Science Matters
Earthquakes and Volcanoes Pre-Assessment
See how much your class knows about earthquakes and volcanic activity and how these events shape geologic features. The first lesson in the series of 20 is a pre-test to find out what pupils already know. It includes 10 vocabulary words...
Virginia Department of Education
Formulas and Percent Compositions of Ionic Compounds
Try not to blind anyone with science by following the safety rules. The lesson encourages scholars to form an ionic compound from magnesium and chlorine. Then they determine the empirical formula and determine the mole ratio and percent...
Virginia Department of Education
Adaptation and Evolution
Um may be the atomic symbol for confusion, but it won't be needed in this lesson. Scholars rotate through seven stations completing experiments, hands-on activities, writing exercises, and analysis. Stations include material on...
Virginia Department of Education
Classification of Organisms
Searching for the perfect indoor/outdoor activity that allows class members the opportunity to learn about organism classification? Here, pupils research organisms and categorize them according to domain and kingdom over the course of...
Virginia Department of Education
The Law of Conservation of Matter
The Law of Conservation of Matter can be complex for young scientists to fully grasp. Use this experiment to help simplify the process as pupils perform two experiments to determine mass: one that melts a substance and the other that...
Science Matters
Post-Assessment
Twenty questions make up an assessment designed to test super scientists' knowledge of ecosystems. Scholars answer multiple-choice and short-answer questions about organisms, food chains, energy flow, and more.
Virginia Department of Education
Vapor Pressure and Colligative Properties
Hate to vacuum, but enjoy using a vacuum pump? Explore a lesson plan that starts with a demonstration of boiling water at various temperatures by using a vacuum pump. Then scholars design their own experiments to measure vapor pressure...
Virginia Department of Education
Greenhouse Gas Modeling Activity
Why are greenhouse gases called greenhouse gases? Young Earth scientists learn about greenhouse gases though experimentation in the second installment of a 3-part series. They use lamps to model radiant energy as well as warming through...
Virginia Department of Education
Isotopes
Lead your class through the amazing world of isotopes as they investigate the various properties they contain and further understand their respective location on the periodic table. They explore half-lives and radioactivity as each...
Virginia Department of Education
Average Atomic Masses
Facilitate learning by using small objects to teach the principles of atomic mass in your science class. Pupils determine the average mass of varying beans as they perform a series of competitive experiments. They gather data and...
Virginia Department of Education
Succession
The final lesson in a two-part series prompts scholars to create newspaper articles and succession events. Applying their knowledge of the ecosystem and the past examples of succession, they predict what will happen in the future using...
Rochester Institute of Technology
Artificial Eye
Scientists in California developed a bionic eye that allows blind people to see edges of objects in black and white and costs $145,000. In the activity, groups of scholars discuss bioengineering, focusing on the human eye. They then...
Curated OER
Testing for Conductivity
Students test the conductivity of selected liquids and solids. They test the circuit by touching the two free ends of the wires together and add salt little by little recording the data after each addition. Finally, students predict...
Curated OER
Water Testing
In this water testing pre-lab worksheet, students describe positive ions, precipitate, and the Tyndall effect. This worksheet has 14 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Wet or Dry Experiment
Practice the scientific process by testing whether mealworms prefer a wet or dry environment. This is an engaging experiment to use as an example of how to go through the steps of the scientific method. Elementary schoolers can work in...
Curated OER
Cool Liquids
Chemistry neophytes use a temperature probe to assess the change as five different liquids evaporate. The implantation section suggests that they take readings every five seconds for a total of four minutes. They graph the data, look up...
Curated OER
Where's the Beef - Beef Facts or Hype, Is it Bad for You?
Analyze a Happy Meal™ for nutrient content and calories. Blend the contents into "McMush" and use Biuret's solution to test for protein content. There are a few problems with the lesson plan: the resource links are no longer valid, the...
Curated OER
Where in the world is the Hydra Electron?
Walk your class through the journey water takes once it leaves your kitchen sink, all the way through the water cycle. Demonstrations support your lecture. This plan is thoroughly written, but ideally you would follow it up with water...
Curated OER
The Krebs Cycle and Electron Transport
A three-page, mostly multiple choice quiz that would work great as a pretest/post-test for the topic of cellular respiration. It also includes diagram interpretation and a couple of short-answer written response questions. Depending on...
Virginia Department of Education
Equations
Science equipment can be handy for math class, too. Scholars learn to solve one- and two-step linear equations by using the concept of a balance. They solve real-world problems in a variety of contexts by writing and solving linear...
Curated OER
Generic vs. Brand Name
Students compare and contrast generic and brand name products and the costs of producing each. They explore the "Bargain Basement" section of the ING website, participate in a soda taste test, and tally the results of the taste test on a...
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
Pendulum Lab in 9th Grade Physical Science
Ninth graders conduct experiments to determine what affects the rate of a pendulum's swing. Working in small groups, they identify an independent variable to study and create an experiment to test their hypothesis. When tests are...
Curated OER
Catering Middle-School Science: Monomers, Polymers, and Macromolecules
Students investigate foods. In this biology lesson plan, students will conduct testing on different types of foods as they learn about different molecules that make them up. Students will also learn about the shapes of the molecules.