American Chemical Society
Changing State: Freezing
There are five types of frost: ground frost, air frost, hoar frost, glaze, and rime. Scholars mix ice and salt in a metal container to observe frost forming on the outside of the can. Animations and videos enhance the learning.
American Chemical Society
What is Density?
Density: the reason a giant pumpkin will float, but a tiny cranberry won't. Lesson begins with a demonstration of two of the same-sized cubes having different densities. Then pupils take eight cubes, each of the same size, and have to...
American Chemical Society
Density of Water
We know solids have a density we can measure, but what about liquids? Lesson explores this concept and allows scholars to explore the relationship between volume and density. Graphing and analysis questions round out the activity.
American Chemical Society
Density: Sink and Float for Solids
Steal cubes sink, but steal ships float. Lesson explores the density of solids as well as the density of water in determining what will sink and what will float. A hands-on group activity helps pupils see that weight and volume are...
American Chemical Society
Can Gases Dissolve in Water?
Why does soda fizz when opened? Learners discuss the appearance of bubbles in soda bottles when opened. In groups, they design and complete an experiment comparing the amount of carbon dioxide dissolving in cold versus hot liquids.
American Chemical Society
Using Chemical Change to Identify an Unknown
If you discover an unknown powder, how do you determine if it is safe? Lesson uses four different tests to identify the properties of various powders that appear the same. Then scholars get an unknown powder and have to determine which...
American Chemical Society
Density: Sink and Float for Liquids
We don't think of liquids as floating typically, but a quick look at any oil spill tells a different story. Lesson explores various densities of liquids and why this fact is important. After observing the density variation, scholars...
American Chemical Society
Temperature Affects Density
Different substances can have different densities, but can the same substance have different densities? Lesson explores the effect of temperature on the density of water. Extension idea connects the concept of how melting ice in lakes...
American Chemical Society
Curious Crystals
Crystals are more than meets the eye! Can learners tell them apart simply by observation? As they examine five samples with a magnifier, they find that appearance alone is not enough. This serves as an introduction to a mini unit on...
American Chemical Society
Condensation
It's time to break the ice! If you are doing all of the lessons in the unit, children have already seen that increasing heat increases the rate of evaporation, but is the opposite true? Does decreasing temperature cause more condensation...
American Chemical Society
Temperature Affects Dissolving
Stir chocolate drink mix into hot and cold water to see if there is a difference in how quickly it dissolves. Number three in a six-lesson unit on dissolving, this installment investigates the effect of temperature. If you consult the...
American Chemical Society
Evaporation
This is one in several lessons that explore the relationship between temperature and phase changes of water. After some discussion, elementary physical scientists place wet paper toweling on a hot and a room-temperature water bag...
American Chemical Society
Dissolving a Substance in Different Liquids
Second of six lessons in a unit on dissolving, this one focuses on how sugar behaves in different liquids. Learners stir it into water, alcohol, and oil and make observations. This lesson can stand alone, but is best used as part of the...
American Chemical Society
Defining Dissolving
Physical science investigators mix sugar and food coloring into different cups of water and cooking oil to compare how the solid and liquid behave in each. As the introduction to this unit on dissolving, it is relevant.
American Chemical Society
Dissolving Different Liquids in Water
Not many youngsters realize that solids aren't the only materials that can possibly be dissolved in water. During this investigation, they find out that some liquids can dissolve in water as well. This is part of a unit on solubility,...
American Chemical Society
Comparing the Density of Different Liquids
Learners will like making a liquid layer cake to investigate the relative densities of various liquids: water, oil, and corn syrup. They will also introduce a few solid materials to find out how their densities compare. Standing alone,...
American Chemical Society
Changing the Density of a Liquid - Adding Salt
Fourth in a set of several little lessons on density, this one compares the density of fresh and salt water. First by demonstration, and then by a hands-on activity, learners find that adding salt increases the density, as is evidenced...
Henry Ford Museum
Human Impact on Ecosystems
An environmenta science unit includes three lessons plus a cumulative project covering the ecosystem. Scholars follow the history of the Ford Rouge Factory from its construction on wetlands and how it destroyed the...
American Chemical Society
Exploring Moisture on the Outside of a Cold Cup: For Dry Environments
If the area you live in is arid, or the preceding experiment in this unit didn't yield obvious results, use this one in place of it to help reveal where condensation comes from. The mini unit that this is part of a comprehensive...
Science 4 Inquiry
Frenemies, Bros and Killers: A Lesson in Symbiosis
Animals and plants develop relationships and rely on each other to survive. Pupils learn more about symbiosis through a video, a hands-on matching activity, and a game. They differentiate and describe each type on a written evaluation.
Mr. Nussbaum
Abraham Lincoln Reading Comprehension—The Middle Years (Part 2)
Abraham Lincoln's face may only be worth one cent, but the online reading passage and questions about his life are an invaluable resource. Pupils read a passage about Lincoln's experience with the Illinois Legislature, earning his law...
Federal Reserve Bank
Dealing with the Great Depression
As part of their study of the Great Depression, young economists examine statistical data to determine the effectiveness of FDR's New Deal recovery programs.
Science 4 Inquiry
The Monster Mash
Young scientists create monsters by applying their knowledge of transcription and translation. They randomly find the DNA, assign it a codon, and build monsters piece by piece.
Science 4 Inquiry
Temperature of Inner Planets
Mars, Earth, and Venus contain atmospheres that generate weather. Young scientists explore the temperature of inner planets. They create a model simulating the greenhouse effect before researching and answering guided questions to...