Curated OER
Science: Exploration Tubs
First graders develop skills of scientific inquiry. They determine which objects float and which sink.
Curated OER
i-Density Crisis
Eighth graders determine the density using mass and volume. In this science lesson, 8th graders explain why some materials float or sink. They estimate the density of objects based on whether it floats or sinks in a liquid of known...
Curated OER
Tie Dye
High schoolers practice writing research proposals to test the color fastness of a dye once it has been exposed to a t-shirt. Each proposal needs details of experimental design, length of treatment, and means of cleaning the shirt. All...
Curated OER
Landfills and the Potential for Groundwater Contamination
Students examine how a sanitary landfill is constructed, how it functions, and how waste and leachate affects the areas around the landfill. After a discussion about landfills and leachates, students construct a Sanitary Landfill Model...
Curated OER
Watershed Analysis
Students conduct a regional watershed analysis of an area of their choosing. Using on-line data and their personal knowledge of the area, they determine the annual hydrologic budget and teach the class about "their" watershed.
Curated OER
Solutions and Suspensions
Students explore matter by conducting an in class demonstration. In this liquid mixture lesson plan, students identify the difference between a solution in which a solid dissolves into liquid, and a suspension where the solid doesn't...
Curated OER
Changing States of Matter - Making Ice Cream
Students make ice cream as a result of viewing changes of states of matter. In this matter lesson plan, students learn how heating and cooling can effect a state of matter to change.
Curated OER
Acids and Bases
Students study acid and bases and how they fall on the pH scale. In this solutions lesson students complete a lob activity using litmus then fill out a data table.
Curated OER
Ziplock Chemistry
Students investigate various chemical reactions when creating mixtures in ziplock baggies. In this chemistry lesson, students will recognize various chemical reactions and cite evidence. Safety and assessment strategies are included in...
Discovery Education
Sonar & Echolocation
A well-designed, comprehensive, and attractive slide show supports direct instruction on how sonar and echolocation work. Contained within the slides are links to interactive websites and instructions for using apps on a mobile device to...
Curated OER
A New Phase In Town
Middle schoolers explore heat energy and how it is used to change the phase of matter, and discover that temperature does not increase or decrease until the phase change is complete. This extremely well-written plan is packed with great...
Curated OER
Determining the Density of a Liquid
Students find the density of diet soda and regular soda. In this density lesson plan, students measure the mass of a graduated cylinder with 10 different volumes of each soda. They find the mass of the liquid alone and use the volume to...
Curated OER
Life Cycle of the Plant - The Pumpkin
First graders access prior knowledge about pumpkins and read the story Pumpkin, Pumpkin. They will sequence the life cycle of the pumpkin through the use of picture cards and then sing a song about the life cycle of the pumpkin and plant...
Curated OER
Breaking it Down
High schoolers will identify the factors that contribute to erosion and weathering. They will start by differentiating between chemical and mechanical weathering. They then apply what they learned by playing the online jeopardy game. Key...
Curated OER
Listening Devices
Learners design and construct a listening device that will allow them to listen to the sound generated by specific object inside a box.
Cornell University
Atomic Bonding
Explore the connection of surface area to bonding within atoms. Learners complete lab investigations to model changing surface area with different sizes and concentrations of atoms. A flour fireball demonstration follows the labs to...
Teach Engineering
Messin' with Mixtures
Do you separate your trail mix before eating it? Then you've been separating mixtures your whole life! Scholars model a contaminated soil sample using trail mix and estimate the percentage of each component. They consider how to clean up...
Curated OER
Temperature
Several slides compare different temperature scales. Thermal expansion, heat transfer, and Maxwell speed distribution are also explored. The last two slides seem unrelated to the topic of heat, but are easily left out of this otherwise...
Curated OER
This House is Made of Mud: Exploring the Shapes in Our Lives
Young scholars study about our dependence on the earth's resources for materials. They practice their knowledge of geometric shapes by recognizing them in the context of the story.
American Chemical Society
Developing Tests to Distinguish Between Similar-Looking Liquids
Each group talks about how to test unknown liquids based on their findings in the previous experiment. In this second of four activities, they test unknowns on wax paper, newspaper, and construction paper. As a stand-alone, this lesson...
NOAA
The Oceanographic Yo-yo
How does chemistry help deep-sea explorers? Part four of a five-part series of lessons from aboard the Okeanos Explorer introduces middle school scientists to technologies used in ocean exploration. Groups work together to analyze data...
Curated OER
WS 2.5 Dimensional Analysis
Science students apply dimensional analysis to relate quantities in six different problems. They consider the cost of steak, a young man's growth rate, a medicine prescription, fuel efficiency, and more. This instructional activity is a...
Curated OER
Lead and Mercury Ion Catalase Inhibition
Students participate in a laboratory investigation in which they observe the effect of temperature and pH on enzyme activity. Students also examine exposure to heavy metal ions and the effect that may have on enzyme activity.
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,...