Curated OER
Colonial Life
Fifth graders explore American colonial life. For this interdisciplinary history and science lesson, 5th graders participate in several hands-on activities that require them to make colonial products that involve physical or chemical...
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Marshland Ecosystem
Students classify animals based on their physical characteristics and eating habits. In this animal identification lesson plan, students investigate the life forms shown on a Parisian ceramic basin, and discover ecosystem the...
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Water and Ice
Students explore the forms of water. For this physics lesson, students use ice cubes and observe what happens when the ice melts. Students freeze the water again and record observations.
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Breaking it Down
Students discover how water expands when frozen during a glacier. In this matter instructional activity, students fill a glass jar with water, leaving no room for air in the jar and place it in the freezer. Students retrieve the...
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HOW SMALL AM I? THE SCIENCE OF NANOTECHNOLOGY
Students study nanotechnology and investigate the dimensions of a nanoscale. In this nanometer study lesson students will see how truly small a nanometer is by measuring things such as a piece of hair.
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Rising Water!
Young scholars observe water change from a liquid to a gas state when heated and then return to its liquid stage when cooled. They learn that gas molecules move faster than liquid molecules. They discover physical properties that...
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Atomic Models
Students explain scientists' ideas about the structure of the atom over the last century. They develop a pictorial history of the changing ideas about the atom and write a caption describing the scientific thinking behind the model.
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Kinetic Molecular Theory
Students analyze and evaluate evidence that matter is made of tiny particles. They observe a series of phenomena involving solids, liquids, and gases to make inferences about the spacing, interactions and relative kinetic energies of the...
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Wow Waves (Waves on the Fly)
Students formulate hypotheses on wave behavior and test them. In this physics lesson, students compare and contrast transverse and compression waves. They determine the wavelength of transverse waves.
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Can You SEA Walls?
Students explore how wave energy that is generated and transferred in the ocean. They explore the aspects of a wave and how its energy affects the ecology of the seashore. Students engage in an activity that uses the nature of science...
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Communications
Middle schoolers incorporate different disciplines into this lesson. For this science lesson, students investigate the use of communicating without words, and how it is different than communicating with words. They discuss the pros and...
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Go Car, Go!
Young scholars design and build their own car. In this physics lesson plan, students collect data to determine the speed of the car. They plot the data on the graph analyze the relationship between variables.
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Plant Nutrition and Nutrients
Students observe seeds growth and examine the different parts of the seedling. In this biology instructional activity, students compare the growth of seeds planted in soil and in hydroponics. They record their observations in their...
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The Big Bang
Fifth graders relate the elements in the human body to those produced during a supernova. In this space science and chemistry lesson, 5th graders listen to a lecture and view visuals about the big bang. They relate the production of...
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What is a Physical Change in Matter?
In this matter worksheet, students complete a graphic organizer by writing in 1 thing that causes a physical change in matter and 3 effects this has on matter.
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Physical and Chemical Changes
Eighth graders distinguish between physical and chemical change. For this chemistry lesson, 8th graders observe a series of demonstrations showing physical and chemical changes. They identify the signs that a chemical reaction took place.
Virginia Department of Education
Metals, Nonmetals, and Metalloids
How can one easily classify metals, nonmetals, and metalloids? Pupils answer this question as they experiment with unknown substances and perform tests on conductivity, brittleness, and malleability to determine...
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What Do You SUBpose?
Submarines are the fous of this math and science instructional activity. In it, learners explore the world of submarines: how they work, and what they are used for. They engage in hands-on activities, watch video clips, and work in...
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Chemistry: Section Review
Review the 5 branches of chemistry and related terms with this worksheet. The focus of these activities is on terms and definitions. Learners answer questions about the study of chemistry, reasons to study chemistry, and pure and applied...
Foundation for Water & Energy Education
What is the Water Cycle? Activity A
Hydrologists create a concept map about how water is used and a sentence strip defining water and describing its unique properties. Small groups work together to fill a small milk carton and compute the mass of water inside. The next...
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Up and Atom
"Up and Atom" is a mini-unit introducing middle-schoolers to the wonders of elements. Participants draw atom models, examine the periodic table, compare samples of metals to nonmetals, identify unknown elements, and more! The beginning...
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Survival Science: How Evaporation and Condensation Can Save Your Life!
Eighth graders demonstrate how scientific principles can be used to provide resources in an emergency situation. In this evaporation lesson students view a demonstration on a solar still and see a brief PowerPoint presentation.
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Does Size Matter?
Young scholars explore the surface area to volume ratio in cellular respiration. While participating in an interactive lab experiment, they examine proportional surface area and discuss nanotechnology. Students observe the...
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Matter and Energy
Students participate in a small group read aloud of the short story, "Cerium" by Primo Levi. They answer several questions about the story and then relate the reading to a lecture on Kinetic theory. After the lecture they apply the...