Chymist
Alum from Waste Aluminum Cans
Turn aluminum cans into pickles! An engaging experiment has learners chemically change aluminum into a substance with many purposes including the manufacture of pickles. After performing the chemical conversion, the experimenters verify...
Curated OER
Aluminum Can Drive
Second graders complete a recycling project to clean-up their school. In this service project lesson, 2nd graders assess their campus for litter, set up a recycling project, clean up their campus, and recycle the trash. Students also...
Curated OER
Going in Cycles: The Life of an Aluminum Can
Students investigate the manufacture of aluminum cans and consider the energy and resources saved when the cans are made from recycled material. They explore the concept of closed-loop recycling using charts, worksheets and discussion.
Curated OER
Going in Cycles: The Life of an Aluminum Can
Young scholars explore the life cycle of aluminum cans. In this recycling lesson, students review the manufacturing process and how to make a closed loop cycle. Young scholars also have the opportunity to present what they've learned...
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...
NASA
Pop Can Hero Engine
Hang a soda can from a string and watch it spin by the force created by water streaming out of slanted holes. This plan provides background information, detailed materials and procedures, discussion questions, a lab worksheet, and...
Curated OER
What a Can Can Do
Students explore the properties of a can. In this aluminum science instructional activity, students conduct various experiments to identify properties of aluminum. Students examine the appearance, temperature, and corrosion resistance...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Bestsize Cans
Traditional calculus problem made simple. In the high school assessment task, learners determine the minimum surface area for a can of a given volume using algebraic and numerical methods to solve the problem. No calculus required.
Curated OER
All About Aluminum
Students examine the metal aluminum. In this metal properties lesson, students experiment to distinguish between aluminum and other metals. Students assess how aluminum is created and recycled.
Curated OER
Light Can Heat Too!
Third graders explore absorption and reflection of light energy. For this solar energy lesson, 3rd graders explore how light energy transfers to heat energy through the construction of a solar water heater. Students will discuss and...
Curated OER
Lightning!
Students use aluminum, a thumbtack, an eraser, and more to create static electricity. In this static electricity lesson plan, students use this experiment to simulate lightning.
Curated OER
Can Cruncher
Young scholars experiment with boiling water and cans to study changes in pressure. In this pressure lesson plan, students use pop cans filled with varying amounts of water heated to boiling. Young scholars drop the cans in cold water...
Curated OER
What a Can Can Do
Pupils explore properties of cans (including aluminum and steel) as they rotate through stations. They experiment with magnets, weight differences, resistance to corrosion and temperature conductivity.
101 Questions
Abundant Aluminium
That would make a lot of cans! Learners analyze a photo of a truckload of aluminum to determine its value. The provided information includes the weight of a smaller block and the dimensions of the larger block. It's up to your pupils to...
Curated OER
Measuring Calories
Students burn peanuts and marshmallows to determine the calories each contains. For this calorimetry lesson, students set up an apparatus with a ring stand and water in an aluminum can. They record the temperature of the water before and...
Curated OER
Air Movers
Students learn about Rube Goldberg machines (complicated devices designed to accomplish simple tasks and then design and build a machine that uses more than six separate steps to move an empty aluminum can. They can either work...
Curated OER
I Can't Take the Pressure!
Students explore the concept of air pressure. Using candy or cookie wafers to model how air pressure changes with altitude, they conduct an aluminum can crushing experiment, compare the magnitude to gravitational force per unit area,...
Curated OER
Can Young Children Distinguish Between Living and Non-living Things?
What does it mean to be living? Help your young scientists identify living and non-living things as a result of their learning through discovery. Observation of and interaction with a set of natural phenomena in their community will make...
PBS
Breaking Point
Leaf toughness can add to its herbivore appeal. Learns design an experiment to quantify leaf toughness and then perform their procedures. They follow the experiment with a set of questions that ask them to think about how leaf toughness...
Curated OER
Science: Lenz's Law and the Spinning Can
Students observe a demonstration of Lenz's Law using an aluminum can and a bar magnet. They hypothesize what will occur as the can is placed in water and the magnet is lowered above it on a string. Students discover the phase shift...
Curated OER
Chemistry: The Collapsing Can
Students observe methods by which air can crush aluminum cans. As water in the can boils and is sealed, the can collapses as it cools. When the procedure is reversed, the can expands to its original shape. After the alternate experiment,...
Curated OER
Dealing with Data in Elementary School
Students follow the scientific method in collecting data. In this following the scientific method in collecting data lesson, students develop a question they would like answered such as how many aluminum cans are consumed each school...
Curated OER
Aluminum Foil Boats
Learners design a boat of aluminum foil and calculate the density of the boat. Washers are added to the boat until it sinks. Students then redesign boat to hold more washers and recalculate the new density.
Curated OER
What Crushed the Can?
Students examine the difference in pressure to objects. In this pressure lesson plan students complete a lab activity with a soda can in which they will make observations and hypothesize.