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A Cut Above the Rest Administration Procedures
Students analyze how the Law of Conservation of Energy applies to the design and use of scissors. Working in groups, they determine the output work for a standard pair of scissors.
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Hydrated Salt
Young scholars plan, design, and carry out an experiment to determine an empirical formula for a hydrated salt X that tell students when all the water has been removed from hydrate crystals.
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Catalase Enzyme
Young scholars design and conduct an experiment to test their ideas about how to speed up or slow down the rate of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction. They have access to an array of physical and chemical factors that might influence enzyme...
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Car Wash
Students determine the most appropriate site for a car wash, based on each site's soil characteristics (chemical, physical) and topographic features. They perform an experiment to determine the changes to three different soil types when...
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Dirty Decomposers
Seventh graders design and conduct experiments to determine what environmental factors favor decomposition by soil microbes. They use chunks of carrot for the materials to be decomposed, and their experiments are carried out in plastic...
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Building a Pill Bug Palace
Students make "pets" of isopods (potato bugs) to determine their preferred environment and food sources. They record their results on a bar graph and in a scientific report.
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Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Eighth graders examine two different types of tires and the effects of different factors on the amount of force needed to overcome sliding friction such as when the vehicle tries to stop.
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Chemical Weathering
Students measure the effect of water temperature on the rate of a chemical reaction, similar to the interaction of a weak acid and carbonate rock, using hot water and effervescent antacid tablets.
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Electric Circuits
Students determine the power dissipated in the combination of two resistors connected in series to a 6 volt battery. This task assesses students' abilities to develop procedures for an investigation, develop a plan for recording and...
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Snell's Law
Students determine whether the index of refraction of sample of Corn Syrup meets Federal standards. This task assess students' abilities to explain the procedures for investigation, plan for recording and organizing observations and...
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Oil Spill
Young scholars use one of four absorbent products to separate as much of the oil and water mixture they are able to do. The purpose of this task is for students to collect and analyze data for the purpose of determining which absorbent...
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Acid-Base Titration
Students determine the concentration of an unknown solution. This task assesses students' abilities to state hypothesis, develop procedures for investigation, plan for recording and organizing observations and data, collect data, create...
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Are Enzymes Specific for Their Substrates?
Young scholars discover enzyme to substrate specificity. The experiment uses samples of glucose and lactose in combination with the enzyme lactase. Students observe the reaction between the lactose and the lactase; the lack of a...
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How Deep is the Ocean
Students predict and then analyze the layout of the tectonic plates that form the ocean's floor using mapping skills and Inquiry based problem solving, They compare the depth of various regions in the ocean with the geologic age to...
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Suburban Ecosystems
Students conduct simple sampling of plant and insect biodiversity at ground level in two contrasting environments of their own choosing. They recognize and record different species then compare and contrast species numbers in the two...
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Rainforest/Informational Web Sites that are Credible
Fifth graders evaluate whether various rainforest websites are credible and can be used for research purposes. They listen to the story "The Great Kapok Tree," discuss what makes a website credible, and examine and evaluate various...
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How Effective is Perspiration at Cooling?
Students collect data on the cooling of water in two different test tubes, one that is wrapped in wet newspaper and one in dry newspaper. They then relate this cooling effect to the body's perspiration.
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Let the Sunshine in
Students collect and analyze data to study wavelengths of visible light. They cover Styrofoam cups with three different colors of sun filtering products and shine a lamp directly on the cups. They determine the most effective filtering...
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The Nutritional Content of Food
Students are given three unknown samples and must perform two chemical tests in order to determine if the samples contains protein and/or starch. Students work with corrosive or toxic reagents.
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Inertia
Students conduct an experiment to apply Newton's first law of motion. They observe the inertia of an object in regard to its mass. The students record and graph the outcomes of their investigation and present the relationship between...
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To Be Salty Sea Ice Or Not
Students explore what type of solutions freeze. They design their own experiments to compare how fresh water and salt water freezes. In addition, they write their observations in a journal and complete analysis questions.
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Renewable Energy Plants in Your Gas Tank: From Photosynthesis to Ethanol
Students examine the role photosynthesis plays in plant survival. In this renewable energy lesson students document their observations and analyze and interpret their results.
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Creating Public Awareness - Indoor Air Quality
Students design a poster about indoor air quality. In this indoor air quality lesson, students make a billboard that tells the occupants of a building about at least one air quality problem.
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Indoor Air Quality
Students make a work puzzle using air quality vocabulary. In this air quality vocabulary lesson, students design a word puzzle using a teacher designated number of vocabulary words. They peer edit the puzzles with their classmates.