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Dental Chemistry Analogy
After taking in background information on teeth, marble, eggshell, and fluoride, chemistry aces design an experiment. Their goal is to demonstrate whether or not fluoride has a similar effect on marble or eggshell as it does on tooth...
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Inertial Mass, Weight, and Newton's Second Law of Motion
The stage is set for you to guide future physicists through three forceful activities about motion. In the first, learners experiment with rolling carts to discover how objects interact. In the second, they inspect images of an object in...
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Impulse, Momentum, and the Conservation of Momentum
What happens when two worlds collide? In the first of several activities, future physicists experiment with colliding ball bearings or Newton's cradle. Another activity requires the use of an air track with cars to examine collision....
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Measures of Circular Motion
Physicists become Olympians in a competition using centripetal force. They ride a bicycle to comprehend relationships between linear and rotational motion. If you have an old-fashioned record player, it can be used to help pupils...
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Engaging Young Scientists with Inquiry: Part One
Building inquiry into your science lessons will make science concepts more concrete for your class.
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Indirectly Direct
Students use prior knowledge of angle and lines as they conduct an experiment with a rolling marble to determine the shape of a mystery object located under a metal pie tin.
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Open-Ended Questions
Students identify a topic for an open-ended question and evaluate the question. After developing ideas that lead to inquire, they investigate and research this topic on the Internet, and then create an iMovie.
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It's too loud!
Investigate soft, loud, and dangerous sounds. Little ones put a check next to the sounds that are loud, an X next to ones that are soft, and circle the ones that would require protective ear wear. Tip: Get out a tape player or computer...
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The Plant Food Factory
Plants need sun and water to survive. Let kids discover these facts by reading a block of informational text and considering a scientific quandary. They read the text, then use the information to complete a two-part question about plant...
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Shadows & Light, Science & Puppetry
Lights, shadows, action, and inquiry await your artistic scientists. They explore the way light travels, absorbs, reflects, and transmits through shadow play. They create folktale-inspired shadow puppets, explore the science of light,...
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Beginning Your Inquiry
If you're starting a research project, use this guide to help young learners form the inquiry for their research. With steps that outline the entire process, including note taking and gauging the quality of an inquiry question, this...
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Coal Supply and Demand
AÂ hands-on simulation perfect for an economics lesson, young learners investigate the availability of different sources of natural energy (coal, natural gas, oil, solar, and nuclear) and how this availability affects their cost. Simulate...
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Make a Van Gogh-Style Self-Portrait
Learn by doing! Young artists try their hand at creating their own self-portraits in the style of Vincent van Gogh. This worksheet contains a brief explanation of the essential qualities of van Gogh's art: complementary colors and...
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Simple Circuit: Electric Currents and Circuits
Through inquiry and exploration, 4th graders will learn and understand the functions of open and closed circuits. They will break into 2 groups, define vocabulary, hypothesize how to light a bulb, then test their hypothesis 4 different...
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Battery fun
Conduct an experiment with batteries to make a simple circuit. Fifth graders read the provided information, consider the two circuits, and determine which one is complete. An electrically charged experiment suggestion is included. Tip:...
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It can be a hazard!
Every child should know about the dangers of hazardous household materials. They draw a line between the types of material and the best precaution to stay safe when using that material. They can complete a secondary activity which has...
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Refining the Why? Turning Student Questions into Research
Middle schoolers have years of experience when it comes to how their bodies work. Surely they have some questions as well. Here is an opportunity for them to practice the scientific method in an attempt to answer some of those questions....
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When Floating Ice Melts in the Sea
With this simple inquiry exercise young scientists observe the effects of melting ice on water level. Set up an easy experiment with floating ice cubes in a dish of water then have your pupils make and record their observations of the...
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Rainfall and Water Table
Through inquiry, experimentation, and observation, young scientists see how an increase in rainfall under climate change can affect the water table and soil salinity underground. Young scientists build models that represent the...
US Department of Energy
Sunlight and Evaporation
Here is a simple inquiry experiment designed to demonstrate that the energy from sunlight can evaporate water. Young scientists follow provided procedural steps to construct a model of our atmosphere using a bowl, a cup, water and...
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The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee
High schoolers are introduced to the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), one of the "big 5" civil rights organizations (the other four were: the Urban League, NAACP, SCLC, and CORE). The SNCC is credited with having led...
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Physics "24"
Students construct a model house or school. In this physics lesson, students research about who wind up clocks work and write an essay about it. They determine the center of gravity of different objects.
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Young Engineers: Understanding Engineering Through Cooking
Second graders explore different engineering careers. In this math lesson, 2nd graders create a winning cooking recipe. They role play a mock cookie sale during the culminating event.
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The Shape of Things
Sixth graders read and discuss information regarding the shape and attributes of an eggshell. In this shape of things instructional activity, 6th graders gather relevant information that pertains to the incubation and formation of an...