5th grade students that are studying matter will be focusing in this lesson on the smallest unit of matter - the atom.
Students will use small marshmallows to construct a model of an atom.
In this lesson, students will explore the fundamental building block of all matter, the atom, through a computer science lens. First, the teacher will introduce the computer science concepts of hardware and software by observing appliances that they are familiar with in their own homes. Second, the students will complete a scavenger hunt to learn about all the hardware components of an atom. When an atom has all of its components then it is able to function as the basic unit of matter to build other things. Students will make connections between the hardware of an atom and its software will they complete a virtual lab simulation.
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.
In this activity, students will explore how the Law of Conservation of Energy (the First Law of Thermodynamics) applies to atoms, as well as the implications of heating or cooling a system. This activity focuses on potential energy and kinetic energy as well as energy conservation. The goal is to apply what is learned to both our human scale world and the world of atoms and molecules.
Overview: I created this lab activity to provide my students with a fun way to learn about the components of the atom. Students will investigate and understand that all matter is composed of atoms. Key ideas include atoms consisting of particles including electrons, protons and neutrons. This activity will be done after the introduction of the Periodic Table of Elements. This activity uses Playdough which is and always will be a favorite among kids. This activity provides support for SOL 6.5a in which students are expected to create and interpret a simplified, modern model of the structure of an atom.
The goal of this module is to explore some of the factors that might be associated with an individual's level of concern about the environment and global warming. Crosstabulations, frequency distributions, and bar charts will be used.
Attractive forces between particles play a role in the properties of the three states of matter. The strength of the attractive force between particles is one factor that determines if a particular substance will be a solid, liquid, or gas. Vary the strength of the attractive force between particles in this model. Note that for a real substance, the strength does not vary, but this model shows how the strength of the attractive force determines the state of matter if the temperature is fixed.
Students will categorize attribute blocks based on their color, thickness and/or size. Optionally, connections to categorizing will be related to robots (e.g. looks, motions, sounds) and coding.
Modeling traffic data is important for urban planning, creating transportation systems, and even predicting how much foot traffic a retail store can expect in a given day. This genre of dynamic data science activities could be classified as “finding a needle in a haystack,” giving students a chance to mine big data to make insights about traffic use. According to the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, about 400,000 people used the BART system daily in 2018. In BARTy, students investigate BART data from 2015 to learn about passenger use and explore traffic patterns.
Learn about the very busiest time of year for Wildlife Center staff, students, and volunteers -- baby season! Spring is a time for new life; many species of wild animals are giving birth or laying eggs and caring for young throughout much of the spring. It's also the time of year when people are more active; as the warm weather approaches, humans spend more time in their yards and gardens and in the great outdoors. This increased activity of both humans and wild animals can put us all in more direct contact with one another. There are a number of misinformation and misconceptions about young wild animals; learn from the Wildlife Center staff how to best help young animals stay in the wild with their parents. UNTAMED looks at the wild and often perilous world of wildlife, as seen through the eyes of the patients of the Wildlife Center of Virginia, a non-profit teaching and research hospital for native wildlife.
In this experiment, two chemicals that can be found around the house will be mixed within a plastic baggie, and several chemical changes will be observed.
In computer science, a pseudocode is used to change well written words into a programming language. Programmers have to write very clearly, and have their thoughts well organized to accomplish the goal. Likewise, in balancing equations students have to approach it in a systemized way. In other words much like pseudocode, they have to solve the equation systematically to ensure the correct answer. Success in today’s “Hook” is dependent on the group’s ability to lead a blindfolded teammate through a “maze” by using only one or two word phrases. Once other members have a turn being blindfolded, students will work with a partner toward the goal of balancing equations by just using Mathematics.
This simulation serves as an introduction to balancing equations, the included student sheet by Elyse Zimmer is just one of the guided inquiry sheets available with this resource. The google form assessment will allow you to gauge student understanding after your lessons on balancing equations.
Students collect position-time data for a ball rolling down a ramp. Students then plug the data into the companion Excel document, which automatically plots the data for them. Students then answer the analysis questions on the companion document.
Experiment with a helium balloon, a hot air balloon, or a rigid sphere filled with different gases. Discover what makes some balloons float and others sink.
Why does a balloon stick to your sweater? Rub a balloon on a sweater, then let go of the balloon and it flies over and sticks to the sweater. View the charges in the sweater, balloons, and the wall.
Explore the origin of energy bands in crystals of atoms. The structure of these bands determines how materials conduct electricity.
Learn about bats -- a diverse group of flying mammals that humans often associate with folklore, legends, ghost stories, and scary tales. But we have more in common with bats than we think -- these tiny mammals are socially intelligent and can have a rich social structure and means of communication with each other. Bats are not only fascinating, but they are also quite beneficial to our environment and play an important role in the habitats we share with them. These animals are in need of our help now more than ever as they face population declines and serious problems, most of which originate from humans.
Look inside a battery to see how it works. Select the battery voltage and little stick figures move charges from one end of the battery to the other. A voltmeter tells you the resulting battery voltage.
This a remix of Bean-Counter Evolution found at https://goopenva.org/courses/bean-counter-evolution, suggesting some modifications and extensions that could be used.