Physics Classroom
Action at a Distance Lab
The concepts involved with static electricity are typically taught in upper elementary physical science units. The lab described in this resource has pupils examine the behavior of small pieces of paper and a balloon when a charged piece...
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
Sun Printing
Ozalid acid paper is sensitive to the light. It reacts by getting darker, and it's the same paper photographers use when they print their pictures. Here, kids get to use photo-sensitive paper to create sun prints to find out how useful...
University of Las Vegas
Heart Rate and Physical Activity
What is heart rate? What is pulse? How do you find a heart rate by taking a pulse? What determines a person's heart rate? Will heart rate increase by doing some activity? Does exercising regularly strengthen the heart muscle? Take a look...
Lesson Snips
Who Killed the Flowers?
This could be really good, or it could be really bad! The crime to be solved is, "Who went pee in the flowerpot?" Given four imitation urine samples, young chemists or crime scene investigators perform pH, glucose, and turbidity tests to...
California Academy of Science
Composting: A Scientific Investigation: California Academy of Sciences
Garbage, recycle, compost: Does it really matter where we put our trash once we are done? By making detailed observations over seven weeks, kids will see which materials break down naturally to become a healthy part of the soil, and...
California Academy of Science
Buoyancy Bulls-Eye
Why does a seastar sink, but a jellyfish float? Through a fun investigation, learners examine the concept of buoyancy using simple household items. The challenge: create neutral buoyancy for an action figure in water. With ample teacher...
Acoustical Society of America
Musical Instruments
Mix it up and engage learners in a lesson on music and physical science. Using cups, strings, guitars, and voice, the class will experiment with sound vibration and frequency. They'll use each instrument and fill out a worksheet that...
Acoustical Society of America
Generalizing How Musical Instruments Work
Sound, vibrations, resonance, and frequency are explored as learners use music to foster scientific inquiry. They engage in three different sound experiments and follow up discussions to foster a better understanding of how musical...
Acoustical Society of America
Musical Instruments Part I - Woodwinds
What is the connection between sound and vibration? Learners find out as they conduct a series of experiments with instruments they create. The experiment is well explained, includes modifications for visuall and hearing impaired...
Curated OER
A Model for Natural Selection- Spaghetti Worms
Does the early bird really get the worm? If so, which color of worm does it prefer? In an exciting and easy week-long field investigation, young field biologists set up a one square meter feeding area for birds. If you have a webcam,...
Google
The Law of Large Numbers and Probability
Learners investigate why theoretical probability doesn't always match reality. The activity involves using Python 2.7 (or Sage) to set up a Bernoulli Trial. It also involves setting up a spreadsheet to simulate the Birthday Paradox....
Kenan Fellows
Determining Stream Health by the Diversity and Types of Benthic Organisms
How diverse are the benthic organisms found in local streams? Using the information learned in previous lessons on identification of macroinvertebrates and on calculating stream index values, groups determine the health of local streams....
Central Bucks School District
Igneous Rocks Lab
Searching for a simple igneous rocks experiment to assist pupils with rock classification based on texture and composition? In the activity, pupils view multiple rocks in various ways to determine texture and composition. They then...
Micron Technology Foundation
States of Matter
Solids, liquids, gasses oh my! Young scientists will be amazed when they try this experiment, which uses dry ice to discover the states of matter through sublimation.
NASA
Egg Drop Lander
You have to crack a few eggs to make a good engineer! Working in small groups, young scholars design, build, and test devices that protect an egg from breaking when dropped from a ladder.
Curated OER
Rocks and Minerals
Take young geologists on an exploration of the collection of rocks and minerals that we call Earth with an upper-elementary science lesson. Through a series of class discussion and hands-on investigations, students learn about the three...
American Chemical Society
Colors Collide or Combine?
As part of a unit investigating the dissolving of M&Ms® candy coating, this lesson examines whether or not the different colors combine. There are no new concepts revealed in this particular lesson, but learners will see that the...
The New York Times
Laboratory Experiment
For any science class, learners can use this lab sheet to plan an experiment. It includes a space for the title, question, materials, setup, and procedure. If you want your class to complete this in typed form, you can provide the web...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Greenhouse Effect
Pupils compare the temperature change in a closed and open box as a demonstration of the greenhouse effect.
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Is Dilution the Solution?
Systematically diluting a full-strength sample of food coloring is meant to help earth scientists understand concentration in parts per million. While they will enjoy the lab exercise, it might be a challenge to help them relate it to...
Foundation for Water & Energy Education
How Can Work Be Done with Water Power? Activity A
Environmentally friendly engineering teams construct a water wheel and experiment with its speed and the resulting amount of weight it can lift. Consider following this activity with two more of the same title by the same publisher when...
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Nuclear Popcorn
Make your instructional activity on radioactive decay pop with this lab exercise. Using popcorn kernels spread over a tabletop, participants pick up all of those that point toward the back of the room, that is, those that represent...
University of Southern California
Wave Erosion Lab
Using a stream table, erosion enthusiasts examine how the density of sediment and how the slope of land contribute to the amount moved by waves. You will not be able to use this entire resource as is; there are teachers' names and...
US Environmental Protection Agency
Corals and Chemistry
After demonstrating the use of cabbage juice as a pH indicator, have your class experiment with their own breath, exhaling into the indicator, to show that carbon dioxide is acidic. As learners work, they also watch a video about coral...