We're going on a light hunt!  Students will be engaged in this hands-on light investigation, they will investigate how different materials are affected by light. Students will use their knowledge in computer science by sorting and organizing items based on one or two attributes. 

What do you think will happen to Peppermint Puffs that are put in warm water, cold water, oil, and vinegar?  Will they dissolve?  In which substance will they dissolve the fastest?  In this experiment, your students will find out!  Students will also record their data and use technology (a spreadsheet on their Chrome book) to analyze, graph and discuss their learning.

Students will use the periodic table to solve a riddle. Afterwards, students will choose two of the elements used in the riddle to compare their atomic structure.

Students will use the periodic table to solve a riddle. Afterwards, students will choose two of the elements used in the riddle to compare their atomic structure.

This is a great activity for students to learn about elements atomic numbers. I would like to add a modification to this activity. I like to use the game, "What Am I?" In this game the students write the chemical symbol for an element on a post it note and choose another student and place it on their forehead, without them knowing what it is. When every student has a post it note on their forehead, they will walk around the class and take turns with other students giving clues to the student wearing the post it about their element. They could give clues like: number of protons, Family, period, etc.... When the student guesses his/her element, then they have 1 point. The students can collect as many points within the time frame the teacher allows.

PhD Science Grade Levels K-2 is available as downloadable PDFs. The OER consists of Teacher Editions and student Science Logbooks for every module.
With PhD Science¨, students explore science concepts through authentic phenomena and events-not fabricated versions-so students build concrete knowledge and solve real-world problems. Students drive the learning by asking questions, gathering evidence, developing models, and constructing explanations to demonstrate the new knowledge they've acquired. The coherent design of the curriculum across lessons, modules, and grade levels helps students use the concepts they've learned to build a deep understanding of science and set a firm foundation they'll build on for years to come.

Cross-curricular connections are a core component within PhD Science. As an example, every module incorporates authentic texts and fine art to build knowledge and create additional accessible entry points to the topic of study.

Three-dimensional teaching and learning are at the heart of the curriculum. As students uncover Disciplinary Core Ideas by engaging in Science and Engineering Practices and applying the lens of Cross-Cutting Concepts, they move from reading about science to doing science.

PhD Science Grade Levels K-2 is available as downloadable PDFs. The OER consists of the Teacher Edition and student Science Logbook.

Throughout the module, students study the anchor phenomenon, birds building nests, and develop an answer to the Essential Question: Why do different kinds of birds use certain materials to build their nests? As students learn about each new concept, they revisit and refine a model that represents how to describe different materials and how birds use those materials to build their nests. At the end of the module, students use their knowledge of how matter can be described, classified, and used to explain the anchor phenomenon, and they apply these concepts to a new context in an End-of-Module Assessment. Through these experiences, students learn that understanding the properties of matter and the ways matter can change helps people use materials for specific purposes.

With PhD Science¨, students explore science concepts through authentic phenomena and events-not fabricated versions-so students build concrete knowledge and solve real-world problems. Students drive the learning by asking questions, gathering evidence, developing models, and constructing explanations to demonstrate the new knowledge they've acquired. The coherent design of the curriculum across lessons, modules, and grade levels helps students use the concepts they've learned to build a deep understanding of science and set a firm foundation they'll build on for years to come.

Cross-curricular connections are a core component within PhD Science. As an example, every module incorporates authentic texts and fine art to build knowledge and create additional accessible entry points to the topic of study.

Three-dimensional teaching and learning are at the heart of the curriculum. As students uncover Disciplinary Core Ideas by engaging in Science and Engineering Practices and applying the lens of Cross-Cutting Concepts, they move from reading about science to doing science.

PhD Science Grade Levels K-2 is available as downloadable PDFs. The OER consists of the Teacher Edition and student Science Logbook.

Throughout the module, students study the anchor phenomenon, the transformation of Surtsey, and build an answer to the Essential Question: How can the island of Surtsey change shape over time? As students learn about each new concept, they revisit and refine a model that represents the formation and transformation of Surtsey. At the end of the module, students use their knowledge of how land changes over time to explain the anchor phenomenon, and they apply these concepts to a new context in an End-of-Module Assessment. Through these experiences, students develop an enduring understanding that natural events transform Earth's land as time passes.

With PhD Science¨, students explore science concepts through authentic phenomena and events-not fabricated versions-so students build concrete knowledge and solve real-world problems. Students drive the learning by asking questions, gathering evidence, developing models, and constructing explanations to demonstrate the new knowledge they've acquired. The coherent design of the curriculum across lessons, modules, and grade levels helps students use the concepts they've learned to build a deep understanding of science and set a firm foundation they'll build on for years to come.

Cross-curricular connections are a core component within PhD Science. As an example, every module incorporates authentic texts and fine art to build knowledge and create additional accessible entry points to the topic of study.

