Polar Trec
Nature's Density Column
Nature provides density columns in the polar regions that provides food for many animals. Young scientists build their own density columns with water in order to answer analysis questions. Through a slideshow presentation, scholars...
Curated OER
Go Fish!
So much science in one tiny fish! Introduce young biologists to the zebrafish, a common aquarium inhabitant. The small, unassuming organism presents an opportunity for learners to study habituation using an easy-to-care-for species. Lab...
Pingry School
Solubility Product of an Ionic Compound
How do scientists determine when a solution is fully saturated? Scholars address the topic as they observe patterns of precipitation in various concentrations of ions. Using a well plate, pipette, and common chemicals, they collect data...
Pingry School
The Water Lab – Spreadsheet Simulation
More than 70 percent of people and 90 percent of businesses use spreadsheets regularly. While many courses overlook the important skill, the simple water lab focuses on entering spreadsheet data, formatting it, and printing plots based...
Starry Night Education
The Year and Seasons
Turn your classroom into a live demonstration of how the earth and sun interact to create the four seasons. Using a globe, a light source, and a series of constellation cards, super scientists discover how the motion of these...
US Environmental Protection Agency
Non-Point Source Pollution
Investigate the different types of pollution that storm drain runoff carries into oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams with this class demonstration. Using an aquarium and an assortment of everyday items that contaminants like motor oil,...
University of Minnesota
Close-up of the Nervous System
Make sure your class gets on your nerves! Learners of all ages practice peering into the nervous system to see what's inside. Groups examine prepared slides of mammalian nervous system tissues, all while gaining microscope skills. The...
Concord Consortium
Gas Pressure in a Syringe
Plunge into a gas pressure activity! Junior physical scientists manipulate a syringe to study the particle model of gases. The interactive invites investigations of particle movements in capped versus uncapped syringes.
Royal Society of Chemistry
A Cartesian Diver—Classic Chemistry Experiments
Sometimes the simplest experiments leave the biggest impression! Introduce young chemists to the Cartesian Diver by having them make one of their own. Use the Diver to further their study of liquids and gases, as well as compression.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Lesson 6: Biomes and Landscapes
Aside from the amazing animals in Gorongosa National Park, what else is there to discover? The sixth installment in an eight-part themed series contains an interactive map where scholars can learn more about the geographic features of...
Curated OER
Night Sky Observation
Learners explore space science by completing an observational worksheet. In this astronomy activity, students view several worksheets in which learners identify minor changes between separate images in preparation for real star...
Curated OER
Case Study - Tragedy of the Commons
Students role play being a fisherman and fulfill the goals they are given from a description sheet. Other students observe the fisherman and record their behavior and actions. The class then discusses how this activity was an example...
Curated OER
Observation
Students study the different kinds of observation: fact and opinion. For this observation lesson students complete an activity that allows them to use their senses to make observations.
Curated OER
What is Science?
In this scientific observations activity, students study an illustration and then complete 5 short answer questions about what they observe happening in the picture.
Curated OER
The Birth of a Butterfly
Students explore the life cycle of a butterfly. In this butterfly lesson, students visit Internet websites, observe a live butterfly culture, and examine pictures of the stages of the butterfly life cycle in order to independently...
Curated OER
Observation: It's A Natural!
Students play the role of naturalist in their own community just as Thoreau was in his. They observe their communities looking for positive and negative aspects on the environment. They work together in groups to complete a model for...
Curated OER
Name That Cheese!
Students explore a variety of cheese. In this cheese lesson, students sample 4 different cheeses produced from cow's milk and recorded their observations about the cheeses prior to identifying them.
Curated OER
Tutti Frutti
Get some competition going in your life science class. Give lab groups a variety of plant parts, all of them fruits, except one. Their mission is to make observations, compare and contrast, in order to be the first to identify the...
American Chemical Society
Why Does Water Dissolve Salt?
Individuals explore solubility by modeling how water dissolves salts. They then view a video and compare how well water and alcohol dissolve salts, relating their comparisons to the structure of each molecule.
Royal Society of Chemistry
Acids and Bases—Microscale Chemistry
Here's proof that small-scale labs lead to big-time learning. Introduce acid-base interactions to middle school scientists through a microscale chemistry lab. Pupils combine a variety of solutions and use indicators to obtain approximate...
Curated OER
Beyond Science?: Healing Touch
Students apply the scientific method by building a "Proposal for Study." They label the Observation, Hypothesis, and Prediction columns. Students listen as the teacher introduces the alternative healing methods of therapeutic touch and...
Curated OER
Ocean Observations
Students examine a coastal ocean. For this physical science/earth science lesson, students generate a list of questions about how researchers study the ocean. In addition, students investigate, through research on the computer, to answer...
Curated OER
Science: Observing Fish Behavior
Students identify and explain various fish behaviors through observation. Over several months, they watch one fish in the classroom aquarium and record its behaviors in notebooks. They visit a virtual aquarium Website to find...
Curated OER
Weather Observation Journal
Students record weather for a period of one month. In this weather lesson, students observe weather for one month on a large pictograph. Students record clouds, wind, temperature and any other weather conditions they observe. Students...