Curated OER
Backyard Critters
Students explore the characteristics of invertebrates in their backyards. They observe, describe, and classify specimens. They conclude with a "snail race."
Curated OER
The Colors of Chemistry
Learners investigate the acidity and alkalinity of common household products in an experiment. They use red cabbage juice and litmus paper to show the difference between strong acids and bases as they work with vinegar, dish washing...
Curated OER
States of Matter
Students explore the states of water. In this physical science lesson, students use ice and dry ice to observe the changes in the state of matter. Students record the results.
Curated OER
Mapping Animal Behavior
Learners discuss the value of sampling in science. They, in groups, map cricket movement in response to various stimuli and graph their results.
Curated OER
Hooke's Law
Students explore the relationship between the force applied to a spring and its stretch. They design and conduct an experiment to determine the stretch of spring with 15N of force without having an actual 15N mass.
Curated OER
Predicting: Making a Hypothesis
Students analyze information from various sources to create a hypothesis about the origin of a family artifact. Students create a hypothesis about the origin of the item and write a paragraph explaining why they believe the hypothesis is...
Curated OER
Acid-Base Titration
Students determine the concentration of an unknown solution. This task assesses students' abilities to state hypothesis, develop procedures for investigation, plan for recording and organizing observations and data, collect data, create...
Curated OER
Electric Circuits
Students determine the power dissipated in the combination of two resistors connected in series to a 6 volt battery. This task assesses students' abilities to develop procedures for an investigation, develop a plan for recording and...
Curated OER
Coffee Cooling
Students explore the factors that affect how long coffee stays hot. They develop a question and a testable hypothesis for one factor such as initial temperature or size of opening of the container. Then they design and conduct an...
Curated OER
Friction Force
High schoolers investigate friction force on a variety of objects such as bricks and cardboard boxes. They use a force probe to collect data on the changes in force required to drag the objects across a variety of surface types.
Curated OER
Snell's Law
Students determine whether the index of refraction of sample of Corn Syrup meets Federal standards. This task assess students' abilities to explain the procedures for investigation, plan for recording and organizing observations and...
Curated OER
The effectiveness of Antacids
Students design and conduct a scientific experiment to test which of four antacids would be most effective for neutralizing acids. They rank the antacids in order from most effective to least effective and explain how they determined...
Curated OER
Hydrated Salt
Young scholars plan, design, and carry out an experiment to determine an empirical formula for a hydrated salt X that tell students when all the water has been removed from hydrate crystals.
Curated OER
Catalase Enzyme
Young scholars design and conduct an experiment to test their ideas about how to speed up or slow down the rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction. They have access to an array of physical and chemical factors that might influence enzyme...
Curated OER
Car Wash
Students determine the most appropriate site for a car wash, based on each site's soil characteristics (chemical, physical) and topographic features. They perform an experiment to determine the changes to three different soil types when...
Curated OER
That's the Way the Ball Bounces
Students investigate and compare the bouncing ability of the materials from which four different balls are made. They determine which material performs the best for use as a basketball. After collecting data in a small group they...
Curated OER
Coat Caper
Students examine pollen and fibers taken from a garment. They analyze pollen from new hybrids and compare it to the samples from the garment then make individual conclusions concerning the specific historical authenticity of the garment.
Curated OER
Pendulum Problems
Ninth graders explore how pendulums function. In this pendulums lesson plan students complete a pendulum lab activity.
Chemistry Collective
Chemical Potential: Staircase Demonstration
It's all uphill from here! Scholars examine the pattern of random particle motion up a staircase. The simulation shows how the linear increase in energy corresponds to an exponential decrease in particle concentration.
American Chemical Society
Racing M&M Colors
More than anything, this is great practice in scientific inquiry. After discovering that the color coating of an M&M® dissolves in water during a preceding activity, investigators now question whether or not the color makes a...
Virginia Department of Education
Aspirin Analysis
Laughter may be the best medicine, but aspirin is also important. Young chemists analyze aspirin tablets using titration in this lab experiment. They then repeat the entire experiment using a different aspirin brand.
Royal Society of Chemistry
Electrochromic Polymer—Chemistry Outreach
From windows that tint themselves to OLED technology, electrochromic polymers are redefining our ideas about conducting materials! Introduce your chemistry class to the emerging trend with an exciting lab activity. Budding materials...
Curated OER
Using The Scientific Method
Students are given a problem or hypothesis, they can create a relevant experiment using the steps to the scientific method. They collect quantitative and qualitative observations in scientific experiments. Students identify the...
Curated OER
Limiting Reagent
Students work in small groups with a small set of 8 nuts and 5 bolts to assemble into combinations of 1 nut: 1 bolt, and 2 nuts: 1 bolt. They explore the outcome and discuss. Then a student mixes two clear, colorless solutions together...