Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Elements And Atoms

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the concept of elements and atoms. They conduct research using a variety of resources and use the information in order to create a class presentation. The lesson includes specific dialogue and steps for the teacher...
Lesson Plan
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Investigating the Shapes of Covalent Molecules and Measuring their Respective Bond Lengths and Bond Angles

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers will draw Lewis structures of common covalent compounds using a Chem 3D computer program. They will predict the shapes of the molecules, complete a data table, and formulate rules for predicting shapes of molecules. In the...
Lesson Plan
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Atomic Models

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain scientists' ideas about the structure of the atom over the last century. They develop a pictorial history of the changing ideas about the atom and write a caption describing the scientific thinking behind the model.
Lesson Plan
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Chemical Formulas

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine the structure of molecules, their formula, and percentage composition of each element in the compound. They construct an organic compound with different functional groups using a modeling kit, and draw a 3-D structure...
Lesson Plan
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A Chemist in My Class?

For Teachers 1st
First graders in kindergarten science class discuss matter. They make predictions and then identify mystery items in brown paper bags as either solid, liquid, or gas by using their senses. They discuss that a chemist is a scientist that...
Lesson Plan
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Heat and Matter

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students explore liquids and solids by conducting in class experiments. In this matter lesson, students define the properties of matter and how heat can change those properties. Students experiment with heating objects such as butter and...
Lesson Plan
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Electrical Energy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conduct an experiment to find out how well different wires radiate heat when voltage is applied across the wire. They use the results of their experiments to consider how the gauge of the wire and the type of wire affect the...
Lesson Plan
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Carbon: Structure Matters

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars read the Who We Are Section on Calfee Designs Webpage and discuss carbon usage. They work in pairs to look up the minerals diamond and graphite then create a chart on the properties of each mineral then compare how they...
Lesson Plan
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Matter and Energy

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore energy by completing a science worksheet in class. In this principles of matter lesson, students define the vocabulary terms force, gravity, nuclear, and electromagnetic before reading assigned text about energy....
Lesson Plan
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The Water Cycle/States of Matter

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers engage in a lesson that is concerned with the water cycle and different states of matter. They conduct research using a variety of resources in preparation for taking a quiz. Then students take the quiz in correlation to...
Lesson Plan
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Succession in the Classroom

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate their environment by growing plants in class.  In this botany activity, students discuss the lifespan of plants and animals and how they must be cared for continuously over time.  Students grow a plant in...
Lesson Plan
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Physical Changes to Matter

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Pupils explore matter by conducting an in-class experiment. They experiment with water's various forms by melting and freezing water, identifying its new shape. These observations are recorded to supplement later discussion. They also...
Lesson Plan
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Go To The Head of the Cloud

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students pretend they are water droplets traveling through the water cycle. Using their text, they discover the steps in the cycle and the different paths water can take. They write a report about their journey through the water cycle...
Lesson Plan
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Science: What Is the Carbon Cycle?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students examine the carbon cycle while identifying its sources, sinks, and release agents. Using magazines and newspapers, groups of students design collages illustrating the carbon cycle. Finally, they write responses to several...
Lesson Plan
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Static Electricity 4: Static Electricity and Lightning

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explain concepts related to static electricity, based on a single example: lightning.
Lesson Plan
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What is a Nanometer?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students develop a concept of the relative size of objects in the nanoscale. They complete an internet assignment using the website,"Scaling the Universe to Your Desktop". Using analogies to common objects they get an appreciation for...
Lesson Plan
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WATER CHEMISTRY

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students list reasons why water is important and investigate and graph the freezing points of different solutions.
Lesson Plan
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The Genetic Basis of Neurological Disorders

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe some aspects of known genetic defects on the human neurological condition. They participate in a variety of exercises including drawings, games, and analogies.