Curated OER
Erosion Patterns
Students explore erosion when there are multiple types of sediments. They view a soil separation demonstration jar before and after agitation to determine how and why the layers settled. In addition, they conduct experiments with a river...
Towson University
Looking Backwards, Looking Forward
How do scientists know what Earth's climate was like millions of years ago? Young environmental scholars discover how researchers used proxy data to determine the conditions present before written record. Grouped pupils gain experience...
Curated OER
Skin Cancer Investigation: A Multi-Component Project
Students compare the perceived and actual risks of getting skin cancer, while looking at ways to minimize these risks. They may have very little grasp of the severity of the threat of skin cancer or be unaware of the increase in the...
Curated OER
Following Instructions
Get scholars thinking about the scientific process with this fun experiment they can do at home. Learners practice reading directions as they underline each instruction in a procedural paragraph. They create a flow chart and record...
Space Awareness
Valleys Deep and Mountains High
Sometimes the best view is from the farthest distance. Satellite imaging makes it possible to create altitude maps from far above the earth. A three-part activity has your young scientists play the role of the satellite and then use...
Curated OER
Incoming Solar Radiation
Demonstrate how the spherical shape of the Earth contributes to unequal heating of its surface and results in varying climates at different latitudes. This would be an illuminating addition to your meteorology lessons, especially when...
Colorado State University
Why Do Hurricanes Go Counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere?
Test your class' coordination as they model the Coriolis Effect. Forming a large circle, learners move to the right as they try to toss a ball to the person across from them. The movement of the circle represents the rotation of the...
Curated OER
Galileo and the Inevitability of Ideas
Young scholars research Galileo's work and contributions to science. They make a timeline of Galileo's life, discuss the historical context for his book "Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems" and examine his trial by the Inquisition...
Polar Trec
Can Carbon Dioxide Act Like a Greenhouse Gas?
Ninety-seven percent of scientists who study climate agree that human activity is warming the planet. Learners explore carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, a gas causing this warming, through a hands-on experiment. Once complete, they...
Science Matters
Energy from Water Wheels
Historians believe the first vertical water wheel was invented in Rome during the Augustan Age. The sixth lesson in the series of 10 has scholars experiment with designing their own water wheels. Through testing various pastas and...
Curated OER
Our Disastrous World
Students explore natural disasters around the world from the experiences of other students, friends and families. They collaborate with countries such as Japan, China, India, Australia, Russia, Great Britain as well as from the United...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Global Climate Change
Here is an extensive reading resource that addresses our climate change crisis. It thoroughly explains the greenhouse effect, related Earth cycles, and the history of climate change. Use it as part of the intended unit, published by the...
Glynn County School System
Terrestrial Planets
Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars are collectively known as the terrestrial planets. Although part of the same group, each planet has its own set of characteristics. Scholars explore the characteristics that make the planets unique and...
NASA
Christa's Lost Lesson: Effervescence
How are chemical reactions affected by gravity? Learners explore the phenomenon of effervescence as part of the Christa's Lost Lessons series. They compare findings in an experiment on effervescence to a video of a similar experiment in...
Curated OER
Evidence of Heat Transformations
Earth, life, and physical science classes can all benefit from understanding heat transfer. There is not room enough to describe these seven exceptional laboratory experiments that explore conduction, convetcion, and radiation. Several...
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Life In A Nest: Exploring Life Cycles With Bird Cams
Why read about it when you can watch it happen? Bird cams make it possible for learners to experience the life cycle of a bird in real time! An engaging set of lessons provides activities to connect their learning to bird cam...
Curated OER
Velocity and Acceleration
Compliment your physics lesson with this PowerPoint which demonstrates many important points regarding acceleration and velocity. A starter experiment activity to stimulate student thinking is given, and may prove very interesting to a...
Curated OER
Fish and Zooplankton Through Remote Sensing
Ecology aces examine sea surface temperature maps and relate temperatures to concentration in fish and zooplankton populations. Take your class to a computer lab and provide experience with actual remote sensing data. Some of the links...
Chymist
Alum from Waste Aluminum Cans
Turn aluminum cans into pickles! An engaging experiment has learners chemically change aluminum into a substance with many purposes including the manufacture of pickles. After performing the chemical conversion, the experimenters verify...
American Museum of Natural History
Fascinating Fish
A fish is not just a fish. So many fish in remote places have unique characteristics. Take a trip with an ichthyologist to the Congo River to discover the species of one of the most diverse fish populations in the world. The online...
It's About Time
Volcanos and the Atmosphere
In the summer of 1815, snow fell every month in New England. Was this related to the volcanic eruption of Tambora in Indonesia earlier in the year? Young scientists design their own experiments to research the long-term effect a volcanic...
University of Connecticut
Building Your Own Biosphere
On September 26, 1991, four women and four men entered the scientific experiment, Biosphere 2; the doors were sealed for two years in order to study the interactions of a biosphere. In the activity, scholars explore biospheres by...
Curated OER
What's the Matter? (Living and Non-Living Things)
Understand how chemical reactions recombine atoms to create the "chemicals of life". An experiment, showing the basic chemical reactions of an iron nail or a match, helps young children start their understanding of permanent changes.
Curated OER
What Are The Properties of Sea Water?
Ninth graders conduct research on the subject of sea water. They use a variety of resources to obtain information. There are helpful resource links listed in the lesson. In conjunction with the research students make inquiry of the...