+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Much Salt is in the Gsl Water?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study the water cycle and the different processes that are involved, like precipitation, evaporation, etc. They conduct an experiment observing the water cycle in action and write a hypothesis, observations and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rain On

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore evaporation and condensation. In this water cycle lesson, 4th graders investigate their surroundings for real-life examples of evaporation and condensation. Students conduct various experiments.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Boy, Is That Buoyant!

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders see that salt increases the density of water and creates a condition wherein objects are more buoyant than would be expected under normal conditions. They describe the relationship between heat energy, evaporation and...
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

What Is a "Convection Cell"?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Round and round in circles it goes! A hands-on activity has learners recreate a model of a convection cell. They watch as the difference in density of their materials creates a current.
+
Activity
DiscoverE

Keep-a-Cube

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Waxed paper, newspaper, or aluminum foil? Keeping an ice cube from melting may require one or more of these materials. Learners design a box that will provide insulation so an ice cube stays intact for at least 90 minutes.
+
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Atomic Bonding

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Explore the connection of surface area to bonding within atoms. Learners complete lab investigations to model changing surface area with different sizes and concentrations of atoms. A flour fireball demonstration follows the labs to...
+
Lesson Plan
NASA

Here Comes the Light!

For Students 7th - 12th
Look beyond the light! An engaging activity introduces young scholars to the application of a spectroscope. The lesson is the fifth in a series of six and focuses on the analysis of the elements of the sun.
+
Lab Resource
Colorado State University

Do Cities Affect the Weather? (Making a Cloud in a Bottle)

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The dynamics of a city can have a drastic effect on the weather. A hands-on lesson asks learners to build a model to illustrate how city pollution provides a nucleus for condensation. The greater the pollution, the greater chance for...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Shadow Knows - Creating Shadows

For Teachers K - 1st
Young learners recognize a shadow and witness how shadows occur when light is blocked. They access streamed video, standard video, and websites in order to engage in their study of how light is naturally blocked to create shadows. An...
+
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

When It Rains It Pours More Drought and More Heavy Rainfall

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Which is worse — drought or flooding? Neither is helpful to the environment, and both are increasing due to climate change. The 16th lesson in a series of 21 covers the average precipitation trends for two different climates within the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Biomass Balancing Act

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students work in groups to research biomass using the International Energy Agency's website. Students use evidence from the web search to assess biomass energy potential in Pennsylvania as part of a classroom "Alternative Energy...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is Temperature?

For Teachers K - 5th
Students study the effects of temperature and air expansion. In this temperature lesson, students discuss temperature and participate in a role play of low energy and high energy molecules. Students then discuss their activity and...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Combustion

For Students 8th - 12th
In this combustion pre-lab worksheet, students determine the chemical equation for the reaction, define combustion and exothermic, and describe the molar heat of combustion. This worksheet has 14 short answer questions.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is Temperature?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners examine how temperature is the measure of the average kinetic energy of the molecules of a substance.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bungee Man Lab

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore the motion of a toy bungee jumper using the scientific method. They view a video of a bungee jumper and discuss what can be measured about a bungee jump. Students discuss the scientific mehtod and how to design an...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Atmospheric Processes - Radiation

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students investigate how different surfaces absorb heat, and how the physical characteristics of a surface have a powerful effect on the way a surface absorbs and releases heat from the sun.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What The Peanuts Say: Catabolism and Calories

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the energy released by a peanut and a piece of a walnut. In this catabolism and calories lesson plan, students burn a peanut and a piece of a walnut and measure the temperature of the water before burning and after...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Conduction, Convection, Radiation, Oh My!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers draw a line graph, and use graphing as a tool to discover more about conduction, convection and radiation. They should design their own experiment using heat sensitive paper to show they explain these 3 processes.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thermoelectricity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conduct a series of experiments on thermoelectricity. In this physics instructional activity, students investigate how thermocouple works. They determine the voltage generated when different conductive materials are held at...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is a greenhouse?

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students experiment to gain understanding of how a greenhouse retains heat.  In this greenhouse lesson plan, students work with soda bottles and simulate a greenhouse. Students compare data from a vented and intact bottle. Students...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Physical Science: Magnetism and Electricity

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students use a variety of objects to test for ability to "stick" to a magnet. They perform an experiment to see that electricity in circuits can produce light, heat, sound, and magnetic effects. They discover magnets attract and repel...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seasons

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students investigate the reason for seasons on Earth during three activities. They construct a model of the Earth and Sun to identify patterns in the changes of the angle of light on the Earth's surface. Then they conduct a heat...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Just Right

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students conduct an experiment to determine the temperature tolerance of yeasts. In this biology lesson, students collect data and compare them by plotting graphs. They explain how extreme temperatures affect organisms.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Impact Craters: Holes in the Ground!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students simulate crater formation through a lab activity. In this space science lesson, students calculate how much energy is transferred during meteorite impact. They identify different factors affecting the size and depth of craters...