Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biocomplexity Lab Activity: Creating Salt Water

For Teachers 6th - 7th
The lesson seeks to intorduce to students the properties of salt water and how to create salt water. Teacher gives backgound information about salt water to students. From that point, students dscuss what elements are in salt water....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Modeling Protein Structure

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Learners examine amino acids and discuss the properties of side chains.  In this proteins instructional activity students demonstrate the foldings of peptides.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ice Cream Chemical and Physical Changes

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders identify characteristics of a simple physical and chemical change. They describe objects by the properties of the materials from which they are made and that these properties can be used separate. Students describe the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Swirling and Churning Milk

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine the concepts of micelles, polarity, solubility, and properties of detergent in an experiment with milk, water, and food coloring. Students complete a Take-Home Challenge in which they experiment with the behavior of food...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building Materials

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders are presented with three rocks and a variety of tools and are asked to investigate the properties of the rocks to see which rock is best for building tables and benches for a museum picnic area.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fuel Mystery Dis-Solved

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students describe how temperature and surface area exposure affect the rate at which fuel is consumed. They explain why engineers want to know about the properties of a fuel when designing rockets. They create a bar graph of result data.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sun's habitable Zone

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the average surface temperature of planets. They use the Planet Temperature Calculator to find the average temperature. Students explore how the distance from the sun affects the Earth's average surface temperature. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oobleck

For Teachers 1st
First graders explore Oobleck. They manipulate and observe the properties of Oobleck. Students discuss the differences between solids and liquids. They investigate Oobleck. Students write a sentence describing what they observed about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Soil Investigations

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the basics about soil.  In this soil lesson students describe the physical properties of soil and explain what soil profile is. 
Worksheet
Curated OER

Physical And Chemical Changes

For Students 6th - 9th
In this physical and chemical change activity, students solve 13 clues in a crossword puzzle focusing on rates of chemical reactions and changes in the state of matter.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Float or Not to Float - A Lesson on Density

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students observe and experiment with the concept of density. This is done using a simple experiment that helps them to apply scientific principles of observation and proving a hypothesis.
Worksheet
Random House

Recipe for an Ecosystem

For Students 1st - 6th Standards
Creating an ecosystem is as simple as baking a cake. Well, maybe not, but using a recipe analogy helps learners realize that ecosystems consist of different components that come together in unique ways. Offer this worksheet as an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wildlife

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
The centerpiece of this lesson plan is a predator-prey simulation in which colored paperclips represent different species of animals camouflaged against a colored background. Relevant follow-up questions are provided. The activity is...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Temperature Changes Everything

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students determine the effect of temperature on the motion of particles. They study the difference between particles in a gas, liquid, and a solid and see how the characteristics of solids, liquids, and gases can be explained by particle...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Water in Our Lives: Kit Practice

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine a local water source using testing kits to determine water qualitiy. They identify the pollutants and contaminants in each sample. They determine if samples fall within an acceptable range for drinking water.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ride the Wild Leaf Cycle

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore plant life by completing an Internet activity. In this botany lesson, 4th graders identify the types of plants that grow locally and the different soils they utilize to survive. Students read assigned text about...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Alchemists' Theory of the Elements

For Students 8th - 10th
In this alchemy worksheet, students read about the early thoughts of alchemists regarding elements. Students are given an experiment done by an alchemist during the Middle Ages and they answer three questions about the experiment knowing...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Physical and Chemical Change of Six White Substances

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students investigate chemical and physical changes in reactions. In this chemical and physical change lesson plan, students mix 6 different white substances with water, vinegar and iodine. They make hypotheses about each substance and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Filtration Competition

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars design water filtration systems. They draw sketches and write paragraphs about their systems. After presenting their systems to the class, each group then builds their system and determines its effectiveness for purifying...
Worksheet
Curated OER

What is in the Water?

For Students 9th - 12th
In this mixtures worksheet, students read about mixture and what determines if a solute dissolves in a solvent. They answer three questions about solutions and determine from a list of compounds which are soluble in water.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocks on Parade!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders describe and classify rock samples. For this rock lesson, 3rd graders make inferences about rock samples by observing and measuring them. This lesson contains 5 different stations for the students to go to. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's the Reaction?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students combine baking soda and vinegar and observe the chemical and physical changes that this mixture can produce.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's in the Soil?

For Teachers 4th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Urban Heat Island Effect - Lesson 2 (Grade 5)

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders use the scientific process to examine how when various surfaces are exposed to similar environmental conditions, surface temperatures may vary. They conduct an experiment to show the relationship between surface and...