Stephenson's Science

Students use an online PhET simulation (free) to experiment with bending light through a prism in this activity. This worksheet can be edited to fit specific needs. My kids LOVED being in charge of their own prisms (rather than being in a group) and making cool designs with the light. This activity is ideal if your class meets during the middle of the day and it is incredibly difficult to get the room dark enough to actually use prisms and light.... not that I have any experience with that..

Worksheet to fill out while watching Brain Games- Sleep (Season 6 Episode 3)

Great sub plans. Brain Games can be found on Netflix- have students complete this worksheet as they watch these episodes. Don't let a sub day just be a "movie" day- students will learn more about themselves and the world around them with Brain Games.

Students use a Slinky to demonstrate how longitudinal and transverse waves move through a medium. Most of my kids had never seen a Slinky before and you would not believe how awesome they thought this activity was! This was a simple way to get them engaged with their peers, engaged in the content, and off of their iPads! Beware: Students will beg to play with the Slinky for weeks after this activity.

Background: When the elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number, they exhibit a periodic recurrence of properties.  Elements in the same group in the periodic table tend to have similar physical and chemical properties.  These similarities are due, in large part, to similarities among the electron configurations of the elements in a group.  You can find periodic trends in certain properties, such as density, among the elements within a given group. In this experiment, you will:

Students use a Snellen eye chart to test their visual acuity. Students are asked to calculate averages and draw conclusions based on their data. My 6th graders really enjoyed learning more about themselves and their peers in this interactive lab activity.

Instead of giving another test, have students create a project based on the water cycle. This particular project is based around MN Science Standards- but can be modified to any state. Rubric is included- also can be edited. My 8th graders loved that they didn't have to take another test (since this content was covered in previous years) and that they got a chance to COLOR... yes, they still love to color at 13-14 years old :)

Students research a specific natural resource and create a presentation (of their choosing) to demonstrate their learning. I have added an end of the year spin on things- the 5 "best" presentations (as graded by the rubric provided) will be exempt from the unit test. My kids are very much enjoying this project and especially loving the idea that they might not be chosen as "tribute" and therefore skip a test! The project is fully editable and you can change it to meet your needs accordingly.

Reaction Rate Lab- uses Alka Seltzer tablets to demonstrate the effect of temperature, surface area, and concentration on reaction rate. I leave the materials section blank and have students go through the procedure to find pieces of lab equipment that they will need. I also have them write a conclusion using the RERUN format at the conclusion of the activity.

I use this lab to introduce lab safety procedures and how to properly use a Bunsen Burner. Students analyze different types of flames produce by the Bunsen Burner and then have to graph their results and draw conclusions based on the data they obtain.

This worksheet/webquest is written for plants native to Minnesota (uses MN websites)- it can easily be modified for any state. Students look up various plants from Minnesota and describe adaptations that allow these plants to survive in their native environment. Good introductory activity to plant adaptations (which seem to be harder to understand than animal adaptations).

Worksheet to fill out while watching Brain Games- Left vs. Right (Season 5 Episode 2)

Students will make detailed observations about different soil types. They also get to combine materials to see which types of sediments settle to the bottom of a container of water first. My students LOVED seeing the layers of sediment settle to the bottom. In all honesty, I thought this activity would be a bit of a dud- but this activity made them excited about soil science.

8th Grade Minnesota Science Standard- project to demonstrate mastery of water cycle content knowledge

Student demonstrate how weathering and erosion can impact the surface of the Earth in this hands on lab activity.

Short quiz to test students knowledge about ionic and covalent compound nomenclature and bond formation.

Worksheet to fill out while watching Brain Games- Animal vs. Human (Season 6 Episode 5)

Atomic Theory Quiz- I allow my students to use notes (hence why it says "open note" at the top). Based off of TedEd video of the Atomic Theory and basic internet searches done by students.

Quantum Numbers Quiz- used for honors chemistry course

Minnesota Science Standards Addressed- 8th grade