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Here are the TEN most recent Science Lessons that have been submitted.
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DINO Project
After completing this lesson, students will be able to demonstrate the importance of rock, fossil and prehistoric evidence in determining geological timelines.Scientist Lesson
The students will have to identify how the advances brought on by these scientists have changed society for better or worse. They can successfully convey to their peers why the contributions from their scientist/inventor is either helpful or harmful to society. They will have to be able to do this using the technology provided.Watershed
Students will demonstrate an understanding of the size of the watershed areas are for our water district, and how the actions of citizens in the area can affect the quality and supply of water.A Trip Around the Solar System
After students investigate the eight planets, research their characteristics and examine their distance from the sun, etc., they will construct a model of one of the planets and put together a PowerPoint presentation. After the group presentations, they will attempt to create a planet that will sustain life by choosing the proper combination of characteristics on an interactive activity on a NASA sponsored web site.Christmas Cookie Caper
Students will be required to meet several criteria to demonstrate their mastery of the concepts of this lesson. They will have to complete their laboratory tests in a safe manner. They will record the results, in detail, in an organized manner in their own data tables. They will compare test observations of their known pure samples to the observed test observations of known pure samples. Through discussion with their laboratory partners about their data comparisons, each laboratory group will then attempt to identify the three unknown powders making up each of the three unknown Mystery Mixtures. They will have to be able to explain, in writing, the rationale behind their substance identifications. A correct identification of all 3 separate powders making up 2 of the 3 mixtures will be considered a success.Diffusion with Gummy Bears
Diffusion is the movement of materials from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration. This is generally a difficult concept to see as it happens on the molecular level. After learning the terminology for cell transport students can then apply the content knowledge to how polymers such as gummy bears interact with solutions. In this lab, students will measure the movement of water by measuring the change in size of a gummy bear.All About Shadows
In this unit, students will learn what the three things necessary to produce a shadow are, how the Sun's position in the sky changes the length and positions of shadows, and be able to describe the changes in length and position of shadows from morning to midday to afternoon.DNA + d'fusion = d'Protein
Students will extract DNA from a living organism and create a chemical reaction through a “solid” object within this unit. Through these activities, students will master the concepts of DNA, how this chemical transfers messages through membranes of the cell, and how this message is translated into the creation of protein.Measuring The Velocity of Sound
This lesson is used at the beginning of my unit on sound. The students need to have previous knowledge of percent error calculations, data collection, and data organization. I intentionally do not give them very much help with the first lab because I want them to anticipate problems in their experimental design. I also do not make their grade contingent on how well their conclusion agrees with the accepted value because the point of the exercise is to anticipate problems, analyze data, and reflect on the success or lack thereof of their plan. I tell the students they will work in groups of 2 to 3 to design and execute a plan to measure the velocity of sound. We have a brief discussion about why it is difficult to measure and how they can minimize error. It may help to compare how difficult they think it would be to measure the velocity of light compared to the velocity of sound. Do light and sound obey distance equals rate times time? They are welcome to use any materials that I have or they can use materials from home. They must design, describe, and illustrate the plan before any experimentation. They must include at least 8 trials in their data. They must also document the temperature. After collecting data, the students cooperatively calculate average velocity, theoretical velocity and percent error. Then they write an error analysis. The second lab is used to present to the students a way to measure velocity of sound using new physics concepts that they are learning with the closed and open pipes. At the end of both labs, we discuss differences they may have found in experimental error between a procedure that they created as opposed to following a provided procedure.Four Fabulous Seasons!
For four sessions students will learn about the "Four Fabulous Seaons!" by traveling to different rooms. Each of the rooms will feature one season. The teacher in each room will facilitate a study of that seaons characteristics, including the average (mean) temperatures, precipation results and clothing options for those seasons.