Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Watershed: Exploring Run Off and Infiltration in the Classroom
A simple experiment that demonstrates how water is absorbed into soil and filtered through it, showing how water changes things in the environment. After a class demonstration, they will themselves investigate the effects of water...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Experiencing Newton's 3rd Law With Match Stick Rockets
Middle schoolers build and launch match-stick rockets in order to experience Newton's Third Law of motion.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Habitat Loss Game
In this role playing game, students become members of a forest ecosystem to illustrate the challenges facing endangered species, the environment, and economic interests.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Energy Changes During a Reaction: Exothermic, Endothermic
A demonstration to introduce energy changes during reactions, and to promote discussion regarding exothermic and endothermic reactions, enthalpy, spontaneity, system, and surroundings.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Solutions and Phase Changes: Children's Stories
A concept is truly understood when one can teach it to someone else. In this activity, young scholars are asked to teach younger children about solutions and phase changes, and the related vocabulary, by creating an illustrated book for...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Garden, Garden, What Do You Do?
Students explore different gardens on our school grounds to investigate the natural world using inquiry and their senses. The students will take a guided walk from garden to garden using their observations to notice and wonder how...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Where in the World Can I Find Plastic Polymers. Why Are They Used?
An investigation of where plastic polymers can be found in everyday life. After identifying them, students test them to learn about their properties, then try some online activities.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Plastic Polymers: Investigating Their Flexibility
Learners will use their prior knowledge about changes of matter to develop a hypothesis to test the physical properties of materials such as plastic (polymers) and how its chemical properties allow it to have unique physical properties.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Polymers & Plastics: Classification & Models
Students will use their prior knowledge about changes of matter including physical and chemical changes to examine and categorize various types of plastics (polymers). They will identify how their chemical properties allow them to have...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Analyzing P H: Comparing Citrus Fruits, Stain Removers and a Green Product
The students will analyze the pH of four citrus fruits: lime, lemon, orange, and a grapefruit, and then they will analyze the pH of four different types of stain removers: Shout Advanced, Spray 'n Wash Max, Oxi Clean Laundry, and Clorox...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Genomic Dna Isolation: From Human Cheek Cells
In this lab activity students isolate genomic DNA from their own cheek cells. They then remove the DNA from those cheek cells through a laboratory process.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Aquatic Ecosystems: Macroinvertebrates and Water Quality
Students will investigate three aquatic ecosystems (pond, stream, bog) to determine the relative pollution index and the water quality of each ecosystem. They will collect and analyze the benthic organisms found in each system and...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Balance: Change vs Interaction
This activity is an introduction to balance for young learners. Students will explore how weight can influence the stability of an object and they will be asked to develop a question as they attempt to balance a shape on their finger.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Earth and Moon Surface: Impact Craters
In this activity, students will investigate how impact craters are formed. In small groups, students will build a model of the moon's surface with flour paste and drop a marble from different heights to discover how the speed of an...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Earth History: Crayon Rock Cycle
Introduce to the young scholars the three main types of rocks and the processes that form them. Wax crayons are eroded into sediment, compacted into sedimentary rock, partially melted and pressed into metamorphic rock, and finally melted...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Global Water Availability
An interactive lecture where students discover that although the world is approximately three-fourths water, much of that water is inaccessible, or unfit for human use.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mini Lab 14: Molecules in Motion
In this inquiry-based lab, students investigate the phenomenon of molecular motion. They will understand the relationship between temperature and molecular speed, the relationship between concentration and diffusion rate, and what...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Identifying Fossils: Exploring the Mississippi River Bluffs
Students investigate fossils found in the Decorah Shale found in the Mississippi River bluffs. They will determine the name and description of the most common fossils. They will also determine how old the fossils are and what the...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Observe, Describe, Compare and Contrast Cells
This investigation allows young scholars to observe cells from multiple sources. Plant, animal and bacterial cells will be observed as well as cells from multicellular organisms and single-celled organisms. After providing written...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: How Big Is the Balloon?
A chemistry lab where students investigate limiting reagents and balanced chemical equations. A simple experiment that gives students a physical example of what limiting reactant means.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Best Edible Model of a Cell Contest
Students build a model of a cell using all edible materials. Students must do an oral presentation of the model.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Brine Shrimp Inquiry
In this lab, students will practice inquiry with some guidance. They will begin by observing brine shrimp that have hatched. They will formulate possible testable questions to investigate about brine shrimp. Then as a class they will...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Earth Changes: Looking at Weathering and Erosion
Students will explore weathering and erosion, what causes them, and the difference between them. They will be able to find evidence of weathering and erosion in the environment around them.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Qualitative Analysis: Guided Inquiry
In this experiment, students will design and carry out a sequence of chemical reactions for the separation and identification of three metal cations from six unknown samples.