Curated OER
Physical or Chemical- That is the Question!
Learners observe the differences between physical and chemical changes in properties. Through the use of an interactive presentation, the students compare and contrast the changes and provide supporting examples of each type of change.
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Ecosystems
Explore the Earth's different ecosystems through four lessons, an assessment, and extension activities. Lessons include informative text and step-by-step instructions to apply knowledge in interactive, and thought provoking ways; such as...
Cornell University
Non-Newtonian Fluids—How Slow Can You Go?
Children enjoy playing with silly putty, but it provides more than just fun. Young scientists make their own silly putty using different recipes. After a bit of fun, they test and graph the viscosity of each.
Curated OER
Melt the Ice
Students examine and discuss how water changes from a liquid to a solid to a gas. They explore this concept by having an ice cube race, competing to see which group can change the solid water back into liquid water first.
Curated OER
Net "Working"
Upper elementary and middle schoolers explore the properties of various polygons. They use video, resource links, and engage in hands-on activities in order to construct geometric nets. This fine plan should lead to increased...
Curated OER
Ice Cream
Open this instructional activity by giving a brief history of ice cream. Using liquid nitrogen to lower the temperature, preteens make their own confection. The accompanying activity sheet queries learners about freezing point, the...
Curated OER
Discovering Dinosaurs
Students investigate the physical characteristics of dinosaurs. They participate in a puppet show, take a field trip to a dinosaur museum, and compare/contrast dinosaur characteristics at the museum.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
The Effects of Temperature on Chemical Mixtures
Students explore chemical cahnges and the effect of temperature on chemical mixturees, They make observations of the behavior and appearance of certain chemical mixtures and reactions.
Curated OER
Materials And Their Properties
Seventh graders investigate the particulate level of solids, liquids, and gases. They examine how the particle method show the interplay between scientific theories and evidence.
Curated OER
A Fraction of the Possibilities
Learners review the conversion of fractions to decimals, develop strategies to compare fractions perform complex calculations using ratio techniques similar to the construction of fractions.
Cornell University
Sound Waves
How does sound travel through different mediums? Scholars explore this question by creating and observing sound waves as they learn the difference between transverse and longitudinal wave motion. Using their new knowledge, class members...
NASA
The Invisible Sun: How Hot Is It?
It's getting hot in here! The first in a series of six lessons has learners model nuclear fusion with a simple lab investigation. Groups collect data and analyze results, comparing their models to the actual process along the way.
EngageNY
Least Common Multiple and Greatest Common Factor
Find the common denominator between prime factors, factor trees, and the distributive property. Scholars learn to find the least common multiple and greatest common factor of pairs of numbers. They rotate through stations to connect...
Cornell University
Vitamin C Module
Test the levels of vitamin C in different juices. After a lesson plan on the importance of vitamin C in our diets, learners use titration to determine the vitamin C content in juice. They use their experience with the titration to study...
Virginia Department of Education
Partial Pressure
At some point, everyone has been under pressure—even Dalton! Explore Dalton's law of partial pressures with young chemists as they measure the volume of air extracted from a sample compared to its original volume. Class...
NASA
Mystery Planet
What can one learn about a planet based on a small surface sample? Learners will explore artifacts from a mystery planet and see what they can determine about the planet based on the evidence in front of them.
Salt River Project
How Do We Clean Polluted Water?
How do we clean up oil spills and other pollutants in the water? Explore water treatment strategies with a set of environmental science experiments. Groups remove oil from water, work with wastewater treatment, and perform a water...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Carbon, Greenhouse Gases, and Climate
Climate models mathematically represent the interactions of the atmosphere, oceans, land, sun, surface, and ice. Part two in the series of four lessons looks at the role greenhouse gases play in keeping Earth warm and has participants...
PHET
Earth’s Magnetic Field from Space
Feel the pull of science! The final installment of this 18-part series is an application of everything learned in the previous high school lessons. Scholars are given a magnetic field map and must propose an arrangement of magnets that...
NASA
Melting Ice: Designing an Experiment
Sometimes, despite the best laid plans, the unexpected will occur. Learners witness this firsthand as they carefully design an experiment to determine the time needed for ice to melt in salt water or pure water. They uncover facts not...
American Chemical Society
Investigating the Line
Note that this lesson is best paired with the preceding lesson in the unit. In that lesson, elementary physical scientists observed that the color coating of M&Ms® candies do not mix when dissolved off of the chocolate surface. Now...
Curated OER
The Nature of Salt
Young scholars record information from the periodic table for sodium and chloride. They determine whether salts are molecular or ionic compounds, along with sodium chloride's molecular weight, and relative weights
Curated OER
pH and Red Cabbage Juice
Students review properties of materials and define what pH tells them about matter. For this pH levels lesson, students determine whether materials are acids or bases using indicator substances.