National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Mixtures and Nanotechnology
What does size have to do with it? Learners analyze different mixtures, both homogeneous and heterogeneous, to discover the properties related to the size of their particles. The activity connects these properties to those of...
NASA
Photons in the Radiative Zone: Which Way Is Out? An A-Maz-ing Model
Can you move like a photon? Young scholars use a maze to reproduce the straight line motion of a photon. The second in a six-part series of lessons on the sun has learners measure angle of incidence and refraction to determine the path...
EngageNY
Least Common Multiple and Greatest Common Factor
Find the common denominator between prime factors, factor trees, and the distributive property. Scholars learn to find the least common multiple and greatest common factor of pairs of numbers. They rotate through stations to connect...
Virginia Department of Education
Heat Transfer and Heat Capacity
It's time to increase the heat! Young chemists demonstrate heat transfer and heat capacity in an activity-packed lab, showing the transitions between solid, liquid, and gaseous phases of materials. Individuals plot data as the...
University of Colorado
Happy Landings: A Splash or a Splat?
Huygens spacecraft landed on Saturn's moon Titan in 2005, making it the farthest landing from Earth ever made by a spacecraft. In this hands-on activity, the 12th installment of 22, groups explore how density affects speed. To do this,...
LABScI
Atomic Structure and the Periodic Table of Elements: The Secret Agent Lab
Food always gets attention! Model atomic structure using fruit loops to represent the subatomic particles. After building models, scholars create ionic bonds using their models. Finally, they use these concepts to create a periodic...
Purdue University
Design of a Door Alarm
How does electricity work? Budding scientists explore the concepts of electrical currents and open and closed circuits with class discussion and a hands-on activity using a battery to turn on a light bulb. Learners also make predictions...
Curated OER
Properties of Materials - Part B
Students describe the history of materials. They use the kinetic (particle) theory to explain changes of state in matter and trace the flow of heat during changes of state and chemical changes.
Curated OER
Oobleck!
Learners use Oobleck to investigate the properties of colloids. In this Oobleck and colloid lesson, students listen to the beginning of Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss. They experiment with Oobleck (corn starch, water, and...
Curated OER
Particulate Matter- How Dirty is the Air We Breathe?
Fourth graders investigate air pollution. In this air pollution activity, 4th graders test the air quality by using a block of wood and petroleum jelly. Students investigate the pollutants on the wooden block.
Curated OER
Using a Spreadsheet to Understand Density
Students 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.
American Chemical Society
Colors Collide or Combine?
As part of a unit investigating the dissolving of M&Ms® candy coating, this instructional activity examines whether or not the different colors combine. There are no new concepts revealed in this particular instructional activity,...
Curated OER
Classifying Matter Game
Students identify the different states of matter. In this chemistry lesson plan, students differentiate the physical properties of the three states. They apply what they learned by playing a team game at the end of the lesson plan.
Curated OER
Properties of Salt
Students see how the properties of salt affect the color of flame, the flow of electricity, and the freezing temperature of water. They identify salt and sugar crystals under a microscope and discuss various practical uses of salt.
Curated OER
Phases of Matter
Students describe the motion of solids, liquids and gases. In this chemistry lesson, students describe how temperature affect motion of the particles. They determine the physical properties of each phase.
Curated OER
Facts of Matter
Students make group decisions about matter as they explore and interpret many types.
Curated OER
Classification of Matter
Students classify items according to their physical properties. For this chemistry lesson, students define what matter is in their own words. They use the matter diagram to organize different substances.
Curated OER
Shadows & Light, Science & Puppetry
Lights, shadows, action, and inquiry await your artistic scientists. They explore the way light travels, absorbs, reflects, and transmits through shadow play. They create folktale-inspired shadow puppets, explore the science of light,...
Cornell University
Sound Waves
How does sound travel through different mediums? Scholars explore this question by creating and observing sound waves as they learn the difference between transverse and longitudinal wave motion. Using their new knowledge, class members...
Curated OER
Does Order Really Matter?
Investigate the order of operations! Learners participate in interactive multi-media activities to examine and solve multi-step equations, inequalities. They evaluate formulas and simplify monomials and polynomials.
Curated OER
Liquid Rainbow
Students develop their own techniques for drawing a small sample of solutions into a straw. They hypothesize ways to increase the density of water, and discuss how salt-free rainwater tends to float on top of salty seawater.
Aquarium of the Pacific
Lego Molecules
Young scientists construct an understanding of molecular compounds in this hands-on science lesson. Using LEGO® to model the atoms of different elements, students build molecules based on the chemical formulas of common compounds.
American Chemical Society
Crushing Test
Solidify understanding of the properties of crystals by crushing them to compare hardness. After some class discussion, a procedure is planned, and then small groups go about making observations as they crush five different crystal...
Code.org
Number Systems
Generating a system of shapes. Groups work together to create a number system using three different shapes as symbols. The groups should come up with the rules that generate all the possible permutations of the three shapes.