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Activity
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Powers of Ten with the Blue Morpho Butterfly

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Explore the powers of ten while examining a Blue Morpho butterfly wing. Learners discover there is a lot more than meets the eye when one looks close enough.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mixtures

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders experiment with mixtures. In this chemistry lesson, 6th graders determine which mixtures are considered heterogeneous, a suspension, a solution or a colloid. Students create a data sheet of what they discover.
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PPT
Curated OER

The Dust Bowl: Out of the Dust

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Is your class going to read the novel, Out of the Dust? If so, you can prep them with a presentation that provides both images of the Dust Bowl and quotes from the book. Tip: Have learners use the images to compose descriptive...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Matter and Energy

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore energy by completing a science worksheet in class. For this principles of matter lesson, students define the vocabulary terms force, gravity, nuclear, and electromagnetic before reading assigned text about energy....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mini-Ponds

For Teachers 7th - 9th
In this mini pond worksheet, students create a mini-pond ecosystem with soil, water, and plant life. Students let their ecosystem sit for a day and they observe a sample the next day. Students identify all the pond water microorganisms...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Which Wrap Is Wrapped Right?

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students investigate the integrity and strength of different types of food wraps. They test the wraps and create a graphic organizer for the data. Once it is organized then a lab report can be written. The lesson contains background...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Naturally Magnetic Elements

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Young scholars explore naturally magnetic elements. In this magnets lesson plan, students examine the periodic table of elements. Young scholars discover the parts of an atom and determine which three elements are magnetic.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electromagnetic Spectrum/Spectroscopy

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students examine the electromagnetic spectrum and demonstrate the elements within.  For this investigative lesson students complete a demonstration and calculate the energy of a photon. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Summer Research Program for Science Teachers

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students analyze the optical region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Conserving Energy Resources

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders research on energy conversion. After they have researched several types of energy resources, teams of two to four create posters which depict how these resources can be conserved.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students calculate the values of electron binding energies. In this physics instructional activity, students solve for different wavelength characteristics of X-rays. They present their findings to the class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Grating Spectrometer

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students calculate the Balmer series. In this physics activity, students observe hydrogen lamp spectra using spectrometers. They calculate wavelength and compare them with their theoretical calculations.
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Light Waves: Interactive Lesson

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Light is all around you, with wavelengths bigger than mountains and smaller than atoms. Learn about light waves, and the ways in which light interacts with matter, with this lesson plan.
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Website
Space Telescope Science Institute

Amazing Space: Star Light Star Bright

For Students 3rd - 8th
A few short, interactive activities on light waves can be found on this site. Numerous others links and teacher resources are posted here as well. A good background on light is offered for teachers.
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Unit Plan
Vision Learning

Visionlearning: Physics: Light I: Particle or Wave

For Students 9th - 10th
Instructional module focusing on light. Discussion includes historical development of particle versus wave theories and the scientific studies leading to the understanding of light waves today. Site also includes an interactive practice...
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Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: What Is a Wave?

For Students 9th - 10th
This interactive activity adapted from the University of Utah's ASPIRE Lab provides an overview of the characteristics and properties of various types of waves, including light waves, sound waves, and water waves.
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12 Exploration Series: Simulations: Physics: Light Wave

For Students 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Are there colors we don't see? This simulation addresses that question by exploring light as an electromagnetic wave. Learn how the electromagnetic wave relates its wavelength and frequency to the...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Mechanical Waves

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Learn about mechanical waves, which transfers energy from one place to another through liquids, gases and solids, with this interactive lesson.
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Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Bringing the Universe to America's Classrooms: Waves: Light Collection

For Students K - 1st
Observe the appearance of objects under different conditions to find that objects are only visible when illuminated by light, explore how light interacts with different materials, and develop a code that uses light to communicate across...
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eBook
Physics Classroom

The Physics Classroom: Light Waves and Color: Wavelike Behaviors of Light

For Students 9th - 10th
In this series of interactive physics tutorials, students will focus on the wavelike nature of light.
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eBook
Physics Classroom

The Physics Classroom: Light Waves and Color: Blue Skies and Red Sunsets

For Students 9th - 10th
Students will focus on the interaction of sunlight with atmospheric particles to produce blue skies and red sunsets.
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eBook
Physics Classroom

The Physics Classroom: Light Waves/color: Electromagnetic and Visible Spectra

For Students 9th - 10th
This illustrated physics tutorial explains the electromagnetic and visible spectra of light using illustrated examples and interactive practice problems.
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eBook
Physics Classroom

The Physics Classroom: Light Waves and Color: Color Addition

For Students 9th - 10th
Through illustrated example problems, and some interactive practice, students learn about color addition and color perception.
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Interactive
University of Colorado

University of Colorado: Ph Et Interactive Simulations: Wave Interference

For Students 9th - 10th
Conduct virtual experiments with water, sound, and light waves to determine the sine wave and patterns created in each.