Curated OER
Sometimes, solid + liquid = gas
Third graders experiment with common household liquids and solids. For this chemical reaction lesson, 3rd graders discuss phase changes and experiment to find other ways to create gases. They use water, vinegar, lemon juice, flour,...
Curated OER
Classifying Shells
Students observe and classify different types of shells. They compare and contrast an exhibit they created with one that already exists in a musuem. They discover the different characteristics of shells.
Curated OER
Gravity Versus the Mighty Egg
Students design, revise and construct a method for protecting an egg from cracking when it is dropped from a height. They work in small groups to develop their protection method and then collect and analyze data as a class when each...
Curated OER
Making Gateway Middle School Handicapped Accessible
Students discuss the situation at their middle school about being handicapped accessible. In groups, they identify the various types of handicaps and their accommodations. They create a blueprint of the building and make suggestions in...
Curated OER
Chemical Changes
Eighth graders observe two types of interactions in a sealed plastic bag. One bag contains baking soda and water, and the other baking soda and vinegar. They determine what evidence indicates that a chemical change is occurring.
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Pupils investigate how water changes state. For this water lesson, students observe, measure, and describe water as it changes state. This lesson includes extensions which can be accessed via the provided web links.
Curated OER
Melt the Ice
Young scholars examine and discuss how water changes from a liquid to a solid to a gas. They explore this concept by having an ice cube race, competing to see which group can change the solid water back into liquid water first.
Curated OER
Liquids in Bottles
Learners investigate different liquids to develop their concept of a liquid. They work at a center to tip, swirl, shake, roll, and otherwise investigate seven liquids in small, clear plastic bottles: plain water, corn syrup, liquid...
Curated OER
A Model of a Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Ninth graders explain how a scanning tunneling microscope works. In this chemistry lesson plan, 9th graders construct atomic models and simulate how their images appear under the STM. They discuss the limitations of their atomic model.
Curated OER
Magnifiers
Young scholars describe how several different objects magnify a provided sentence and decide if they are good magnifiers or not. They then write a sentence describing two properties an object must have in order to be a good magnifier.
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Students study the liquid and solid states of water. In this water states instructional activity, students complete three experiments to study water as it cycles from a liquid state to a solid state and back. Students finish with a Venn...
Curated OER
Project Geode
Young scholars predict the appearance of a geode's internal structure based on its mass and density. They form a hypothesis based on the data they collect. They also identify common minerals found in Illinois.
Curated OER
Properties of Air
Students conduct investigations to demonstrate and learn that air takes up space, and puts pressure, or pushes, on everything around it. They conduct experiments to learn about feeling air pressure and measuring air pressure. Prior to...
Curated OER
The Same but Different Part II
Third graders experiment with beakers of water and balloons to measure the volume of the gas in the balloon. They determine ways to change the volume of air in the balloon which changes its size but not its physical state. By heating the...
Curated OER
What Changes Occur When Ice Melts?
Students explore the physical process of melting. They observe melting ice and answer questions related to energy transfer during phase changes.
Curated OER
Conservation of Mass
In this conservation of mass worksheet, students design an investigation to demonstrate the Law of Conservation of Mass. Students describe their investigation, collect data, graph the data and write a conclusion about what they discovered.
Curated OER
Balloons: Math with the Montgolfier Balloon
Students discover the history of hot air balloons by watching one ascent. In this physics lesson plan, students utilize a Montgolfier Hot Air Balloon from an earlier lesson plan and record the temperature, rate of ascent and the...
Curated OER
Lemon Batteries Revised
Fifth graders investigate how chemical energy in food and batteries is potential or stored energy. They discuss how batteries function, and create a class list of different forms of energy. Students then create a lemon battery that...
Curated OER
Making Molecules
In this making molecules worksheet, students complete a table of elements with their symbol, atomic number, atomic mass, number of protons, number of electrons, period and group. Students then make models using pipe cleaners and beads of...
Curated OER
Solution Shapes
In this solutions worksheet, learners soak a pipe cleaner in hot water and a supersaturated solution of 20 Mule Team Borax. Students leave their pipe cleaner in the solution for 30 minutes and then observe. They put it back in over night...
Curated OER
Conservation of Energy
Fifth graders identify situations in which kinetic and potential energy are exchanged and identify the direction of energy transfer using marbles and flexible foam track. They observe how the marbles move spontaneously when released...
Curated OER
Properties of Magnetic Forces
Students explore what a magnetic force is and what kinds of objects are attracted to a magnet. They use a magnet to sort objects taht are and are not attracted to a magnet. Students then explain why the objects were or were not...
Curated OER
What happens to water before we use it?
Students examine how water is treated prior to becoming available for human consumption. In this water treatment lesson plan, students conduct an experiment in which they filter water. Students formulate a hypothesis, test, analyze data,...
Michigan Sea Grant
Food Chains and Webs
Starting with a simple food chain, young scientists interpret the difference and interrelatedness between herbivores, carnivores and producers. They answer questions related to cause and effect of food chain disruptions, including the...