PBS
Robot Body Language
Don't be so emotional! Scholars take part in an activity where they consider how future robots will be able to show emotions. They place paper bags over their heads, act out emotions through body movements, and have others guess the...
PBS
Passion for Pixels
Picture this: a fun activity for pupils to discover pixels. After learning about digital signals and pixels, scholars act as senders and receivers of an image. The sender indicates zero or one to tell whether each square in a grid is...
PBS
Locker Lights
Light up a locker for a more festive hallway! Scholars learn about electric currents, LEDs, and switches, then experiment with their own circuits. They use the circuits to design and build locker decorations that light up when turned on...
PBS
Properties of Matter: Matter's Physical Properties | UNC-TV Science
Does gold really boil? Learn what temperature gold boils at and more using an animated activity about the properties of matter. Scientists learn about the properties of matter including examples of physical properties, the effect changes...
PBS
Phase Changes | Phases of Matter | UNC-TV Science
Take an energetic ride through the phase changes of a water molecule in a compact activity. Young scientists learn about the phases of matter and discover the role of thermal energy in governing phase changes while watching a short...
PBS
The 3 Phases | Phases of Matter | UNC-TV Science
Explore the states of matter without the mess or expensive equipment in a compact, informative activity. Scientists watch as the narrator explains the three states of matter using a glass of ice and soda in an animated video that...
PBS
Watershed Management: Ways of Watersheds | UNC-TV Science
Inspire young conservationists to protect the environment with a short activity on water quality and watersheds. Participants discover the importance of watershed management, learn about water quality problems, and discover possible...
PBS
The Water Cycle: Ways of Watersheds | UNC-TV
Explore water on Earth without getting wet using a short animated activity. Scientists learn how water interacts with the land, the importance of watersheds, and relevant vocabulary as they watch an informative and engaging video....
PBS
Categorizing Matter | UNC-TV Science
Take the difficulty out of classifying matter with an easy-to-follow activity that makes distinguishing between pure substances and mixtures simple. Scholars explore how matter is grouped between two categories—pure substances and...
PBS
Volume and Amplitude | UNC-TV Science
Future physicists pump up the volume while discovering the world of sound waves. Group members learn about the qualities of sound waves, the relationship between energy and sound volume, and the definition of amplitude while viewing an...
PBS
Genome 101: Life's Instruction Manual | UNC-TV Science
Crack open the mysteries inside a genome. Participants view an animated video describing the relationship between DNA, genes, proteins, chromosomes, and an organism's genome. A post-video instructional activity allows pupils to apply...
PBS
Genes 101: Life’s Instruction Manual | UNC-TV Science
Discover the common genetic ground shared by humans and chickens. Group members listen and view an animation about genes and proteins, which details their roles in building biological structures such as tissues and organs. Participants...
PBS
What's the Matter? | UNC-TV Science
Explore what makes up the universe and demystify the complex ideas of matter and the atom. Group members watch a video with explanations, animations, and examples that discuss the characteristics and importance of matter. Scholars then...
PBS
Light Absorption: Effects of Light | UNC-TV Science
Beat the summer heat by exploring the properties of color. Scientists view a video explaining the relationship between light absorption and energy transfer using variables including intensity, time, and wavelength. A multiple-choice...
PBS
Reflection and Refraction | UNC-TV Science
Uncover the exciting interactions of light energy and matter ranging from color to optical illusions. Participants explore color using red and green apples, differences between reflection and refraction, and descriptions of related...
PBS
Terrific Trees
Engage in a shady activity to practice measurement techniques. Classes venture outside to collect measurements of various trees, using different strategies to measure the height, trunk circumference, width, and crown size. Then they...
PBS
Take It in Stride
One step at a time, pupils practice their measurement techniques as they analyze their stride length. They design their own procedures for measuring and relate their stride measurements to the distance traveled by making calculations.
PBS
Keep Out!
Sound the alarm about a great resource. Scholars first build a simple circuit to learn the basics about electric currents. They then design an alarm system in which a buzzer activates when pressure is applied to a doormat.
PBS
High Tech Fashion
Creatively combine clothes and conductors. Pupils learn how to use conductive thread to make electric circuits. They apply the thread to design and build an accessory item with LEDs.
PBS
Dough Creatures
Knead a resource on electric circuits? A fun activity teaches future scientists about conductors and insulators. They prepare conducting and insulating dough and use them to make creatures that light up.
PBS
Code Creators
The lesson is real—even if the computer code isn't. Scholars learn about pseudocode, which simulates computer code using everyday language. They write pseudocode for simple actions, then have classmates guess the action from the written...
PBS
Out and About
Field guides are a like a window into an ecosystem. Young scientists collaborate to create their own field guides by recording observations from a local ecosystem. Ideally, they collect information over time to create a more complete...
PBS
Bogged Down
Enjoy a hands-on lesson that will certainly hold water with your classes. Young scientists design an experiment to determine the materials that absorb water the best. They test both man-made and nature-made materials and conduct...
PBS
House Warming
Things should heat up during a hands-on lesson exploring solar energy. An enlightening activity challenges young scientists to design a structure that collects solar energy efficiently. They keep track of temperature data over time and...