NOAA
The Oceanographic Yo-yo
How does chemistry help deep-sea explorers? Part four of a five-part series of lessons from aboard the Okeanos Explorer introduces middle school scientists to technologies used in ocean exploration. Groups work together to analyze data...
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
Don't Mess with Mercury (Lesson B)
At one point, people thought mercury was therapeutic for humans, but now we know it is highly toxic. The second of three activities covering mercury focuses on its health hazards if humans are exposed. Pairs research and answer questions...
NEED Project
Calibrating Thermometers
Engage young scientists in the upper-elementary and middle school grades with this collection of simple experiments. Whether you're teaching about heat transfer, density, or potential energy this resource has a lab for you.
Bonneville
Compost Bioreactor Design
Organic waste is a hot topic. The second of three installments in the Bioreactor Water Heating unit challenges pupils to create bioreactors that collect energy released from compost. After watching videos on the properties of water and...
American Chemical Society
Investigating the Line
Note that this instructional activity is best paired with the preceding instructional activity in the unit. In that instructional activity, elementary physical scientists observed that the color coating of M&Ms® candies do not mix...
American Chemical Society
Liquids - Clearly Unique
Bring chemistry to life for scholars as they perform two tests to examine the unique properties of three liquids. Classroom investigators make observations, develop basic lab skills, and follow step-by-step instructions to compare water,...
Curated OER
How Much Do I Know About Water?
Sixth graders explore ways to analyze the properties of water and examine the chemistry of water. In this water instructional activity students work in groups and complete several activities.
Curated OER
Physical Properties Of Coal
Students examine and identify the observable properties of coal. After a lecture/demo, students perform a simple experiment. They observe samples of coal and record data in an organized manner.
Curated OER
Water Spiral Puzzle
In this water puzzle worksheet, students use a set of 8 clues to complete a spiral word puzzle. Worksheet contains a link to additional activities.
Curated OER
Sink or Float?
Students analyze the relationship between density, buoyancy, and salinity. In this chemical properties lesson plan, students read a background activity for the lesson plan and experiments to the topics. Students discuss the questions and...
Curated OER
Latent Heat and Clouds
Learners explore latent heat and how it relates to clouds in the atmosphere. In this earth science lesson students investigate how clouds are formed. Learners examine clouds and the water cycle.
Curated OER
Evaporation
Students study the evaporation stage of the water cycle. For this water cycle lesson, students participate in an experiment to study the process of evaporation that uses jars and water. Students complete an observation worksheet for the...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Food Chemistry: The Chemistry of Sweeteners
Students investigate the properties of sweeteners. For this chemical property lesson, students examine the unique properties of sweeteners by performing several experiments. They will analyze the data to form a conclusion about the...
Curated OER
Observing Rocks
Fifth graders explore the various properties of earth and rocks. They play "Twenty Questions" with the teacher, and analyze a rock using a magnifying glass. They record their rock observations and list the differences between the wet...
Curated OER
Hot, Cold, Fresh and Salty
Pupils observe the effects of layering water and what is more or less saline than normal. In this geoscience lesson students create saline solutions, layer them and observe how the water becomes different temperatures in different layers.
Curated OER
Surface Tension
Students view demonstrations that illustrate the surface tension of water. In this properties of water lesson, students observe demonstrations that show how water exhibits surface tension. They explain how the demonstration shows surface...
Curated OER
What's the Matter?
First graders identify solids, liquids, and gases. In this matter lesson, the teacher guides students through numerous demonstrations as they determine the properties of solids, liquids, and gases and classify things as each. As the...
Curated OER
Light
Students examine how light waves travel. In this properties of light instructional activity, students observe how light travels in water, how light is reflected and refracted, and how light is pure energy.
Curated OER
Slippery, Slippery Ice
Students investigate how salt affects ice by experimenting in class. In this water properties instructional activity, students utilize a penny, salt and pans of ice to examine the sliding ability of a penny across a layer of ice....
Curated OER
Not A Drop To Drink
Fifth graders discuss ways that humans pollute our natural water supply. They observe a video about water pollution. Students identify eight different ways water is contaminated. They investigate an oil spill by conducting a hands-on...
Curated OER
Elements and Compounds
Eighth graders explore the chemical and physical properties of a variety of elements in a lab setting. They organize the data they collect onto a spreadsheet and then choose one element from the periodic table to research. They...
Curated OER
Solids, Liquids, and Gases
First graders explore the properties of matter. In this states of matter lesson, 1st graders conduct scientific investigations that require them to mix, cool, and heat objects in order to observe changes in the properties of matter.
Curated OER
Fire Triangle in the Forest
Students investigate the physical properties of fire by creating storyboards. In this elements lesson plan, students view a video clip of forest fires and identify the cause. Students create large storyboards defining the three...