Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Why Placing Wires Correctly on a Light Bulb Is Important
Students will learn about simple electric circuits as they investigate the structure of a light bulb and how electricity flows through it.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: The Nature of the Land Around Us
An inquiry investigation which allows students to drive their learning by creating questions about the land around them. They collect varied data to analyze the nature of the land, and as a result, investigate erosion and weathering in...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Discovering the Effect Mining Has on Land
Students investigate how land is used for mining, and then mine for ore and observe damage to the surrounding land. To reclaim the land, they must fill in the holes and observe how the land has changed.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mystery Box Scientific Method Inquiry Lab
For this activity, middle schoolers will use their senses to form hypotheses from observations. They will develop methods of collecting data, other than visual, by trying to determine the contents of several small boxes and should be...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Evaporation: Determine the Variables That Affect the Rate of Evaporation
In this lesson, students will be able to explain and demonstrate the process of evaporation while discovering the variables that affect the rate of evaporation.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Exploring Rocks: Rock Identification and the Rock Cycle
In this earth science activity, students informally investigate unknown rocks. After their investigation time they share what they have learned about their rocks.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Ecosystem Study
Studets investigate the health of an ecosystem and the effects of water, sunlight, nutrients or pollutants. They determine the change in the environment through observation, journaling, and measuring growth of the plants and living...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Density of Solid Objects
In this science inquiry, students investigate whether volume or density of objects determine the floating or sinking in water. Using a rock and a block of wood teachers engage students in the discussion of density, mass and volume.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: An Introduction to and Investigation on Keystone Species
A middle school ecology project in which students learn about ecosystems and the keystone species which inhabit them.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Exploring Plants Through Hands on Exploration
In this activity students explore what they know and don't know about plants in a natural setting. They use observation skills to complete a survey of a natural plant area.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Analyzing Forces and Motion Graphs by Riding an Elevator
A high school physics lab on classical mechanics in which students study force versus time and acceleration versus time. Students need access to an elevator to complete the experiments. A lab handout is provided.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Erosion
In this investigation, students will use sand to build a mountain and then use a straw and watering can to simulate wind erosion and water erosion. Students will make observations and then propose ways to slow the erosion and/or speed...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Density: Determined by Using Mass and Volume of a Substance
In this activity, young scholars investigate the history of density, its uses, and applications. Students will generate and calculate data applying it to a graph. They will be looking at the relationship between mass and volume.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Floating Metal Pins Discrepant Event/guided Inquiry on Surface Tension
Through a combination of an interactive demonstration and guided inquiry, students learn the basic nature of surface tension in liquids.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Density of a Penny
Students learn how to measure the volume and mass of an object and use that to compute density. They will then use that density to talk about experimental errors and accuracy of measurements.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Applicable Stoichiometry: Combustion Reaction of Acetylene
In this chemistry lab, students investigated the best stoichiometric mixture of acetylene gas generated from the reaction of calcium carbide and water with available atmospheric oxygen in order to achieve the highest group altitude of a...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Glaciers in Our Own Backyard
Students identify glacial activity and infer how those events shape the area. This lesson involves a filed trip to a location where it is possible to examine glacial events.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Let's Build the Earth!: The Structure of the Earth's Crust and Interior
In this activity, students will make observations then construct a "sample" model representation of the Earth's layers. They will compare and contrast the movement and material in each layer explaining the location and what it contains.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Anning: An Artistic Look at the "Princess of Paleontology"
Students will practice their observation skills by listening to the story Stone Girl Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning. They will discuss what fossils are and how they are formed, then complete an observation drawing of some common...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Evaporation: Investigating Factors That Affect It
In this guided inquiry investigation, students examine conditions to see what affect these conditions have on evaporation rates.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: How Can We Measure the Wavelength of Light Emitted From Stars?
This activity is designed for students to apply their knowledge of mathematics and physics to "real life" situations. Students are presented with the situation that they are on a camping trip and wish to know the wavelength emitted by a...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Chlorine Chemistry: A Building Block of Matter
Students investigate physical and chemical properties of several chlorine compounds such as iron chloride, calcium chloride, and sodium chloride. The students will then discover that chlorine is one of the building blocks of matter and...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Listening Challenge With Your Ears
In this activity, students will be able to use their sense of hearing to figure out which film containers sound the same and contain the same substance. They will then match their containers and self-check their answers.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: A Tree for All Seasons
The students will observe a maple tree throughout the year and recognize changes in weather and phenology using their 5 senses.