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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Light Waves: Grades 9-12

For Students 9th - 12th
Explore the behavior of light waves with a lab activity. Scholars build new vocabulary through experimentation and observation. Using different mediums, they model reflection, refraction, transmission, diffusion, and scattering of light.
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Diffraction Demystified

For Students 9th - 12th
Study diffraction patterns using CDs and DVDs! Scholars measure the diffraction patterns of a light wave as it hits a CD or DVD. Using the information, they can measure the distance between the tracks. 
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Lesson Plan
Towson University

The Crucial Concentration

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Which sports drink provides the best pick-me-up after the big game or grueling workout? It may not be the one you'd think! Food science is the focus in a surprising lab activity. Pupils use colorimetry to determine the amount of protein,...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

What's the Frequency, Roy G. Biv?

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
While all light travels at the same speed, each color in the visible light spectrum contains a different wavelength and frequency. Scholars determine the relationship between frequency and wavelength as they complete the activity. They...
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Interactive
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1
NOAA

Ocean Waves

For Students 6th - 12th
Surf's up! What causes the constant motion of Earth's oceans? Scholars discover the origins and types of waves in part nine of a 13-installment series. The resource illustrates wave behavior, their destructive power, and current research...
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

LEDs Rainbow Connection

For Students 6th - 12th
View LED lights through the eyes of a scientist. Young scholars learn to view light as a wave frequency and connect various frequencies to different colors on the light spectrum. A lab activity asks groups to measure the frequency of...
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Light Wave

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Do radio waves create light? It's more difficult to understand the things we can't see than those that we can. The simulation compares the relatively small range of visible light to the entire electromagnetic spectrum. It graphs the size...
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Stow Lake

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Does the depth of a pond matter to the waves created when rain is falling? Many people assume the answer is no, but interestingly, it does matter. Pupils explore this concept and other variables related to wave behavior through a...
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Doppler Ducks

For Students 9th - 12th
The study of waves is not a quacking matter! Watch as a duck manipulates the behavior of its waves through its motion. Graphs show the frequency and wavelength of the waves. 
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Lesson Plan
Santa Monica College

Flame Tests of Metal Cations

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
Scientists used flame tests to identify elements long before the invention of emission spectroscopy. Young chemists observe a flame test of five metal cations in the fourth lesson of an 11-part series. Individuals then work...
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Interactive
McGraw Hill

Doppler Shift Interactive

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
Ever wonder why a siren sounds different when it's coming toward you than when it's going away from you? It all depends on the motion of the sound waves! The interactive activity demonstrates how the Doppler effect impacts the motion of...
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Lesson Plan
LABScI

Acoustics: The Sound Lab

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
If the delay between a sound and its echo is less than 1/10th of a second, the human ear can’t distinguish it. Through the use of a Slinky, rubber band guitar, and straws, scholars explore where sound comes from and how it travels. Whole...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Teach Engineering

Electromagnetic Radiation

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
How can nanoparticles be used in the battle against skin cancer. Class members take on the question as they gather information about electromagnetic radiation, specifically ultraviolet radiation. Pupils learn about the mathematical...
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Activity
1
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Teach Engineering

Flame Test: Red, Green, Blue, Violet?

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Let the true colors shine through. Pupils conduct a flame test to identify an unknown element. Class members calculate and prepare specific molarity solutions of three chemicals. Using their observations of the colors emitted, they...
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Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Thirsty for Gold

For Teachers 7th - 12th
In the last portion of the six-part unit, teams perform an experiment with gold nanoparticles to determine which sport drink has the most electrolytes. The nanoparticles are used as chemical sensors and fluoresce in different wavelengths...
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PPT
Urbana School District

Light

For Students 11th - Higher Ed
You matter, unless you multiply yourself by the speed of light ... then you energy. Presentation covers the behavior of light as both a wave and a particle, light versus sound, space travel, why objects have colors, depth perception,...
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PPT
Urbana School District

Waves

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
What is a physicist's favorite part of sports? Doing the wave. The presentation covers longitudinal, transverse, surface, and standing waves. It includes in-depth information on frequency, wavelength, period, amplitude, reflection,...
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Activity
1
1
Teach Engineering

Quantum Dots and Colors

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Introduce teams to quantum dot solutions with an activity that has them expose solutions to a blacklight, observe the colors, and take measurements. Groups graph the data and analyze the dependence between particle size and color...
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Activity
It's About Time

Slinkies and Waves

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Slinkies® are a great tool for visualizing waves. Pupils work in groups to create both transverse and longitudinal waves before using a polarizer to analyze the ways they are able to travel. 
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Activity
It's About Time

Sounds in Strings

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
How many of your pupils play an instrument? A musical science lesson will help all of them understand how string instruments work. Young scientists construct a string-and-pulley system to test frequency and pitch. The lesson ends with a...
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Activity
It's About Time

Making Waves

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Young scientists use Slinkys to better understand waves. After creating and measuring many aspects of waves, they complete a handout and homework questions. The resource also introduces the final project for the chapter, though it does...
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Activity
It's About Time

The Chemical Behavior of Atoms

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Assist your class with this colorful activity as students view and interpret changes in the hydrogen atom. They discuss concepts of the electromagnetic spectrum and use Bohr's model to predict wavelengths and light patterns,...
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Unit Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Earthquakes: Third Grade Lesson Plans and Activities

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Introduce third graders to energy waves with a hands-on geology activity, in which they answer questions and compare seismograms in the San Francisco Bay area. After a demonstration that shows how bigger waves indicate a high-intensity...
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Unit Plan
1
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Curated OER

Earthquakes: Fourth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities

For Teachers 4th Standards
Examine earthquake intensities and ways to measure an earthquake through the comparison of the Mercalli and Richter scales. After completing the pre-lab worksheet, fourth graders compare high and low intensity quakes by testing the...