Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Earth and Moon Surface: Impact Craters
In this activity, students will investigate how impact craters are formed. In small groups, students will build a model of the moon's surface with flour paste and drop a marble from different heights to discover how the speed of an...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Boiling Water With Ice: Effect of Pressure on the Boiling Point of Water
In this activity, which is a discrepant event with guided inquiry, the teacher will go through the steps of boiling water with ice. Through the young scholars telling and recording WHAT is happening, the teacher is showing the students...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Foss Lifeboat Investigation
The second of a lesson series contains an activity where young scholars choose a lifeboat's variable to investigate, plan an experiment based on the variable they have chosen, and then test the variable. Upon completion of their...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Sesame Street: Sink or Float Educator Guide
This is an educator's guide for a unit on things that sink or float. It includes lesson plans, experiments, and activities. Students apply the scientific method as they investigate whether objects sink or float.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Where Did You Get Those "Jeans"?
This lesson can be interdisciplinary involving science, mathematics, and language arts. The primary nature of the lesson is inquiry, project, and technology-based. In science this project is a culminating activity in the heredity unit.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Buoyancy, Density, and Fluid Principles: Make Mini Submarine
In this lab, students will use the scientific method to design an experiment that explains how/why a submarine floats and sinks.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: See the Genes
Through this concluding activity and its associated activity, students experience one valuable and often overlooked skill of successful scientists and engineers- communicating work and ideas. Students create posters depicting their...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Monitoring Pollution in a Freshwater Environment
During this research project, young scholars will choose either the direct method or the indirect method to monitor and measure pollution while manipulating one variable. They will develop a research question to work on and present their...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Introduction to Nature Journaling
In this activity, students will be introduced to nature journaling and discover the importance of detail accuracy in scientific drawings when used to observe and identify objects.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Observations & Interpretations: Engaging Students in Classroom Experiments
Use this method to emphasize and clarify for students the importance of differentiating between observations and interpretations, and qualitative and quantitative observations. Students will learn how a hypothesis may change as new...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Analyzing P H: Comparing Citrus Fruits, Stain Removers and a Green Product
The students will analyze the pH of four citrus fruits: lime, lemon, orange, and a grapefruit, and then they will analyze the pH of four different types of stain removers: Shout Advanced, Spray 'n Wash Max, Oxi Clean Laundry, and Clorox...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Bubbling Blobs
In this chemistry lab, students investigate how oil and water don't mix. They will work on their observation skills and their ability to follow directions to ensure they get the correct results. Students can then develop a new, testable...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Creation of Dichotomous Keys From a Bio Blitz
An outdoor lab where students investigate the environment and decide a method of survey to identify trees in their area. To finish the exercise they will create a dichotomous key of the ten they identified.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Designing an Experiment to Test the Rate of Photosynthesis
Using spinach leaf disks, students measure the rate at which the photosynthesis process occurs. Students speculate on further investigations that could be done and discuss how the rate at which photosynthesis occurs has vast implications...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Candle Drop
By using this discrepant event, students will be guided through an investigation using a burning candle in a jar. The teacher will hold a burning candle in a jar over his/her head. When dropped, the candle will extinguish when caught....
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Projectile Motion: Creating a Catapult
This lesson is for 9th grade physical science students. It begins with an inquiry-based lesson using a projectile motion computer simulation. It culminates with students building a catapult; applying and connecting science knowledge from...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Cube Puzzle and Toilet Paper Roll Model in Teaching the Nature of Science
This lesson incorporates inexpensive materials such as carton boxes, toilet paper roll tube, strings and toothpicks. It engages students to conduct pattern observation, prediction, testing and ends up with a model construction. It also...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Interpreting the Geologic History of Canyon De Chelly
Earth Science teachers will combine field observations with the information given in the classroom to interpret the geologic history of Canyon de Chelly, Arizona.
Climate Literacy
Clean: A Fossil Thermometer
In this activity, students calculate temperatures during a time in the geologic record when rapid warming occurred using a well known method called 'leaf-margin analysis.' Students determine the percentage of the species that have leaves...
The Franklin Institute
Franklin Institute Online: Working Wing
This lesson plan provides a brief demonstration of how airplane wings lift a heavy airplane into the air. This activity would be an excellent example of how science and technology have positively impacted our lives. Prediction and...
Pennsylvania State University
Penn State University: Embryology in the Classroom
Come and learn more about how to incorporate embryology into your classroom. This site features tons of information about the embryology of chickens.
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)
Smile: Magnet Muscles (Lesson Plan)
A teacher lesson plan which includes a station lab; students navigate through four stations with separate activities on magnetic principles. Easily adaptable as a student project.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Worm Investigation to Explore Experimental Design
For this lesson, middle schoolers learn about how to design an experiment, factor in other potential effects, take observations, and record their findings. The experiment is done using worms in a lab setting.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating How to Create a Stronger Electromagnet
In this lesson, students will investigate what they can do to produce a stronger electromagnet. Students will use the scientific thinking process to conduct investigations and build explanations. They will present their discoveries to...