Curated OER
Magnets
Students explore how the earth is a magnet and that magnets have two "poles". In this magnetic lesson students complete an activity by designing their own compass.
Curated OER
Bernoulli's Principle
Students explore Bernoulli's principle, how it is related to flight, and the effect of lift, thrust, and drag on flight. They design and develop an experiment that tests for distance traveled by their paper airplane, and record and...
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Slingshot Characterization Experiment
Students set up and conduct a scientific experiment to demonstrate data collection. In this scientific process lesson, students complete an activity with the specific objective of using a slingshot to fire a t-shirt into the crowd at a...
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You've Got to Be Cool to Make Igneous Rocks
Students describe how igneous rocks are formed, design a classification system to group igneous rocks and develop a controlled experiment to prove that the rate of cooling affects the size of the crystals.
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Science: Wind Power
Students build models of wind turbines and experiment with different designs that will improve efficiency. Students will understand the use of wind power as a renewable resource.
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Crash Test Physics
Learners design and test balsa cars. In this crash tet instructional activity, students design and build their own cars to specifications. They explore the physics of motion and vehicle crash safety.
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Three D Constellations
Students address a major misconception in astronomy, the understanding of scale. The lesson is designed to introduce students to both celestial coordinates and to the first rung on the distance determination ladder, parallax.
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Science Lesson: Home-made Generator
Students are able to design and conduct an experiment related to electrical generation. They are able to list the factors that affect the amount of current that can be generated by a simple generator, such as the number of turns of...
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Alice Computer Programming
Students explore multimedia components. In this science inquiry lesson, students read "Invitation to the Game" by Monica Hughes and they use the Alice Computer Programming System to better understand population dynamics.
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Dichotomous Key 2
Students use a dichotomous key to identify unknown fictitious organisms in an assessment designed to be used after a discussion on the use of a dichotomous keys has occurred. Follow up questions about key included.
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Truss Strength
Students are introduced to the design of Old Faithful Lodge at Yellowstone Park including its use of trusses. They work in groups and use straws and modeling clay to design and test a variety of building supports.
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To Float or Not to Float, That is the Question?
Ninth graders develop operational definition of density, do computations using density equation, categorize pieces of matter as being able to float on
water or not, based on density, explain why some objects sink or float based on...
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Me And My Shadow
Students investigate the concept of a shadow. They design a tool to create shadows for an experiment. They make observations and record the size and shape of shadows. The lesson contains background information for the teacher to deliver...
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Pasta Bridges
Learners analyze the correct use of technology as it relates to math and science. In this science lesson, students investigate force and weight as it relates to building an object. They build a bridge and draw conclusion based on the...
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Tadpoles
Young scholars examine tadpoles at various stages of development. Questions in observation category assess students' ability to use a variety of senses to observe data in a certain way-scientific way.
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My Car Has Potential
Seventh graders investigate how changes in the mass or height of a ramp can affect the change in potential energy. They discuss the concepts of work and energy, then using the four question strategy, they design an experiment that...
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Oobleck
Students explore "matter." In this literacy and three states of matter lesson, students listen to Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss, then work in groups to explore "oobleck" (cornstarch and water mixture) with their five senses....
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How Can You Study Things You Can’t See Like: Atoms?
Students simulate how scientists studied things they can't see like atoms. In this chemistry lesson, students predict what is inside the numbered obsertainers. They design a way to investigate what's inside without opening it.
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So, just how hot am I?
Students design a lab demonstrating the scientific method. In this earth science activity, students investigate different materials for their heat absorbing property. They report their findings in class.
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Rock Identification Lab
Eighth graders compare and contrast the three different types of rock. In this earth science instructional activity, 8th graders classify rock samples according to their correct rock type. They design their own data collection table.
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Plants Under Attack
Third graders will identify the four needs for plant survival and gain skills and confidence in using scientific measurement tools, probes as well as the spreadsheets and graphing capacity of a computer to represent and analyze data.They...
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Using FoilSim to Measure Your Elevation
Students, after designing model wings, demonstrate an understanding of wing design by testing models of the wing types both experimentally and by computer modeling in FoilSim and then presenting their results.
Curated OER
Inquiry-based Investigations into Pond Water Microorganisms
Students become familiar with common microorganisms and experience exploring the microbial world.
University of Colorado
Strange New Planet
The first remote sensors were people in hot air balloons taking photographs of Earth to make maps. Expose middle school learners to space exploration with the use of remote sensing. Groups explore and make observations of a new...