During a unit on density, pupils ponder whether or not temperature affects this property. By carefully inserting blue cold water and yellow hot water into a room-temperature sample, they will see the answer. Make sure to have done the...

Learners will like making a liquid layer cake to investigate the relative densities of various liquids: water, oil, and corn syrup. They will also introduce a few solid materials to find out how their densities compare. Standing alone,...

Second of six lessons in a unit on dissolving, this one focuses on how sugar behaves in different liquids. Learners stir it into water, alcohol, and oil and make observations. This lesson can stand alone, but is best used as part of the...

A lot goes on during this visit to the Ellen DeGeneres show. During the first segment, Spangler demonstrates the ability of the human body to act as a conductor of electricity and he shows the clean burning properties of hydrogen and...

In this fascinating episode, Mr. Spangler uses cornstarch and water to create a solution known as "non-Newtonian" solution, meaning that the solution doesn't behave in the way that Newton's laws would expect it to. This is one of the...

A lot goes on during this visit to the Ellen DeGeneres show. During the first segment, Spangler demonstrates the ability of the human body to act as a conductor of electricity and he shows the clean burning properties of hydrogen and...

In this fascinating episode, Mr. Spangler uses cornstarch and water to create a solution known as "non-Newtonian" solution, meaning that the solution doesn't behave in the way that Newton's laws would expect it to. This is one of the...

Middle schoolers explore heat energy and how it is used to change the phase of matter, and discover that temperature does not increase or decrease until the phase change is complete. This extremely well-written plan is packed with great...

Students explore and identify phases of matter and compare the particle motion in solids, liquids, and gasses.

This PowerPoint is a gem! Seventy-eight slides present an entire introduction to matter in bullet-point fashion. Viewers learn about everything from mass and inertia to phase changes and gas laws! The only glitch is that the links to...

Sal continues his explanation of the states of matter by focusing on hydrogen bonds. This time, he uses plasma as the substance being studied, and explains how the hydrogen bonds change as the substance goes from solid, to liquid, to gas.

What a great resource! This presentation is informative as is, but there are links provided to some great resources that can help learners explore the states of matter in greater depth. For example, there is a link to a website that...

Each group talks about how to test unknown liquids based on their findings in the previous experiment. In this second of four activities, they test unknowns on wax paper, newspaper, and construction paper. As a stand-alone, this lesson...

It's time to get a little silly with this fun primary grade science activity. By simply combining two liquids, white glue and corn starch, a strange solid is formed, commonly known as silly putty. To ensure everything goes smoothly,...

Make a strangely-moving "monster" out of cornstarch and water. The mixture produces a colloid with properties of both a liquid and a solid. Place the material over a stereo speaker, turn up the music, and watch it dance! This is a fun...

Using sound waves, Steve Spangler demonstrates the properties of a non-Newtonian fluid. When the fluid is placed on an amplifier, it changes into the most amazing shapes. Your class will love demonstrating this process in class.

This is a strong visual display of density. It requires a mountain of materials and is quite messy, so you most likely will not want to have lab groups perform this activity. You could demonstrate it for your class when exploring the...

Create a cauldron of bubbling fun with this Halloween-themed demonstration idea. Using dry ice, Steve Spangler creates a crystal ball. If you compare the sublimation of dry ice to the melting of water ice, it is a wonderful way to...

Using sound waves, Steve Spangler demonstrates the properties of a non-Newtonian fluid. When the fluid is placed on an amplifier, it changes into the most amazing shapes. Your class will love demonstrating this process in class.

Make a strangely-moving "monster" out of cornstarch and water. The mixture produces a colloid with properties of both a liquid and a solid. Place the material over a stereo speaker, turn up the music, and watch it dance! This is a fun...

This is a strong visual display of density. It requires a mountain of materials and is quite messy, so you most likely will not want to have lab groups perform this activity. You could demonstrate it for your class when exploring the...

There are four states of matter: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. As this clip describes, the key to changing the states of matter is the addition or subtraction of energy. Learn about molecules, heat, plasma, and the science behind...

Learners will observe, measure and describe the phase changes of ice. In this science lesson plan, students observe ice as it changes phases. Qualaitative notations made by individual learners will be shared and compared.

Third graders examine the phase change between solids and liquids and determine it to be a physical change. Ice is the perfect item to use to demonstrate this phase change. Pupils experiment with measuring and weighing solid ice and the...