American Chemical Society
Chemistry Color Changers
Knowledge of acids and bases doesn't need to be a secret. Learners use red cabbage to create an indicator solution, then test how adding lemon juice (acid) and detergent (base) changes the color of the solution. They then use the concept...
American Chemical Society
Chemistry and Comics
Copying the comics couldn't be easier. A fun and simple activity has young scientists rub the back of a comic strip with a spoon to see if the ink will transfer to a white sheet of paper. They then repeat the experiment, rubbing...
American Chemical Society
Aware of the Air
It's there, even though no one can see it. Scholars create two different-sized parachutes out of shopping bags, then let them fall through the air. They should see that the larger parachute falls more slowly and interpret this to mean...
American Chemical Society
All Wet
Sometimes liquids just don't get along together. A fun experiment has scholars determine whether various liquids dissolve in water. They pour isopropyl alcohol, vegetable oil, and corn syrup into cups of water to see which ones mix well...
Gfletchy
Geared Up
Get the class's gears turning! Pupils first watch a video that introduces the situation: Given three gears, how many turns will it take for the dots shown on the gears to line up? They count the number of spurs on each gear, then use the...
Gfletchy
The Clapper
Give a round of applause for completing the task. Scholars watch a video that shows an extremely fast clapper and a timer. The activity requires applying concepts of rates and proportional reasoning to estimate the number of claps in one...
Gfletchy
Rope Jumper
Jump at the chance to use the idea of rates. Young mathematicians watch part of a clip of a Japanese TV show where a contestant jumps rope as fast as possible. They use the data for the number of jumps and the number of seconds shown in...
Gfletchy
Deep Freeze
Warm up to the idea of subtracting integers. After watching a video where the contents of a cup instantly freeze when tossed into the air, pupils estimate the air temperature of Duluth, Minnesota (where the video was made). They then use...
Gfletchy
Thumbs on Fire
How fast are those thumbs? Pupils view a short video showing a person typing out a text message in a speed challenge. They use the information they can glean from the video to estimate the number of seconds it will take to completely...
Gfletchy
Fill ‘er Up
Drink in a lesson on volume. Individuals first view a video clip where a conical cup is used to pour water into a water cooler jug. Using provided dimensions of the cup and the jug, they estimate the number of cups required to fill the...
Under the Dome
Card House
Mathematics is stronger than a card house. Pupils watch a video of the beginning of the building of a triangular card house. Scholars come up with questions they wonder about from the video and ask for more information to arrive at an...
Under the Dome
The Fastest
The cheetah is faster than Bolt. Class members watch a video of a cheetah and Usain Bolt run at record breaking speeds. The pupils come up with questions about the video. When asked, the teacher provides information relative to the...
Under the Dome
Sphero Draw and Drive
Determine how far the ball rolled. The class watches a video of a person controlling a sphere rolling on the floor. Pupils develop some questions about the video and make estimates to the solutions of the questions. The teacher provides...
Under the Dome
Snack Mix
Create a snacking recipe. Pupils develop a question after watching a video of the making of a snack. Learners come to an estimation of an answer to their question. The teacher provides additional information about the recipe as needed...
Under the Dome
Triangle Mystery ...
Build a pyramid based on sums. Individuals watch a video of a computer program that creates a pyramid of numbers based upon a starting number. The scholars develop a hypothesis on how the number trick works and share their thoughts on...
Under the Dome
Consecutive Number Sums
Determine equivalent methods to find sums of consecutive numbers. Learners watch a video of a computer program that finds the sum of five consecutive numbers given a starting number. Pupils hypothesize how to determine the sum without...
Under the Dome
A Math-ic Prediction
Trick out mathematical expressions. Scholars participate in a computerized magic trick where the computer guesses the final answer to a series of operations. Pupils investigate the trick to determine what is happening. Individuals then...
Under the Dome
Olympic Display
Design it with soda cases. After viewing a picture of a soda case display, pupils develop questions about the design using information from the teacher. Scholars use the information and their knowledge about area and multiplication to...
Under the Dome
The Candy Bowl Revisited
Time for more candy! Learners view a video of a candy bowl where some of the candy is removed and more placed back. Scholars come up with questions about the scenario to answer and request additional information from the teacher. At the...
Under the Dome
The Candy Bowl
Wonder how many pieces of candy a teacher can eat. Pupils watch a video of candy in a bowl as some candy is removed to be eaten and others are added. Learners devise questions about the situation along with estimated solutions. Scholars...
Under the Dome
Penny Cube
Use volume to count your change. Pupils watch as a cube is filled with stacks of pennies and make an estimate on how many pennies are in the cube. The teacher provides additional information to the class members about the size of the...
Under the Dome
Sweet Tart Hearts Revisited
Use fractions to estimate candy counts. After watching a video of emptying a bag of candies into a glass, individuals estimate the number of candies of each color. The teacher provides the class with additional information to help answer...
American Chemical Society
Heat - Energy on the Move
Turn up the heat. Individuals conduct two experiments to observe the difference between heated water and air versus cold water and air. Using food coloring, pupils observe the movement of the molecules in the two temperatures of water. A...
American Chemical Society
Great Electron Ripoff
Create a charge in the classroom. Using pieces of cellophane tape, a plastic grocery bag, and a balloon, learners investigate the effects of static electricity. Pupils create different charges in the materials and observe whether they...