American Chemical Society
Middle School Chemistry: Changing State: Melting
Discover the concept that energy transfer and molecular motion cause the change in state from a solid to a liquid. Also compare state changes of water to the state changes of other substances.
American Chemical Society
Middle School Chemistry: Energy Levels, Electrons, Ionic Bonding
Students discover that ionic bonding occurs when electrons are transferred from one atom to the other and not shared as in covalent bonding.
American Chemical Society
Middle School Chemistry: Periodic Table
Students explore the periodic table and learn the basic information given for elements: the name, symbol, atomic number, and atomic mass for each element.
American Chemical Society
Middle School Chemistry: Periodic Table and Energy Level Models
Students interpret the information given in the periodic table to describe the arrangement of electrons on the energy levels around an atom.
American Chemical Society
Middle School Chemistry: Temperature and Density
Observe how heating and cooling affect the density of water. Combine the concepts of temperature, molecular motion, and density to learn that hot water is less dense than room temperature water and that cold water is more dense.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Mysterious M&m's
Students will ask questions and learn more about dissolving in this activity where they place M&M in water. Activity includes students activity sheet and teacher instructions.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Racing M&m Colors
An activity where students can experiment with whether different colors of M&Ms dissolve faster in water versus others. This lab includes a student worksheet and teacher instructions.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Colors Collide or Combine
Do M&Ms colors combine or collide when they are put together on a plate of water? This lab activity will have students investigating what happens when M&Ms get wet.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Defining Dissolving
A lab activity where students will understand the definition of dissolve by observing substances that dissolve in water but not in oil. This site includes both teacher and student instructions.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Using Chemical Change to Identify an Unknown
This activity explores how students could use chemical changes to identify unknown substances. Lab activity includes student and teacher worksheets.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Color Changes With Acids and Bases
In this lab activity, students will learn how red cabbage can be used as an indicator of an acid or base by looking at its color changes.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Formation of a Precipitate
A lab activity where students observe a chemical reaction by creating a precipitate. In this lab, students will create soap scum by combining hard water with soap. Lab activity includes both student and teacher information sheets.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Matter on the Move
A lab demonstration for students to see that food coloring moves faster in hot water versus cold water. Lab activity includes student and teacher information.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Evaporation
A lab experiment where students try to increase the rate of evaporation by adding heat to the water. Students will experience the process the evaporation with this activity.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Condensation
In this activity, students explore the process of condensation. After seeing water vapor condense, students will help design a test to see if cooling water vapor has an effect on the rate of condensation.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Exploring Moisture on the Outside of Cold Cup
In this activity, students investigate how condensation causes moisture to form on the outside of a cold cup. To see if the condensed water vapor comes from the air, students use 2 cold cups, but limit the air around one of them by...
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Explore Moisture on Outside of a Cold Cup (Dry Environment)
Regardless of the time of year or region of the country students live in, they have likely experienced moisture on the outside of a cold drink or another cold surface. In this activity, students will prepare a sample of humid air since...
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Defining Density
Do heavy things always sink and light things always float? In this introductory demonstration and activity, students are introduced to the concept of density as they explore a rock and a wooden block in water.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Compare the Density of an Object to the Density of Water
In this activity, students use tea light candle holders and a student-made balance to compare the weight of equal volumes of wax, water, and clay. Students will discover that since the wax weighs less than an equal volume of water, it is...
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Comparing the Density of Different Liquids
How do the densities of vegetable oil, water, and corn syrup help them to form layers in a cup? Students will carefully pour vegetable oil, water, and corn syrup in any order into a cup and discover that regardless of the order they are...
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Changing the Density of a Liquid: Adding Salt
In this activity, students will see that a carrot slice sinks in fresh water and floats in saltwater. Considering the placement of the carrot slice in water and salt water, students will infer that the density of salt water must be...
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Changing the Density of a Liquid: Heating and Cooling
In this activity, students will investigate whether the temperature of water affects its density. Students will place colored hot and cold water in a cup of room-temperature water to see that cold water sinks while hot water floats. Then...
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Changing the Density of an Object: Adding Material
In this activity, students see that a can of regular cola sinks while a can of diet cola floats. As a demonstration, bubble wrap is taped to the can of regular cola to make it float. This high-volume but light-weight material increases...
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Changing the Density of an Object: Changing Shape
Throughout the activities in this investigation, students may have wondered how a boat made out of steel, which is more dense than water, can float. This activity addresses that question. Students will see that changing the shape of an...