Curated OER
Improving the Building Envelope System
Students explain the different heat transfer mechanisms and how they influence the building envelope. They develop ways in which the building envelope can be improved and test hypotheses about building envelope designs.
Curated OER
Improving the HVAC System
Students describe the components of an HVAC system and determine which factors influence how efficient the system can be. They work together to develop hypotheses about the systems and their cost effectiveness and efficiency.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Acceleration, Drag, Gravity, Motion, Forces, and Friction
Eighth graders build and run mousetrap cars in order to measure distance, time, and mass for their cars. They use these measurements to calculate average speed and kinetic energy, then create a slide show to visually explain how the car...
Curated OER
The Envelope System: A Partial Solution
Studnet identify examples of conduction, convection and radiation. They develop an example of a building envelope. They also describe how heat transfer mechanisms can affect home energy costs.
Curated OER
The Blue Bottle: An Example of Teacher-Guided Inquiry
Learners observe a demonstration in which a bottle containing a colorless solution is mixed, turns blue, then becomes colorless again. They record observations, form and discuss hypotheses, and draw a conclusion based on the evidence.
Curated OER
Tornadoes
Middle schoolers examine the characteristics of a tornado. They practice using new vocabulary and participate in a question and answer session. They use the internet to gather more specific information.
Curated OER
Eating Through the Metric System
Seventh graders convert measurements in recipes to metric measurements and prepare the food items. They create a metric measurement cookbook.
Curated OER
Acids and Bases: Together again!
Students identify principles behind acid-base reactions. They predict factors that may affect an acid-base reaction. Students identify questions and concepts that guide scientific investigations.
Curated OER
Bhopal - Rate of Reaction
Students determine that the rate of reaction is affected by temperature, surface area, concentration of reagent, and addition of a catalyst or inhibitor. They observe that on December 3rd, 1984, 8000 people died when the chemical plant...
Curated OER
Elements and the Periocic Table
Eighth graders draw the structure of an atom. They construct atomic models, list parts/locations of an atom, organize parts of the periodic table and write a descriptive report about an element.
Curated OER
The Energy Debate - Stoichiometry
Students determine crude oil can be separated into useful fractions by a process of fractional distillation. They write a balanced equation for the reaction between a hydrocarbon and oxygen.
Curated OER
Ice Cream
Students create ice cream in a bag and snow ice cream to study the effects of freezing on foods. In this ice cream lesson, students understand the effects of freezing on cells.
Curated OER
Body and Blood
Students explore the cardiovascular system. Through the use of video, students observe the heart pumping an oxygen-enriched blood supply through arteries to the muscles in use during exercise. They participate in activities to explore...
Curated OER
Snack Attack: Food Packaging Activity
Learners design and create packaging material for food. For this snack attack lesson, students design a package to protect a food item from heat and water. Learners consider costs of materials, design, and test the package to see if it...
Curated OER
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!
Students study the different types of volcanoes and how they erupt. In this volcano lesson plan students identify where volcanoes are most prevalent and options for predicting eruptions.
Curated OER
T-Shirt Chromatography
Students study about chromatography, a process used to separate mixtures. They see that chromatography is used to detect, separate or purify different substances. This nice instructional activity results in a beautiful t-shirt for each...
Curated OER
Welcome to Love Canal
Students engage in a variety of activities that address the ethical issues surrounding the Love Canal case study.
Curated OER
Have a Ball with Bernoulli II
Third graders explore the work of Daniel Bernoulli through experiment and background information. In this Bernoulli lesson plan, 3rd graders participate in air pressure experiments. Students record their observations of the effects of...
Curated OER
What is the Attraction?
Second graders investigate the law of polarity. In this magnets instructional activity, 2nd graders discover how magnets are used in everyday life and which objects in our environment are magnetic. Students experiment with bar magnets...
Curated OER
Glide Away
Students design and construct a gliding aircraft. They use the Internet as a research tool to gain background information about specific flight principles.
Curated OER
Electromagnetism
Young scholars explore the generation of magnetic fields from currents in wires and measure the magnetic field directions. They measure magnetic fields in their own environment. They also examine how moving magnetic fields can create...
Curated OER
Magnetism
Students examine the concept of magnetism by doing several activities using magnets and compasses. They explore poles and polar repulsion and attraction.
Curated OER
Air Is All Around Us!
Students design an instrument to show that air is all around. In this air lesson plan, students research, construct, and present a design that proves that air is all around, even though they can't see it or touch it. A teacher and self...