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Salinity in Mill Creek
Fifth graders use water samples collected at three different locations of Utah's Mill Creek to test salinity of water, hypothesize about salinity levels at each location, record results, and discuss their findings with classmates. ...
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Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
Students study the difference between chemical and physical weathering. They explore the effects of climate on the weathering process.
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A Limnology Study of Drainage Ditches
Learners chemically test water, observe microscopic organisms in the classroom, and screen the sample for macroinvertebrates. They design a reporting sheet that list all the items to be tested and a space to record the results.
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BIOASSESSMENT OF STREAMS
Students work as a team to gather organisms from a stream to evaluate if the water quality is excellent, good, or fair to poor.
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What Do Heating and Cooling Do?
In this changes of matter worksheet, students write in what happens when water is heated and when water gets very cold. This worksheet is a graphic organizer.
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Sea Water Mixing and Sinking
Learners investigate the role of temperature and salinity in determining seawater density. They use a Temperature-Salinity Diagram to examine the effects of mixing on density.
Illinois Valley Community College
STEM Activities for Middle School Students
Use STEM activities within the class to provide connections to concepts. The resource includes activities that range from working with buoyancy to building rockets and launching them. Other activities involve the engineering design...
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Physical and Chemical Change
Students study the differences between physical and chemical changes. In this physical and chemical lesson students complete several labs to help them to see the differences between these changes.
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King of the Mound
Students investigate water as an agent of change. They conduct an experiment involving a mound of soil, observe and record any changes that occur when ice melts on the mound of dirt, and create a drawing of the changes that take place...
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How Structure Can Affect Properties Through Phase Changes
Middle schoolers discuss how changing the structure of atoms and molecules can change the properties of a substance. They brainstorm and review their own examples of phase change with the help of a phase change diagram. Students describe...
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Mountains of Erosion
Students study the change in land formations due to water erosion. They work in groups to build a model of a mountain that will be composed of materials that will best withstand water erosion.
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The Changing Earth
Students explore the Earth's crust. In this earth science lesson, students participate in 2 activities that demonstrate physical and chemical weathering. Students also play Jeopardy with topics including volcanoes, earthquakes,...
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Utah's Own
Fourth graders examine the effects of humans on the environment. In this Social Studies lesson, 4th graders analyze human changes to the environment. Students explore the actions and effects at a community level.
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Pumpkin Properties are a Smash!
Students receive a miniature pumpkin and proceed through several stations to measure a variety of physical properties. The data is entered into a data sheet and the mass and volume measurements are used to calculate density. They also...
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Forest Floor Terrarium
Students study the aspects of a forest floor ecosystem, including decomposition, the water cycle, food webs, the needs of living things, and physical vs. chemical change over an extended period. In addition, students conduct observations...
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The Chemical Nature of Water
Seventh graders simulate a Jeopardy game to examine the chemical nature of water. Among the topics featured are evaporation, water, salt, and temperature. finally, as review, 7th graders answer a battery of questions presented by the...
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States of Matter
Students explore the states of water. In this physical science instructional activity, students use ice and dry ice to observe the changes in the state of matter. Students record the results.
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Mass and Density of an Irregular Solid
In this physics instructional activity, students determine the density of irregular solids using water displacement method to complete 7 problems and short answer questions.
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Icebergs Ahead!
Students examine icebergs and how they are suspended in water, why ice floats, the melting process of an iceberg, and the floating behavior of ice compared to that of a cork through a lab activity.
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Breaking it Down
Students discover how water expands when frozen during a glacier. In this matter lesson, students fill a glass jar with water, leaving no room for air in the jar and place it in the freezer. Students retrieve the jar and notice the...
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Lesson Plan: Global Warming
Students explore the concept of global warming. In this climate change lesson, students explore the provided links to PBS NOW sources and research the greenhouse effect and the effects of global warming. Students support their...
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Weathering and Erosion
Students investigate how changes occur on the surface of the earth through erosion and glaciation. They observe what happens to salt and iron after they interact with water and vinegar, and analyze what occurs when water is sprinkled on...
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Physical and Chemical Changes
Learners differentiate physical and chemical changes. In this chemistry lesson, students identify five indicators that a chemical change took place. They complete a reflection journal at the end of the activity.
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Comparison of Tangential (Plain Sawn) to Radial (Quarter Sawn)Dimensional Change When Moisture is Added or Removed
Students investigate the dimensional changes that occur in wood samples when moisture is added and subtracted. The shapes and sizes of the pieces are compared and contrasted to decide which is best for cabinetry construction.