Curated OER
Papier-Mâché Globe
Paper mache projects are great for using up paper from the recycle bin. Give your class the chance to create a three-dimensional globe out of paper mache. They'll work to make their globes as accurate as possible, adding proper colors...
Exploratorium
The Dipping Bird
If you have or want to order the dipping bird demonstration, it is useful for showing how evaporation and changes in the pressure of a closed system cause cyclical motion. After teaching about pressure, consider setting this little guy...
Curated OER
The Atmosphere
Here is a suitable set of slides to use when teaching about the layers of the atmosphere, climate, global winds, and types of clouds. These slides will support a few different lectures. You will probably want to replace the diagrams with...
Curated OER
Processes of the Rock Cycle
Students explore, predict, and create each major rock form (sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous) with colored modeling clay, discover cycle of rock formation, and examine important relationships of heat and pressure in rock development.
Curated OER
A Home Energy Audit
Students investigate ways to save energy. In this environmental lesson plan, students play the role of a building inspector and identify "culprits" that waste energy. Students use a checklist to identify specific practices that waste...
Curated OER
Matter - Chapter 2 Physical Changes
In this matter learning exercise, students identify words and match them to their definition. Students identify words dealing with matter, its physical changes, and the effect of heating and cooling matter. This learning exercise...
Curated OER
Sand or Rock? Finding Out From 1,000 km
Students observe how measurements are made with different instruments. In this remote sensing lesson students investigate the physical state of surfaces including the surfaces of the solar system.
Curated OER
Passive Solar Design
Students study what passive solar design is for buildings and structures. For this solar design lesson students identify passive solar design techniques.
Curated OER
Harvest the Wind
Wind is a natural resource available around the world. Help your pupils appreciate the power and importance of wind by researching wind farms, making pinwheels, and designing windmills.
Curated OER
Cost Effective Buying
Students evaluate energy-related purchases. In this consumer awareness lesson, students visit an appliance store and rank the products' cost effectiveness by using a mathematical formula.
Curated OER
Colors of Stars
Students observe the colors found in the flame of a burning candle and examine the basic concepts of matter and energy. Students apply this information to the color's of starts and the temperature of the stars photosphere. Students...
Curated OER
Building on the Land
Ninth graders study how cities affect the environment and design an ecologically-sound city. They focus their study on the benefits and constraints of life on the Northern Great Plains.
Curated OER
How To Keep Gelatin From Melting
Students investigate the concept of heating and prevention of temperature increase while they design a platform made to hold gelatin that is exposed to heat from melting. Students make observations and rate the effectiveness of their...
Curated OER
Miniature Water Cycles
Learners construct a model of the water cycle in action using two-liter pop bottles to build a terrarium. Locate examples of evaporation and condensation in the water cycle (e.g., water evaporates when heated and clouds or dew forms when...
Curated OER
Maintaining Body Heat
Students observe and compare heat loss in different objects with surface-to-volume ratios. They transfer this comparison to the physical characteristics of animals in their environment. They focus on how whales maintain their body heat.
Curated OER
Keeping Cool
Students investigate the air conditioner units around the school. They chart the temperature by placing a thermometer in different situations and decide how to keep cool and save energy in the summer.
Colorado State University
How Can Freezing Make Something Warmer?
Crazy fact—freezing liquid actually gives off heat! Young scholars investigate the transfer of energy when liquids freeze using a chemical heat pack. The heat pack gives off heat as its liquid core freezes.
Curated OER
Does Humidity Affect Cloud Formation?
Middle schoolers use S'COOL data to identify factors that affect cloud formation. They find a data set using the S'COOL database , and use Excel to manipulate the data. Student isolate relevant data, create meaningful graphs from a...
Curated OER
A Day at the Beach
Help learners determine the rate of change for the temperature of sand. They will collect data on the temperature of wet and dry sand over time with a heat lamp overhead. Then make a scatter plot of the data and find a linear model to...
K12 Reader
Convection Currents
After reading a brief article on the connection between convection currents and winds, kids use information in the text to respond to a series of comprehension questions.
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension 3 (Level 7)
Have you ever been in a hot air balloon? Whether your readers are English language learners or native speakers, assess their reading comprehension with this short passage and the seven multiple-choice questions that follow. A detailed...
Curated OER
WS 2.5 Dimensional Analysis
Science students apply dimensional analysis to relate quantities in six different problems. They consider the cost of steak, a young man's growth rate, a medicine prescription, fuel efficiency, and more. This worksheet is a great way to...
Teach Engineering
How Hot is Hot?
Elementary schoolers identify the three methods of heat transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation. The lesson is mostly lecture-based. When the teacher has finished the presentation, groups of pupils get into teams and they must...
Curated OER
On the Right Circuit
After a discussion on how to make a light bulb light up in an electrical circuit, young scientists take a look at four circuits, and they choose the one they think will make the lightbulb light up. Use in conjunction with any initial...