Students compare the price and quality of different kinds of plastic kitchen wraps and then rank them from best to worst. They take into account how well it comes out of the roll, if it seals well, it is tangles, how much weight it...

Scholars learn about a series of three challenges when they design a bus system for a small town. They determine the bus routes and then figure out the best type of fuel to use before considering the cost of going electric. Learners...

Couches, carpets, and even computer keyboards now advertise they are spill-resistant, but what does that mean? Scholars use physical and chemical methods to coat surfaces with thin films to test their hydrophobic properties. Then they...

Don't melt away! Pairs investigate different insulation materials to determine which one is better than the others. Using a low-temp heat plate, the teams insulate an ice cube from the heat source with a variety of substances. They...

Small groups complete a science project involving cleaning up an oil spill. In this experiment, pupils use 4 different sorbents to discover which one absorbs the most oil.  Afterward, they make a data table.

Many types of cancer treatments now depend on nanotechnology—a big "little" discovery. Scholars begin by removing "malignant" tissue from simulated brains, one using fluorescent markers thanks to nanotechnology and one without. This...

Teach your environmental studies, life science, or engineering class how an internal combustion engine works using the first few slides of the accompanying presentation. Then, focus in on the resulting carbon emissions. Finally, take a...

High schoolers determine which types of garbage are biodegradable and which are nonbiodegradable. They practice measuring skills, hypothesizing, taking data, and writing a lab report. Students observe the relative biodegradability of...

Students explore the concept of graphing data. For this graphing data lesson, students determine the percentage of sugar in bubble gum. Students graph type of gum vs. sugar percentage. Students create a table of their data.

Students recreate landfills in petri dishes, observe relative biodegradability in a year-long project, and isolate a cellulose degrading bacteria while discovering the need for recycling and the serious problem waste management has...

Chapter 10 of a report on the energy industry in Texas. It examines solar energy, its history, and how it is used. The solar power industry in Texas is described, its economic importance, methods of producing it, and how it is...

Chapter 4 of a report on the energy industry in Texas. It looks at crude oil as an energy source, its history, and its many uses and products. The economic impact of the petroleum industry in Texas is described, the scale and scope of...

Chapter 22 of a report on the energy industry in Texas. It looks at hydrogen as an energy source, its history, and uses. The economic impact of the hydrogen energy sector in Texas is described, the consumption of hydrogen, methods of...

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