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Convection Activities
Students conduct a series of hands-on activities to demonstrate that heated air expands and that warm air rises because it is less dense.
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Somethin' Sweet
Young scholars make their own candy. In this science lesson plan, students observe how molecules interact with each other in physical changes and observe how the addition of heat can cause molecules to interact and form new molecules in...
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Using a Spreadsheet to Understand Density
Learners use density to identify what metal a gold colored weight is made of. They use a spreadsheet to graph the experimental density of common metals and compare the know densities to their calculated density of the known metal.
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Tornadoes
Middle schoolers examine the characteristics of a tornado. They practice using new vocabulary and participate in a question and answer session. They use the internet to gather more specific information.
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Online Exploration: Telescopes From the Ground Up
Students explore a web-based illustrated text and interactive graphics to determine the relationship between the operation of telescopes and light. optics. They work in small groups to become an expert on one of the ten eras of telescope...
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Sleet and Hail Have Their Own Seasons
Second graders explain the definition of hail and sleet. In this precipitation lesson, 2nd graders discuss when hail and sleet fall and the results of hail falling.
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It's the Law: Periodically
Ninth graders examine the Periodic Table. In this element lesson, 9th graders observe the chemical reactivity of elements. They graph the properties and discuss the trend in the group and period of elements. The students use math to...
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Snack Attack: Food Packaging Activity
Students design and create packaging material for food. For this snack attack lesson, students design a package to protect a food item from heat and water. Students consider costs of materials, design, and test the package to see if it...
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Electromagnetism
Students explore the generation of magnetic fields from currents in wires and measure the magnetic field directions. They measure magnetic fields in their own environment. They also examine how moving magnetic fields can create currents.
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Have a Ball with Bernoulli II
Third graders explore the work of Daniel Bernoulli through experiment and background information. In this Bernoulli lesson, 3rd graders participate in air pressure experiments. Students record their observations of the...
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Buoyant Boats
Students design and construct a boat out of aluminum foil and a few other simple materials. The boats then be tested by floating them in water, then adding mass until they sink. They explore the various shapes of boat construction.
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Magnetism
Learners examine the concept of magnetism by doing several activities using magnets and compasses. They explore poles and polar repulsion and attraction.
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Water, Water Everywhere (Pond Animals)
Second graders examine the characteristics of animals who live in a pond environment. In groups, they describe the various stages in the life of a frog and identify the characteristics of other pond animals. Using this information,...
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Dust in the Wind; Chemicals in the Water
Students explore mechanical and chemical weathering at stations. They articulate some mechanisms of chemical and mechanical weathering through exploration in a lab. Students stations describe how chemical weathering differs from...
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Water Cycle
Ninth graders explore ways water moves through various reservoirs on Earth, examine how human activities change water cycle, investigate substances present in water that indicate human activity, and discuss how understanding water cycle...
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Hot Cans and Cold Cans
Learners investigate the physics of heating and cooling through conduction, convection, and radiation. Working in groups, they determine the best way to cool a can of water and warm a can of water. Temperature is taken at five minute...
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Hydrogen Powered Cars
Students 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...
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What is the Attraction?
Second graders investigate the law of polarity. In this magnets lesson, 2nd graders discover how magnets are used in everyday life and which objects in our environment are magnetic. Students experiment with bar magnets and record...
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What's in the Soil?
Fourth graders examine soil to find its contents, and how much water and air they can measure. In this soil composition lesson, 4th graders perform three experiments and record their results. In one experiment they examine...
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Oceans
Students become aware of the differences between ocean water and lake water by smelling, tasting and seeing. They distinguish between land and bodies of water on a globe and gain increased awareness of oceans and life.
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The Nanofiber Chocolate Factory: An Analogy
Students investigate Nanotechnology. In this physic's lesson, students evaluate a hands-on model made from chocolate syrup and pretzels to determine the advantages of size. Students weigh chocolate syrup to determine it's wait...
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Reaction Reasoning
Third graders experiment with chemical reactions and examine what happens to the atoms when different reactions occur. In this matter lesson students divide into groups and complete a lab experiment.
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Science: How Solids Become Liquids
Second graders discover how matter changes from one state to another by observing melting ice cubes. They decide on means to warm the ice and predict what will happen. Students record how long it takes for the cubes to melt.
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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...