US Department of Energy
Thermodynamics—Teacher Guide
I'm so cool! No, you're exothermic. This thermodynamics lab unit includes an introduction, teacher demonstrations, six labs that students rotate through each class day, homework assignments, application of knowledge, and assessments....
American Chemical Society
Matter on the Move
Start this mini unit on matter out by demonstrating how food coloring behaves when placed in cold and in hot water. Then have the class experiment with warm water and soap film. Pupils will learn that an increase in thermal energy also...
Baylor College
Moving Air
In lab groups, young scientists place aluminum cans with a bubble-solution cap into different temperatures of water to see what size of bubble dome forms. As part of an atmosphere unit in preparation for learning about convection...
Concord Consortium
Boiling Point of Polar and Non-Polar Substances
Go to extremes to illustrate boiling point! Junior chemists explore the effects of heating and cooling on polar and non-polar substances. The interactive allows users to raise and lower the temperature, set specific temperatures, and...
Concord Consortium
Boiling Point
Is it getting hot in here? Observe boiling from inside a beaker in an engaging interactive. Chemistry scholars heat and cool polar and non-polar solids and observe how molecules react to temperature changes. Your class' misconceptions...
Concord Consortium
Diffusion Across a Permeable Membrane
Oxygen and carbon dioxide freely cross cell membranes. The simulation demonstrates the diffusion of these across a permeable membrane. To create a great visual for users, it graphs the balance of molecules as it changes throughout the...
Concord Consortium
DIffusion and Molecular Mass
Does molecular mass affect the rate of diffusion? The simulation allows scholars to experiment with diffusion while varying the molecular mass and temperature. The timer automatically stops when a certain point is reached, making it easy...
Concord Consortium
Diffusion and Temperature
Diffusion rates change with differences in temperature. See it happen through a simulation that allows scholars to explore the rates of diffusion at five different temperatures. It also allows young scientists to trace the movement of a...
Concord Consortium
Diffusion Across a Semipermeable Membrane
Semipermeable membranes allow water to go through—but not larger molecules. The simulation encourages pupils to adjust the membrane pore size to understand how this works. It also provides a way to trace the movement of a single molecule.
Concord Consortium
Diffusion of a Drop
Trying to learn through diffusion rather than simply studying the material rarely works for scholars. This simulation helps make learning diffusion fun. Pupils add a drop of dye to water and observe the diffusion as the molecules bounce...
Curated OER
Particle Model of Solids, Liquids, and Gases
Display the arrangement of molecules in solids, liquids, and gases. Demonstrate how the addition of heat energy results in greater molecular motion and therefore a change of phase. Give examples of heat conductors and insulators, and...
Curated OER
Temperature Changes Everything
Middle school chemists visit interactive websites in order to discover what happens to molecular motion when heat is added to matter. They conduct an experiment that demonstrates the expansion of matter with the addition of heat. A lab...
Curated OER
Diffusion of Molecules
Students conduct a series of experiments to observe factors that impact molecular movement. In this molecular chemistry lesson, students drop food coloring in water with different properties (hot, with ice, with alcohol) and observe how...
Curated OER
Molecular Movement in Water Part 1- Diffusion
Students obseve and compare molecular movement within water at various temperatures and of varying salinity. They discuss the movement of water on a larger scale which can affect the movement and concentrations of microbial populations...
Curated OER
Phase Change
Young scholars compare the freezing temperature of two substances by conducting an experiment to freeze liquid ice cream. They vary the amount of salt used in the ice cubes during the freezing procedure to determine the change in the...
Curated OER
Matter and Molecular Motion
Fourth graders define the states of matter and their properties. They demonstrate the air is matter and observe the effect of molecular motion through these activities.
Curated OER
Demonstrating the Kinds of Energy
Students experiment with inner tubes, weights, flasks, and pistons to demonstrate the gas laws. In this molecular motion lesson, students demonstrate pressure as a force per area. They conduct an experiment to show the relationship...
Curated OER
Gases
In this gases learning exercise, students review the 3 states of matter, the types of molecular motion, and the characteristics of gases. This learning exercise has 30 problems to solve.