to demonstrate the principle.
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Which Brand of Air Freshener is Most Cost Effective?
Students use scientific method to determine cost-effectiveness of air freshener, and create PowerPoint presentations to share their results.
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Touch and Discover
Students identify the physical properties of items using the sense of touch. In this touch and discover instructional activity, students describe items. Students sort items using a Venn diagram.
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Diaper Inquiry
Fifth graders carefully examine and investigate the products contained in a diaper. They particularly analyze the crystal sodium polyacrylate, a product developed for use in astronaut diapers. They follow the scientific method, forming...
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Scrambled Eggs Anyone?
Students listen to Nursery Rhymes highlighting GRAVITY, pull ropes during a Rope Pull Activity and even drop eggs from a height during a Gravity Contest. This is a fantastic lesson which highly motivates Students!
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Elements and the Periocic Table
Eighth graders draw the structure of an atom. They construct atomic models, list parts/locations of an atom, organize parts of the periodic table and write a descriptive report about an element.
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Abrupt Climate Change
Students explore how scientific knowledge changes in the context of abrupt climate change. They are introduced to some recent ideas about abrupt climate change. This gives them a glimpse into how scientific theories are formed and...
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Bridging the Gaps Between the Three Worlds of Chemistry
Students examine the observed world, molecular world, and the symbolic world of chemistry. They observe a demonstration of the conductivity of solutions, describe the properties of acids and bases, and predict the outcome of solution...
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Snack Attack: Food Packaging Activity
Students design and create packaging material for food. For this snack attack lesson, students design a package to protect a food item from heat and water. Students consider costs of materials, design, and test the package to see if it...
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Static Electricity 1: Introducing Atoms
Students explore webpages to research the nature of atoms, including electrons, protons, and neutrons. This instructional activity is the first of a four-part series on static electricity. They see that static electricity involves + and...
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Deaf and Diverse
Students examine deaf culture and the role that American Sign Language plays in forging a sense of community.
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Static Electricity and Lightning
Students study concepts related to static electricity, based on a single example: lightning. They explain how static electricity, lightning, and sparks are all related phenomena. They draw a diagram illustrating the negative and positive...
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The Case Of The Sour Employee
Ninth graders are presented with a problem that has to be solved. The scenario is a mystery that is purely hypothetical. This does draw on the knowledge of previous lessons. The lesson plan contains background knowledge explaining the...
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Compost Cake
Students examine the decomposition process. They create their own class compost pile and record their observations. They discover which materials decompose at a different rate.
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Flambe Elements
Eighth graders discuss atoms and electrons as well as atoic structure. They view atomic structure via the computer. Students watch a demonstration in which the teacher demonstrates glass tubing turning yellow in a Bunsen Burner flame....