Curated OER
Ready, Set, Let's Dough! It's A Matter Of System
Students discover that everyday substances are composed of parts that make a unique whole. Thsy examine a complex system when they create their own play dough by taking several parts and creating a whole.
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Why is My Honey Runny?
Students identify the factors that affect viscosity of substances. In this chemistry lesson, students define what viscosity is in their own words. They give real world applications of viscosity.
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Mixed Tables
Bring out the pegboards for this one! As you introduce multiplication, explain it as sets of objects using these visual practice problems. Learners look at eight pegboards with varying rows filled. For each, they fill in two sentences...
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11 - The Heat Is On
Students observe physical change of melting by observing substance in original state, melting substance, allowing substance to return to original temperature, determining if substance retained its original properties, and recording results.
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Anatomy of an Element
Learners discuss matter and atoms using this resource. First, they look at a website describing atoms. Then, they learn about the periodic table and discuss how it is organized. Finally, they create a comic strip to display their...
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Putting the Ice in Hockey
Eighth grade physical science classes examine why the ice on which hockey is played is slippery. They do so by discussing phases of matter and the molecular motion in each. They read an article on a website and write out answers to...
Illustrative Mathematics
Rectangle Perimeter 3
This activity looks at writing expressions to represent perimeter of a rectangle and then considers the concept of equivalent expressions and the distributive property in more detail.
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Periodic Table of the Elements
First graders discuss, at their level, the concept of elements making up all matter. They discover the story of Dimitri Mendeleev and his discovery of the Periodic Table of the Elements. They locate and color some of the most common...
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Ice Cream
Open this instructional activity by giving a brief history of ice cream. Using liquid nitrogen to lower the temperature, preteens make their own confection. The accompanying activity sheet queries learners about freezing point, the...
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Chemical Compounds
Your young chemists will find these slides very informative. Groups and periods of the periodic table are labeled and described according to the charge. Comprehensive explanations of physical and chemical properties and how they relate...
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Numbers, Numbers Everywhere!
Explore properties of integers! For this algebra lesson, pupils add, subtract, divide and multiply using integers correctly. They differentiate between rational and irrational numbers.
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Environmental Studies: The Environment Rocks!
Rock exploration, so exciting! After reading the book Everybody Needs a Rock, the class makes sandwiches to better understand that the Earth is made in layers. They then use a description of the 3 types of rock to conduct an observation...
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Liquids in Bottles
Students investigate different liquids to develop their concept of a liquid. They work at a center to tip, swirl, shake, roll, and otherwise investigate seven liquids in small, clear plastic bottles: plain water, corn syrup, liquid...
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Crystals: What Are They and What Holds Them Together
Young scholars are introduced to the characteristics of crystals and what keeps them together. Using the Periodic Table, they examine the various elements and develop a model of an atom. In groups, they place sugar and salt in petri...
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Human Tools: From Stone to Iron
In this tools activity, students read about the tools used during the Stone Age and how the process of smelting lead to a great change in tool making. Then students complete 3 short answer questions.
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My Science Box
Students investigate snails and their physical and behavioral characteristics. In this investigative instructional activity students create a pie chart to show the results of their findings.
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the Wonder of Wetlands
Students explore the importance of the wetland ecosystem, its properties and functions, as well as, the many birds, animals, and plant life found there.
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Funny Putty
Students are introduced to the properties of solids, liquids and gases. They see that colloids are mixtures which display the properties of more than one of these states. They engage in an excellent experiment which demonstrates this fact.
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Kinetic Molecular Theory
High schoolers analyze and evaluate evidence that matter is made of tiny particles. They observe a series of phenomena involving solids, liquids, and gases to make inferences about the spacing, interactions and relative kinetic energies...
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The Periodic Table
Eighth graders read and interpret the Periodic Table. They also make decisions on how to group and arrange different kinds of matter and draw the structure of atoms of pure elements. Finally, 8th graders contrast and compare basic...
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Static electricity: Ah, There's the rub!
Students experiment to investigate static electricity. In this static electricity instructional activity, students prepare a balloon head and draw a face on it. Students rub the nose and the balloon moves toward the student...
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NUMB3RS Activity: A Matter of Half-Life and Death
Students investigate exponential decay. Students explore the biological half-life of Cesium-137. Students investigate the Goiania Accident of 1987 which is considered one of the worst incidents in the history of the Atomic...
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Matter and Energy
Students participate in a small group read aloud of the short story, "Cerium" by Primo Levi. They answer several questions about the story and then relate the reading to a lecture on Kinetic theory. After the lecture they apply the...