Three-dimensional teaching and learning are at the heart of the curriculum. As students uncover Disciplinary Core Ideas by engaging in Science and Engineering Practices and applying the lens of Cross-Cutting Concepts, they move from reading about science to doing science.

PhD Science Grade Levels K-2 is available as downloadable PDFs. The OER consists of the Teacher Edition and student Science Logbook.

Throughout this module, students study the anchor phenomenon, the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, and build an answer to the Essential Question: How did the cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde protect people from the weather? As students learn about each new concept, they develop and refine a model that represents a cliff dwelling and use that model to explore how cliff dwellings protected people from the weather. At the end of the module, students use their knowledge of weather to explain the anchor phenomenon, and they apply their learning to a new context in an End-of-Module Assessment. Through these experiences, students begin to establish an enduring understanding of weather and its effects. Specifically, students develop an understanding of the parts of weather, the effects weather has on people and their surroundings, and the ways people prepare for severe weather.
With PhD Science¨, students explore science concepts through authentic phenomena and events-not fabricated versions-so students build concrete knowledge and solve real-world problems. Students drive the learning by asking questions, gathering evidence, developing models, and constructing explanations to demonstrate the new knowledge they've acquired. The coherent design of the curriculum across lessons, modules, and grade levels helps students use the concepts they've learned to build a deep understanding of science and set a firm foundation they'll build on for years to come.

Cross-curricular connections are a core component within PhD Science. As an example, every module incorporates authentic texts and fine art to build knowledge and create additional accessible entry points to the topic of study.

Three-dimensional teaching and learning are at the heart of the curriculum. As students uncover Disciplinary Core Ideas by engaging in Science and Engineering Practices and applying the lens of Cross-Cutting Concepts, they move from reading about science to doing science.

This item addresses concepts such as: entropy, free energy, first law of thermodynamics, basic reaction kinetics.

Science Instructional Plans (SIPs) help teachers align instruction with the Science Standards of Learning (SOL) by providing examples of how the content and the scientific and engineering practices found in the SOL and curriculum framework can be presented to students in the classroom

Explore what makes a reaction happen by colliding atoms and molecules. Design experiments with different reactions, concentrations, and temperatures. When are reactions reversible? What affects the rate of a reaction?

Watch a reaction proceed over time. How does total energy affect a reaction rate? Vary temperature, barrier height, and potential energies. Record concentrations and time in order to extract rate coefficients. Do temperature dependent studies to extract Arrhenius parameters. This simulation is best used with teacher guidance because it presents an analogy of chemical reactions.

Add different salts to water, then watch them dissolve and achieve a dynamic equilibrium with solid precipitate. Compare the number of ions in solution for highly soluble NaCl to other slightly soluble salts. Relate the charges on ions to the number of ions in the formula of a salt. Calculate Ksp values. Arabic Language.

I use this lab after having students study the physical properties of matter. In this lab, students will identify physical properties of the different types of matter in the mixture and they will plan a procedure for separating their mixture. They will then carry out the procedure and measure the percent recovery for each of the components of their mixtures.

5th grade students that are learning about the phases of matter in science will read a Science A-Z book and complete an activity to show their understanding of the different phases.

This ThingLink provides links to several OERs curated from various repositories (oercommons.org, sharemylesson.com, curriki.org, app.partcipate.com) that all deal with teaching the states of matter to upper elementary students.  There is a full lesson plan from Ohio State University that deals with the water cycle, and specifically, with storage of fresh water in glaciers and snow.  There is a lot of information regarding student misconceptions and how to teach the content, as well as literacy resources and student engagement activities.  There is also a link to a full unit plan of labs and investigations, including PowerPoints and lab sheets for students.  Linked on this ThingLink, you'll also find an introduction video from PBS and a song about matter on YouTube.  Please feel free to add resources to remix!!

This lesson connects the invention of the x-ray by Tesla to the artwork of Austrailian Aboriginals.

I created this google document to use as a weekly homework assignment for my students. It covers thermal energy concepts such as convection, conduction, radiation, phase changes, and temperature conversions. It could be assigned in google classroom or printed out and given as a hard copy. It could also be adapted to be used as classwork, a quiz, enrichment, reinforcement, extra credit or a warm-up.

Please edit to fit your student needs and teaching style.

Lesson length: 1-2 hoursGrade level: 6-8This is a three part lesson where students (1) explore elements (and their properties) that are used in materials to build and power a cell phone (any easily accessed, small, electronic machine could stand in for a cell phone), (2) approach activities though an engineering design thinking lens and participate in an active simulation of the movement of electricity (electrons) to power a device, and (3) participate in a Lego build where they experience set constraints to their building project. This can be related to the constraints engineers face as they build cell phones (or anything else).This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1657263. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.