Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

How Light Pollution Affects the Stars: Magnitude Readers

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
Did you know light can decrease visibility? Light pollution absolutely makes it more difficult to see stars. Scholars build a simple magnitude reader to determine the magnitude of stars. They use these data to estimate the impact of...
Unit Plan
NASA

The Electromagnetic Spectrum

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Did you realize the visible light spectrum is less than three percent of the electromagnetic spectrum? A hands-onlesson includes five activities and experiments for scholars to explore and discover many advanced science concepts. They...
Lesson Plan
Multiverse

Rainbows of Light: The Visible Light Spectrum

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Rainbows can teach us about the visible light spectrum. Learners observe multiple items that clearly display a rainbow to develop better connections. The lesson then explains wavelength using a rope to make waves.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Light and Geometric Optics

For Students 10th - 11th Standards
It's time to see the light  with a unit that focuses on light and geometric optics, including concave and convex mirrors. A variety of experiments, worksheets, and online activities are included. 
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

How Can You Demonstrate the Different Efficiencies of Different Light Bulbs?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Need a bright idea for an engaging lab? Watch your class light up as they explore the difference in efficiency between incandescent and LED bulbs! The resource makes use of simple materials and encourages learners to infer what's...
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Why Are Clouds White?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Is it possible to change the color of clouds? A three-part activity explores the scattering of light by the water droplets that make up clouds. After observing a demonstration, curious scholars conduct their own investigations of the...
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

What's the Difference Between Blue Light and Red Light?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Finally, an electromagnetic spectrum lab that will get glowing reviews from your class! Explore the nature of light using red and blue LED sources and fantastic phosphorescent paper. Young scientists compare the effects of blue light...
Lesson Plan
NASA

What's the Frequency, Roy G. Biv?

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
While all light travels at the same speed, each color in the visible light spectrum contains a different wavelength and frequency. Scholars determine the relationship between frequency and wavelength as they complete the activity. They...
Unit Plan
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PBS

Blow the Roof Off!

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Blow the minds of young scientists with this collection of inquiry-based investigations. Based on a series of eight videos, these "hands-on, minds-on" science lessons engage young learners in exploring a wide range of topics...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

LEDs Rainbow Connection

For Students 6th - 12th
View LED lights through the eyes of a scientist. Young scholars learn to view light as a wave frequency and connect various frequencies to different colors on the light spectrum. A lab activity asks groups to measure the frequency of...
Activity
NASA

Eclipse Activity Guide

For Teachers K - 12th
Ever made solar s'mores? Or recreated the solar system using peanuts? Astronomers young and old investigate all things solar using a variety of activities. Explore how the sun works, types of light it emits, and methods of charting the...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Kennewick Man: Science and Sacred Rights

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Have respect for the dead!" Scholars investigate how science and religion often clash. As they look into the laws of science and the laws of religion, the legal ramifications at the federal level of both play into an argument they...
Lesson Plan
Towson University

The Crucial Concentration

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Which sports drink provides the best pick-me-up after the big game or grueling workout? It may not be the one you'd think! Food science is the focus in a surprising lab activity. Pupils use colorimetry to determine the amount of protein,...
Unit Plan
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NASA

Down to Earth

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
There are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't. The lesson includes four activities in which students learn binary, convert binary to images, understand CCD arrays, and interpret...
Unit Plan
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NASA

Collecting Electromagnetic Radiation

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Astronomy is literally over your head, but this lesson will explain how we study it. Young scientists make telescopes, calculate and compare the light gathering power of lenses, and simulate detection of infared radiation....
Lesson Plan
Wild BC

The Greenhouse Effect: The Role of CO2

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Though this is meant to be second in a two-part instructional activity, the two are not dependent on each other. Pupils play the roles of visible light rays, light or dark surfaces, and carbon dioxide molecules. They interact and react...
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Electron Transitions

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Ready for a lab with a lot of razzle-dazzle? Young chemists observe flame tests of common salts through an always-popular activity. The updated resource focuses on observation skills, collaboration, and green chemistry practices.
Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

What Does Light See?

For Teachers 10th - 12th
The second installment of a seven-part series focuses on the refraction of light and how it affects the colors we see. Learners consider how this concept connects to biosensors for cancer detection.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Photosynthesis

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
We all know photosynthesis happens, but why should we care? Here is a unit that covers everything young scholars need to know about photosynthesis. Hands-on activities, assessments, and lectures guide pupils though the physiology of...
Activity
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Teach Engineering

Quantum Dots and Colors

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Introduce teams to quantum dot solutions with an activity that has them expose solutions to a blacklight, observe the colors, and take measurements. Groups graph the data and analyze the dependence between particle size and...
Lesson Plan
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Science 4 Inquiry

Phases of the Moon

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The moon takes just over 27 days to orbit around Earth. Young scientists position themselves as the earth as they rotate around the sun and hold the moon. This allows them to observe the patterns and phases of the moon.
Activity
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Teach Engineering

Thirsty for Gold

For Teachers 7th - 12th
In the last portion of the six-part unit, teams perform an experiment with gold nanoparticles to determine which sport drink has the most electrolytes. The nanoparticles are used as chemical sensors and fluoresce in different wavelengths...
Lesson Plan
University of Texas

Multi-wavelength Astronomy

For Students 9th - 12th
Explore a land far, far away with a well-designed lesson that examines electromagnetic imaging as a way to obtain information about galactic structures. Learners begin to see the importance of looking beyond the visual spectrum to...
Lesson Plan
Wild BC

The Greenhouse Effect: Warming the Earth Experiment

For Teachers 6th - 8th
First in a two-part lesson on the greenhouse effect, this lesson involves a classroom demonstration of the phenomenon, and a lab group experiment with color and absorption. Although there are easier ways to demonstrate the greenhouse...