Foundation for Water & Energy Education
How is Flowing Water an Energy Source? Activity C
Can the force of falling water through a tube vary by altering the diameter of the tube or its height? That is what physical scientists aim to discover in this activity, the third in successively more revealing activities on the power of...
Kenan Fellows
Use of Dichotomous Keys to Identify Stream Organisms
What kind of organisms are living in the stream? After an explanation on how to use a dichotomous key, groups of three to four use the keys to identify macroinvertebrates from a local freshwater stream. Using the the concept of...
Nuffield Foundation
Measuring Rate of Water Uptake by a Plant Shoot Using a Potometer
How quickly does a plant transpire? Learners explore this question through measuring water uptake with a potometer. They time the movement of a bubble a set distance to understand the motion and rate of speed.
Museum of Science
Design a Submarine
Don't just sink the boat. Using a closed container as a submarine, pupils experiment to see what to add to the container to make it float, sink to the bottom, and hover in the middle. After finding one option, learners see if they can...
University of Washington
Using Modeling to Demonstrate Self-Assembly in Nanotechnology
Do polar opposites attract? After an introduction on the polarity of molecules, pupils are asked to design a self-assembling model using materials with different polarity. The challenge should motivate learners to develop a workable...
Curated OER
Surface Water/Groundwater
Water wizards write short answers and fill in the blanks about Earth's surface water and groundwater. They also identify the condition of the soil in a diagram. Use these two worksheets as a reading comprehension assignment if your...
US Department of Energy
Thermal Expansion of Water: Rise of Sea Level
Using bunsen burners, Erlenmeyer flasks, thermometers, hollow glass tubes, stoppers, and rulers, learners experiment with and measure how water expands when heated. The activity connects the expansion of water when heated to global...
Newspaper Association of America
Cereal Bowl Science and Other Investigations with the Newspaper
What do cereal, fog, and space shuttles have to do with newspapers? A collection of science investigations encourage critical thinking using connections to the various parts of the newspaper. Activities range from building origami seed...
University of Waikato
Looking at Water - Solid, Liquid, or Gas
Here's a tip: only one substance is commonly found as a solid, liquid, and gas. Learners use that knowledge as they investigate the properties of water in each state. They interact with water in each of its three phases and record what...
College Board
2004 AP® Environmental Science Free-Response Questions
Radioactive isotopes have a wealth of uses, but their waste may cause some concern. One of four free-response questions challenges learners to devise a waste removal strategy for medical radioactive substances. Other questions address...
Curated OER
Water Filtration Challenge
Students create an all-natural water filtration system. In this lesson on natural water filtration, students build upon prior knowledge to build a filtration unit made of plants, soils, sand, pebbles and rocks that can purify...
Curated OER
Water Works
Students create a "water web" to illustrate the interdependence among water users and producers. They distinguish between direct and indirect uses of water; illustrate the interconnectedness of water users in a community; and demonstrate...
Curated OER
The Effect of Dissolved Salt on the Boiling Point of Water
Explore the properties of solutions with a lab activity. Chemistry fans determine the boiling point of water, add salt to create a solution, and then repeat the process four more times. They design their own data table and then graph the...
American Chemical Society
Comparing the Density of an Object to the Density of Water
Investigators construct a makeshift balance and compare equal volumes of wax and water. They do the same for clay and water. Then they discover whether the wax and clay will float or sink in water. Ultimately this is a comparison of...
Curated OER
Phase Changes of Water
A micro-unit on the phase changes of water includes three laboratory activities. Junior scientists compare the densities of ice and water, and then they do the same for cold and warm water. They examine freezing and boiling temperatures....
American Chemical Society
Dissolving Different Liquids in Water
Not many youngsters realize that solids aren't the only materials that can possibly be dissolved in water. During this investigation, they find out that some liquids can dissolve in water as well. This is part of a unit on solubility,...
Curated OER
Chalkboard Challenge: Science Vocabulary
Review science vocabulary with your students using this Jeopardy-style PowerPoint. Categories for this game include: Solar System, Plants, Weather, Cells, and Rocks. There are a total of 25 clues; five for each category.
American Chemical Society
Using Chemical Change to Identify an Unknown
If you have taught the first instructional activity in this mini unit, learners already know that cabbage juice and vinegar cause chemical changes in some materials. Now, they get a chance to use them to compare the liquids' reactions to...
Curated OER
Seeing Science - Color and Spectra
Students explore various scientific concepts, such as color and spectra, and use iMovie to create movies that demonstrate and explain these concepts to their classmates. They research a concept and use AppleWorks to create a storyboard.
Curated OER
Exploring Living Science Careers
Use a variety of group activities to explore living science careers. Living science careers include everything from a food scientist or farmer to a veterinarian or agricultural economist. Kids will discuss 31 different careers in this...
American Chemical Society
Using Chemical Change to Identify an Unknown
If you discover an unknown powder, how do you determine if it is safe? Lesson uses four different tests to identify the properties of various powders that appear the same. Then scholars get an unknown powder and have to determine which...
Curated OER
Water Chestnut Graphing Activity
Students are taught how to format and enter data into an Excel spreadsheet. They make a graph and interpret graphed data. Students discuss possible impacts of water chestnut invasion. They graph data on water chestnut. Students report...
Curated OER
"Water Has Many Uses" Mini-unit
Students understand the importance of water as a resource in our lives. In this water mini-unit students recognize that not all countries have water available as we do. Students discuss and explain a plan for responsibilities of getting...
Curated OER
Water Pollution Prevention and Conservation
Students examine how to conserve water. They also discover how to prevent water pollution. They examine the Earth's water distribution as well.