Salty Solutions

Whether you're a salty sea dog or a total land lubber, the lakes and oceans of our world have a tremendous impact upon everyday life. Module six in a seven-part series of lesson plans centered on fresh and saltwater literacy tackles some...

Many arctic mammals, such as polar bears, seals, and walruses, depend on the sea ice about 3 m thick for their habitat. Pupils investigate the properties of polar water and polar ice and their properties through readings, videos, and...

In this salinity instructional activity, students simulate conditions of salt and fresh water mixing and observe the various densities of these solutions based on their salinity.

Students test unknown solutions for pH levels to determine which organism can live in each environment. They name three substances that they think are acids. Students determine a solution is an acid or base. They define the term pH.

Students examine what happens when different types of water meet. In groups, they participate in an activity in which they combine different percentages of salt, fresh and brackish water and record their observations. They let the...

Orange you glad you can make circuits using fruit? Young electricians learn about electric circuits and electricity. As part of the lesson, they build a circuit with an orange and then with a banana.

Students explore what type of solutions freeze. They design their own experiments to compare how fresh water and salt water freezes. In addition, they write their observations in a journal and complete analysis questions.

Yuck, does my deodorant kill that? To test whether deodorant is anti-bacterial, class members use petri dishes to grow control bacteria and bacteria from sweat, and then compare them to see if deodorant effects the growth. 

Use pennies to light an LED. Class members follow the provided directions to build a multi-celled battery powered by pennies. Using stacks of pennies of varying heights, pupils control the voltage of the battery to light different colors...

Students participate in a demonstration that illustrates the relative amounts of salt in various bodies of water including the Dead Sea, Sallt Lake, Ocean water and distilled water. They taste and compare various mixtures.