Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Making of the Fittest: Got Lactase? The Co-evolution of Genes and Culture
Got milk? Only two cultures have had it long enough to develop the tolerance of lactose as an adult. Learn how the responsible genes evolved along with the cultures that have been consuming milk. This rich film is supplied with a few...
Curated OER
History of the Atom
This is a tremendous overview of the tiny atom. Journey through the history of human understanding of this basic building block of matter. Examine each of the sub-atomic particles in detail: neutrons, protons, electrons, quarks. Peruse...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Got Lactase? The Co-Evolution of Genes and Culture
Does the human body evolve as quickly as human culture? With a stellar 15-minute video, explore the trait of lactose intolerance. Only about 1/3 of human adults seem to still have the enzyme lactase and therefore, the ability to digest...
Curated OER
QR Coded Audio Periodic Table of the Elements
Take the periodic table into the digital age with QR codes that take the scanner to an audio recording about each element from the Royal Society of Chemistry. Enlarge the image, then use a smartphone or tablet to scan the code for an...
Curated OER
History of Chemistry: The Alchemists
Young scholars research alchemy and the history of chemistry. In this chemistry history lesson, students examine laboratory apparatus and compare it to those used by the Alchemists. Young scholars complete a research paper on an...
Park City Historical Society & Museum
Mining and Milling: The Story of Park City
Study the chemistry of mining! Through nine lessons in the unit, learners explore different concepts related to mining. Their study ranges from rock and mineral analysis to the environmental impact of dynamite and the chemical reaction...
Curated OER
The Thermite Reaction
Searching for a way to take your chemistry class to the next level? Provide pupils with an exciting and educational experiment demonstrating the thermite reaction! The mixture of aluminum powder and iron oxide allows young chemists to...
NOAA
I Can't Breathe!
The Gulf of Mexico dead zone, an area of low oxygen that kills marine life, costs the United States $82 million every year. Young scientists research anoxic ocean environments then come up with a hypothesis for the cause of the Gulf of...
Science Geek
The Hydrogen Bomb
Recycled Russian nuclear weapons provide 10 percent of the nuclear energy that the United States uses. The short presentation discusses the Teller-Ulam device. It provides a diagram of the parts as well as a description of the four...
American Chemical Society
Isolation of Phytochrome
Why do soybean plants that are planted weeks apart in the spring mature simultaneously in the fall? Four independent activities cover the history of phytochrome research, scientist collaboration, the electromagnetic spectrum, and...
American Chemical Society
Development of Baking Powder
Did you know baking powder can be used to treat acne, whiten teeth, and make sugar cookies? The activity on the development of baking powder is ready-to-go with no preparation required. Through readings, pupils answer questions, complete...
Urbana School District
Magnetism
The compass was first used in 206 B.C., but we didn't discover magnetic poles until 1263 A.D. Presentation begins with the history of magnetism before continuing on to magnetic fields, magnetic forces, electromagnets, currents,...
Royal Society of Chemistry
The 400m Event—Chemistry and Sport
How do Olympic runners succeed in physically demanding events like the 400-meter dash? Physiology scholars explore the relationship between acids, bases, and the muscular system through a scenario-driven activity. The lesson focuses on...
Curated OER
The Gas Laws
A couple of gas law charts and the history of the gas laws constitute this presentation. Notes are included for the slide that illustrates how to perform gas law calculations. This is a simple collection, a visual aid enhance to your...
Curated OER
The Periodic Table
A huge collection of slides introduces chemistry learners to the periodic table of elements, electron configuration, and electronegativity. It opens with the history of today's periodic table, and then details the arrangement. After...
American Chemical Society
Man and Materials Through History
From the start of the Industrial Revolution, it only took 147 years for someone to invent plastic. This may seem like a long time, but in the history of inventing or discovering new materials, this is incredibly fast. An informative and...
Curated OER
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2003 - Information for the Public
An information-packed eight-page article detailing the history of understanding active transport across cell membranes makes up the bulk of this handout. Two pages of reading comprehension and critical-thinking questions follow. The...
American Chemical Society
The Ups and Downs of Thermometers
What has a thermometer earned that your pupils haven't? A degree! After reviewing the previous lessons about molecules and degrees, scholars observe how thermometers work before building their own. The module includes a activity sheet.
Newspaper Association of America
Cereal Bowl Science and Other Investigations with the Newspaper
What do cereal, fog, and space shuttles have to do with newspapers? A collection of science investigations encourage critical thinking using connections to the various parts of the newspaper. Activities range from building origami seed...
Curated OER
Discovering Elements
A periodic table of elements displays the elements in groups ordered by when they were discovered. Click-by-click, new elements are added, resulting in an almost up-to-date chart. In order to reinforce the idea that symbols are used in...
NOAA
History's Thermometers
How is sea coral like a thermometer? Part three of a six-part series from NOAA describes how oceanographers can use coral growth to estimate water temperature over time. Life science pupils manipulate data to determine the age of corals...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Winogradsky Columns: Microbial Ecology in the Classroom
Winogradsky columns are ideal for observing the role of bacteria and other microorganisms in an ecosystem. This student activity guide is complete with data tables for observations and analysis questions for processing what was observed....
Curated OER
Elements of Chemistry: Atoms: The Building Blocks of Matter
Students explore scientific theories and the works of scientists. In this chemistry lesson students develop a timeline that shows how scientists work was built on the ones before them.
NASA
Exploration of a Problem: Making Sense of the Elements
When given too much data to simply memorize, it helps to sort it into manageable groups. The second activity in the six-part series of Cosmic Chemistry challenges groups of pupils to take a large amount of data and figure out how to best...