In this lesson students will investigate heat transfer and how different materials transfer heat at different rates. Students will make observations and have discussion after several demonstrations.
With this activity, students assemble triangular puzzle pieces by matching the problems and answers on their sides. When the puzzle is complete, the pieces will form a large hexagon.
In this lesson students use a Hot Air Balloon simulation to model integer subtraction. They then move to modeling subtraction on a number line. They use patterns in their work and their answers to write a rule for subtracting integers.
This activity is designed for students to learn about the the changes in day to day weather and to pose questions about changes in daily temperature. The students will gain experience using thermometers by measuring temperature. The students will use the scientific method to ask questions, predict, observe, collect data and make conclusions. Students will observe the weather conditions and outdoor temperature twice a day, both a.m. and p.m., and record it in their science notebook on a chart. Then on a class graph, continue to record daily morning temperature each month for the students to predict and draw conclusions from how the morning temperature will change throughout the seasons.
This lab activity is designed for students to gain a general understanding of the characteristics of enzymes, their function and susceptibility to denaturing when exposed to a variety of environmental factors. In this activity, students will use pineapple juice as an enzyme and Jell-O as a substrate to illustrate an enzyme/substrate complex. The initial guided procedure will allow students to discover that the processing of food, specifically canned pineapple, will denature the enzymes and render them useless. The lab extension questions allow students to design and conduct two additional investigations that focus on the behavior, function and the effect that environmental factors have on enzyme activity. The environmental factors that students can explore include: temperature, pH, microwave radiation and detergents.
In this lesson students will investigate shadows and realize that the sun is a source of light. Students will make observations and record their understanding in their science journals.
In this introductory physics activity, students will investigate the basic requirements for electricity. They will create a simple circuit for a quiz board that will light up when the correct matching pair is selected. Students will create six questions and answers for the quiz board, using electricity vocabulary terms.
In this chemistry lab activity, students will apply what they learned from titrating and graphing a strong acid (HCl) with a strong base (NaOH) to a titration involving a strong base and a weak acid. Before performing the titration students will be asked to predict how the end point of the titration will shift. They will collect data and graph it in the same way they did in the earlier titration, determine the end point, and note how it shifted. Finally they will be asked to apply their understanding of the definitions of "strong" and "weak" as applied to acids and bases to explain the observed shift. Students will produce an informal lab report that includes a prediction, data table, graph, and analysis.
In this classroom lab, students will explore the characteristics of a particular enzyme and the factors that affect its ability to catalyze a reaction. Students will look at how the enzyme catalase (source of catalase is chicken liver) affects the break down of hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. They design their own methods to answer the following questions: What substances contain the enzyme catalase? Why does the reaction stop? What is the effect of temperature on catalase function? What is the effect of pH on catalase function? Students collect and analyze data to answer reflection questions and complete a written lab summary that synthesizes data from the lab and knowledge of enzymes.
In this activity, students investigate and discover how factors such as surface area, concentration, and temperature affect the rate of a chemical reaction involving hydrochloric acid and antacid tablets. After watching a demonstration of the reaction, students will generate hypotheses for how to change the speed of the reaction, develop procedures for testing their hypotheses, carry out the experiments, and collect data in their lab notebooks/science journals.
In this activity, students will go outside and collect nonliving earth materials, and then work in collaborative groups to sort the materials into categories of their choosing. They will describe the materials in their journal using drawings and words.
In this activity students will first brainstorm all the terms (vocabulary) they can think of related to electricity. Next, they will work collaboratively in groups to try to define these terms. Then in groups they will create word webs drawing correlations between the various terms. Groups will discuss how light bulbs work, how they light up, write down their ideas. Next, students will try to draw what they believe a circuit is and how it works. They will need to write several sentences concerning their thoughts. Then they will be given a battery, wires and a light bulb and asked to check their designs. Students will explore what they believe series and parallel circuits are, write down their ideas and draw some pictures. They then will be given materials to try and create these circuits. Finally, students will predict and test differences in bulb brightness in a variety of series and parallel circuits.
In this activity, students will observe and compare fossils with living organisms. They will then make their own "fossils" and compare them to the "organism" from which they were made. Students will journal their observations, procedures, and questions.
In this lab activity, students identify the common misconception that heat and temperature are one in the same. Students feel several objects at room temperature and predict their temperature based on feel. The students almost always identify thermal conductors as feeling colder. The students measure the actual temperature, finding that it is at room temperature. The lab then relates conductivity and specific heat.
In this activity students apply what they have learned about weighted averages, isotopes, and systems of equations to a new situation...coins in a sealed container. They learn some historical information regarding the composition of pennies and then are faced with a challenge: to determine the number of pre-1982 and post-1982 pennies that are contained in a sealed container without opening the container. After they determine the number of each type of penny contained in their canister, they will be asked to compare the pennies to isotopes.
This activity is designed for students working in small groups to investigate light and some of its properties. Through observation and manipulating equipment students will conclude light travels in a straight line. They will be asked to show through drawings and written description what happened to the path of light when it comes in contact with an object. Questions will be generated for further investigation to reinforce their ideas. Groups will be asked to present their findings. The vocabulary words to be discovered are reflect, absorb, and redirect.
In this activity students will investigate the paths that marbles take once set into motion and then how to change those paths, noting if and how they change.
In this lab activity, students investigate the concept of frame of reference by observing, describing and drawing the same walking motion from different positions. Additionally, they determine the effect of frame of reference on the walking time. Students analyze their data and observations and develop a working definition of the concept of frame of reference. A description of the lab report format is provided.
In this lesson, students will be given objects and asked to make predictions on how far each object will move after they blow in it. Then they will measure the distance and record their observations in their science journals. After their science investigation into motion students will read Move It! by Jaime A. Schroeder to reinforce the hands-on learning activity.
In this lesson, students will build a simple DC motor out of metal coat hangers, a 24-guage wire armature and field magnet, 14-guage wire brushes, and build the motor so that it rotates when connected to a 10-volt DC power supply. Students will understand the principles of operation of the DC motor, to include: induction of an electromagnetic field via current flowing through a conductor (electromagnetism), and become familiar with the notion that Forcetotal of the motor is proportional to charge, proportional to speed, proportional to the induced magnetic field (B), and dependent on the angles between the rotation of the armature in the field magnetism. Forcetotal = qv X B = (mv2/R), where q is the amount of charge, v is velocity of charge, B is the magnetic field strength, m is the mass of the charge, and R is the radius of the armature loop. Students will be able to solve one variable magnetism problems, describe how their motors operate, and write up a lab report on their findings. During the lab report, students will discuss how they got their motors to rotate faster than the initial trial after building it.