Chicago Botanic Garden
Carbon, Greenhouse Gases, and Climate
Climate models mathematically represent the interactions of the atmosphere, oceans, land, sun, surface, and ice. Part two in the series of four lessons looks at the role greenhouse gases play in keeping Earth warm and has participants...
Curated OER
Elements Commercials
Student teams use a digital camcorder and iMovie to create a commercial about an element. They also use the Internet and their textbook to gather the following information about their element: the name, the symbol, the atomic number, the...
Curated OER
Water Pressure Blaster
Third graders complete an experiment to introduce them to the concept of water pressure. In this water pressure lesson plan, 3rd graders create pressure in a water bottle and observe the force of water that is created.
Teach Engineering
Gumdrop Atoms
There's nothing sticky about the resource, unless you count the gumdrops! Scholars create a model of a lithium atom, complete with protons, neutrons, and electrons. It's just that these models are made with gumdrops and toothpicks.
Teach Engineering
Density Column Lab - Part 1
Mass and density — aren't they the same thing? This activity has groups use balance beams and water displacement to measure several objects. The pupils use the measurements to calculate the density of the objects.
Teach Engineering
Density Column Lab - Part 2
Groups suspend objects within layers of liquids to determine the densities of different liquids and compare them to the densities of objects calculated in Part 1. The groups then carefully test their calculations by layering the...
Curated OER
Solutions and Suspensions
Students explore matter by conducting an in class demonstration. In this liquid mixture lesson, students identify the difference between a solution in which a solid dissolves into liquid, and a suspension where the solid doesn't dissolve...
Polar Trec
Polar Detectives: Using Ice Core Data to Decode Past Climate Mysteries
How does examining an ice core tell us about weather? Learners set up and explore fake ice cores made of sugar, salt, and ash to represent historical snowfall and volcanic eruptions. From their setups, scholars determine what caused the...
Curated OER
What is the Rock Cycle and Its Processes?
Geology beginners examine three different rock samples and determine their origin by their characteristics. By making and recording observations, they become familiar with features of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock types....
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Lead and Mercury: Comparing Two Environmental Evils
High schoolers in chemistry or health courses look at the material safety data sheet (MSDS) and periodic table of elements to gather information about mercury and lead, two toxic materials that have been found in food products. They read...
Curated OER
Reading the River
In collaborative groups, young ecologists measure the temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen for three different freshwater samples. They examine each sample with a microscope and record observations on the microorganisms in the pond...
Curated OER
Communication Technology
While working in groups, learners refine the negative prints, floppy disks, and photographs they've been working on. They rotate to different stations on paper cutting, airbrushing, and computers. Special attention is placed on the...
Curated OER
Antacid Tablet Race
Students complete experiments to determine how rocket fuel is affected by surface area and temperature. They compare the reaction rates of antacid tablets. They discuss their results to complete the lesson.
Curated OER
Acids and Bases: Together again!
Students identify principles behind acid-base reactions. They predict factors that may affect an acid-base reaction. Students identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations.
Curated OER
Oobleck, Goop, and Glurch
Sixth graders use teacher prepared samples of substances. They perform the same observations and complete charts for each substance. After recording and analyzing their results, 6th graders make changes in the recipes to create a better...
Curated OER
Water Resource Engineering
Students examine solubility and the significance of water. In this aqueous solution lesson students complete a lab activity on soil profiles.
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The Great Heat Escape
Students observe a demonstration on the role of thermal conductivity in heat transfer. In this thermal conductivity lesson, students design and conduct an experiment to compare the thermal conductivity of four substances....
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Catering Middle-School Science: Monomers, Polymers, and Macromolecules
Students investigate foods. In this biology lesson plan, students will conduct testing on different types of foods as they learn about different molecules that make them up. Students will also learn about the shapes of the molecules.
Curated OER
Radioactivity Experiments
Learners study the difference between types of ionizing radiation and how elements are transmuted. They determine that radiation is normal and surrounds us. They calculate the amounts of alpha, beta and gamma radiation emitted from a...
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Hydrogen Powered Cars
Learners apply the principles of chemistry to investigate the concept of how a hydrogen powered car works. They study the electrochemical reactions that provide the energy source. Students also record observations in the functioning of a...
Curated OER
GCSE Module 6 Revision Guide-Chemistry-Oil, Fossil Fuels and Earth's Atmosphere
In this oil, fossil fuels and Earth's atmosphere worksheet, students answer 3 questions about the origin of oil and its uses, the effects of burning oil and fossil fuels on the Earth's atmosphere and the origin and maintenance of the...
Curated OER
The Periodic Table Introduction Question Exercise
In this chemistry worksheet, students are introduced to the periodic table of elements. They find the answers to 13 questions about the periodic table.
Curated OER
T-Shirt Chromatography
Students study about chromatography, a process used to separate mixtures. They see that chromatography is used to detect, separate or purify different substances. This nice lesson plan results in a beautiful t-shirt for each student!
Curated OER
Isomers and Polymers
Young scholars create models of structural isomers, geometric isomers, and polymers. In this chemistry lesson, students are given definitions and molecular model kits to create a variety of different isomers and polymers.