Curated OER
Radioactivity, Time, and Age
Four activities demonstrate the chain reaction of nuclear fission to your physical science fans: falling dominoes, snapping mouse traps, throwing paper wads, and igniting a series of matches. They perform additional laboratory activities...
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Nuclear Popcorn
Make your lesson on radioactive decay pop with this lab exercise. Using popcorn kernels spread over a tabletop, participants pick up all of those that point toward the back of the room, that is, those that represent decayed atoms. As the...
Curated OER
Radioactivity Experiments
Students 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...
Curated OER
Demonstrating the Half-Life of a Radioactive Isotope
In this half-life activity, students use 100 pennies to simulate radioactive isotopes and half-life. They place the pennies in a box and shake the box. All pennies that turn up tails are removed from the box. They represent the isotopes...
Curated OER
Atomic Candy
Mmmmm! Radioactive "candium!" Nuclear physics or chemistry classes use M&M'S® to demonstrate the process of radioactive decay. Individuals pour out a bag of candies and record the number that fall M-side-up to represent the number of...
Curated OER
Radioactive Samples
Students examine the different types of radioactivity. In this radioactive samples lesson students complete a lab activity on radiation and complete a handout.
Curated OER
Absolute Dating/Radioactive Dating
Students explore radioactive decay. In this radioactive atoms lesson students complete a lab to help them understand the relationship between radioactive atoms vs stable atoms.
Curated OER
Get a Half-Life Student Worksheet
Young scientists use a activity to help them perform a lab on the decay of a radioactive element. The activity serves as both a task guide and a lab sheet for pairs of learners. This activity requires a calculator and has excellent...
Curated OER
M&M Science and Math
A series of math and science activities feature M&M's® as manipulatives to help kids work through equations. The resource includes exercises on finding averages, percent of compositions, moles in chemical reactions, genotypes and...
Rice University
College Physics for AP® Courses
Take a look at an organized physics course. The 34-section electronic textbook covers material in AP® Physics 1 and 2. Teachers use the text to supplement lectures and have the class work through the labs. Each section contains multiple...
Curated OER
Half Life Lab
Seventh graders model radioactive decay using pennies, collect data from their model, apply scientific visualization techniques to their data and create animated models explaining the concept of radioactive half-life.
Pace University
Grades 9-12 Earth Science
How has Earth changed over time? Pupils explore the topic in a differentiated instruction unit on the geological time scale. After a pre-assessment to gauge knowledge, class members divide into groups based on their ability levels and...
Curated OER
Lizard Lab
In this detailed and comprehensive multi-day activity, budding evolutionary biologists use real data from lizard populations in the Canary Islands to examine evolution and natural selection.
Curated OER
work in pairs for the activities of this lesson which include researching and identifying butterflies, writing, and a brief oral presentation.
Learners explore the concepts of rdioactive decay and dating. They generate a radioactive decay table, use their data to plot a decay graph, develop the concept of half-life, and then use the graph to find the age of a mummified seal in...
Curated OER
Radiation Lab
In this radiation worksheet, students use a data table to determine what kind of radiation is being emitted by unknown sources. This worksheet has 3 problems to solve.
Curated OER
SURVIVING A COSMIC INVASION
Middle schoolers read periodicals relating to radioacitivity and interpret a Geiger Counter. They work in small groups, share information and help each other explain the Geiger Counter. They discover the relationship distance to...
Curated OER
Half-Life Lab
Students participate in a lab in which they are introduced to carbon-dating. In groups, they use the holes of paper from a hole puncher and determine the rate of retention after shaking coins onto the same area. They record their...
Columbus City Schools
The Mystery of Earth’s History
Every living creature can leave a fossil record, yet most fossils belong to extinct organisms rather than ones currently living. Scholars learn about dating rock layers, fossils, and the environment of the past. Pupils understand that...
Science 4 Inquiry
Layers and Laws: The Law of Superposition and Index Fossils
What can layers of rock teach us about the climate? Young scientists solve a mystery about who stole a cookie by applying the law of superposition. Then, they apply the same concept to solve a more difficult mystery, trying to determine...
Curated OER
DNA Sequencing Simulation
Students explore the Sanger sequencing method which produces a nested set of radioactive fragments from a template strand. They simulate the Sanger method of sequencing DNA, both visually and kinesthetically.
Curated OER
Frosty the Snowman Meets His Demise: An Analogy to Carbon Dating
Students read and discuss an article about carbon dating, then participate in a hands-on lab to discover how carbon dating works. Students also write a letter to a friend explaining the process, and how archeologists use the process to...
Curated OER
What Are Elements?
Students investigate elements by by defining scientific terms. In this Periodic Table of Elements instructional activity, students utilize a glass of water, and powdered fruit drink to perform a lab activity demonstrating properties of...
Curated OER
Radiation vs. Shielding
In this radiation activity, students compare the effects of shielding on radiation on known isotopes. This activity has 2 problems to solve.
Curated OER
DNA Fingerprinting Simulation
In this DNA fingerprinting simulation worksheet, students perform an activity that represents using a gel electrophoresis. Students decide who commits a crime in a forensics style lab.