Curated OER
Discover Science
Students practice scientific research skills. In this lesson about science, students gain experience with the following skills: comparison, observation, identification, and data gathering. Students will go from station to station and...
Curated OER
Evaporation Marathon
Students review the steps of the scientific method and participate in a three day experiment. They observe water evaporation over time.
Curated OER
Cytoplasmic Streaming
Students prepare successful wet mount slide of Elodea. They determine and identify environmental conditions that induce cytoplasmic streaming. They determine the positive aspects of cytoplasmic streaming. They illustrate knowledge and...
Curated OER
Chemical Weathering
Eighth graders comprehend the effects of chemical and mechanical weathering. They comprehend the differences between the two forms of weathering and the various agents involved in both forms of weathering. Students complete a...
Curated OER
An Introduction to Simple Machines
Students investigate simple machines and their uses in everyday life. For this scientific method lesson, students examine physical tools such as wedges, screws, and levers using a "how does it work" approach. Students complete...
Curated OER
Health Physics: The Effects of Radiation on Living Things
A mix of scientific details and background information about the well-known sites of radiation attacks or accidents. This topic may open up details that you may consider as sensitive, and could be upsetting to some pupils. This is a...
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Here is an inventive plan that should get your young scientists excited! In it, groups of pupils test out the work done by six different simple machines. The machines are: the wedge, the lever, the inclined plane, the pulley, the screw,...
Curated OER
What's up with the weather?
Middle schoolers use the weather as a context for collecting data and making interpretations based upon the observations. The scientific method is also taught to give them a way to conduct the data collection.
Curated OER
Aquifer Model
Students, after researching and brainstorming about aquifers and locating aquifer maps of Texas, participate in the building of a model of an aquifer complete with a pumping station. They also answer a variety of questions at the...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Evolution Begins with the Inheritance of Gene Variations
Connect Mendelian genetics with Darwinian theories. An interactive lesson lets pupils explore how George Shull used research from other scientists to explore genetic variation. The resource outlines the statistical analysis of genetic...
Curated OER
Pumpkin Properties are a Smash!
Students receive a miniature pumpkin and proceed through several stations to measure a variety of physical properties. The data is entered into a data sheet and the mass and volume measurements are used to calculate density. They also...
Curated OER
What Kind of Insect is That?
Fifth graders characterize insects and classify insects according to the Linnaean system. They use hand lenses or microscopes to examine insect body parts.
Curated OER
The Water Detectives
Students collect water samples from designated sampling stations, and discuss water pollution. They analyze the water samples, record the data on a spreadsheet, and present the environmental water quality data to the class.
Curated OER
Trends of Snow Cover and Temperature in Alaska
Students compare NASA satellite data observations with student surface measurements of snow cover and temperature. They practice data collection, data correlations, and making scientific predictions.
Curated OER
Detection Detective
Students describe what each detection method uses and rank the wavelengths of each if appropriate. They answer questions about absorption, importance of materials and explain differences. Students make sure they describe diagnostic uses...
Curated OER
Space Flight Simulation
Students engage in the study of flight with the help of a computer flight simulation. They take part in a variety of activities that imitate the Space Shuttle Endeavor. Students work as teams like the astronauts would to complete mission...
University of Texas
Matter and the Periodic Table Chemical Families and Periodic Trends
Is assembling the periodic table as simple as Tetris? Scholars arrange colored cards into a logical order and then make connections to the arrangement of the periodic table. Hands-on activities include adding trend arrows and analyzing...
Energy for Keeps
Going for a Spin: Making a Model Steam Turbine
Discover the effectiveness of wind, water, and steam as energy sources. The hands-on activity has young scientists create a turbine from common materials. After constructing the turbines, they use wind, water, and steam to turn them and...
Illinois Valley Community College
STEM Activities for Middle School Students
Use STEM activities within the class to provide connections to concepts. The resource includes activities that range from working with buoyancy to building rockets and launching them. Other activities involve the engineering design...
Cornell University
Nano What?
The size of a nanoparticle is difficult for pupils to grasp. A hands-on experiment is designed to give your classes perspective. Learners analyze different sports drinks for the content of electrolytes as an introduction to nanoscale....
Curated OER
Human Fingerprints: No Two The Same
Students will be offered numerous opportunities to further enhance their observational skills as well as the integration of math with their continual exposure to the metric system, measurement, and graphing to represent their data....
Curated OER
Lab Safety
In this lab safety worksheet, students use an illustration of students in a lab classroom to complete 10 short answer questions about what they see as safe and unsafe lab procedures.
Curated OER
How about a Little Give and Take?
Middle schoolers design a closed system to test the relationships between plants and animals. They monitor abiotic fluctuations within this living system by using a chemical test kit. They observe how living organisms respond to...
Cornell University
Fibers, Dyes, and the Environment
Nanofibers can be made through electrospinning or force spinning in order to reduce the negative impact on the environment. Pupils study the role of fibers and dye on the environment through a series of five hands-on activities. Then,...