Thru the Microscope

Students will develop a graphical model of the Earth-Sun-Moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases and how they affect our tides. NGSS-MSESS1-1 In this activity, students will go to the NOAA website and collect tidal data from a region around the US. Students plot a month of tidal data and predict the moon phases based on how high the high tides are and how low the low tides are (spring vs neap tides). Students are amazed to find that their predictions are right by looking a

Students will test baking soda, baking powder, sugar and corn starch to identify their chemical and physical properties and to see if there was a chemical change. This is such a great interactive lab for middle school students learning chemistry!

This experiment is also known as the Black snake, Black cobra or Sugar snake firework. This experiment allows students to safely work with fire in the classroom! Students place a baking soda and sugar mixture into a pile of sand. Alcohol is spread around the sand and then lit on fire! The black snake rises from the sand almost immediately! This lab includes questions on the types of chemical changes that occur and students can balance chemical equations! If you want to see pictures or videos

This document allows students to create chemical structures using marshmallows. Students create a variety of structures and then they have to identify if they are elements, compounds or mixtures. This was a great visual activity for students to see this and apply the concepts. Answer Key included! Note to teachers: I was unable to find different color marshmallows so the night before I lightly dyed them using food coloring. Worked perfectly!

Mr. Worthington has been killed! Students must solve this mystery using pH indicators; red cabbage and turmeric. Students test each suspect's evidence and identifies the killer through pH testing. Students LOVED this mystery. It is a way for students to apply their knowledge of pH, indicators and problem solving skills! Answer key includes "Who dunnit?" answer and explanation.

Students can create plastic from a synthetic material! This is a 2-part experiment with background information and steps to create fun plastic using milk and vinegar or cornstarch and water! Students can take their biodegradable home with them as a souvenir!

The most safest, fun lab for students to look at the differences in compounds! In this lab, I created a mystery (including students and staff in the story) that allows students to solve using FIRE! Since my classroom does not have gas, I was able to create a flame test lab using Popsicle sticks. Students were able to see a variety of flame colors and were able to connect that to the mystery. Included in the lab is a list of materials, detailed procedures and conclusion questions.

This activity is composed of two days worth of activities. You can decide to do one or both! The first activity has students go to an interactive link, gather information about the atmospheric gases and create a brochure (rubric included). The second activity allows students to go to a Smithsonian website and explore the history and timeline of the atmosphere. Students then create a model of the atmosphere (rubric included).

The law of conservation of mass indicates that mass cannot be created nor destroyed. Using vinegar, baking soda and a sealed plastic bag, students determine the mass of the vinegar and baking soda. Students then seal the vinegar and baking soda in a plastic bag and mix the substances. Students will determine the mass before and after any reaction occurs. This lab includes a two-part procedure: open vs closed system, a list of materials, conclusion questions and an ANSWER KEY!

A fun project for students to use the engineer design process to create a catapult! Students will use potential and kinetic energy to create a catapult a marshmallow the furthest than their peers! Introduction, instructions, assessment questions, and rubric included!

In a fun activity, students measure the mass of the lollipop after so many licks. Students then graph their data. This activity allows students to effectively use the scale and learn how to graph data. Students will enjoy it so much, they often forget they are learning.

What a very intense review game! Students will race each other to correctly answer the question. The directions for the game and review questions are provided. My students love this game! Have fun and make sure you have plenty of Expo markers because the students will wear them quickly :) Materials: Deck of Cards, expo markers I play this with 7th and 8th graders with a class size from 20-30. This powerpoint includes questions that cover elements, compounds and mixtures, atomic structure, densi

Students explore how pH affects living things. Students will experiment with liver and potatoes to determine the pH once affected with vinegar and ammonia. Teacher's note: I got the liver from a grocery store and let it sit in water. I used the blood/water for the experiment. For the potato, I cut it up and let it also sit in water. You can modify the lesson by having your students use a mortar and pestle.

Students will explore the effect of the height of a ramp and the mass of an object on the potential and kinetic energy. Students will calculate velocity, kinetic and potential energy to investigate scientific questions.

Thermal energy is the internal energy contained by a substance because of the vibration and movement of the atoms and particles of the object. Heat is the transfer of thermal energy from one object to another object. Heat always moves from areas of high temperature to areas of lower temperature until it reaches thermal equilibrium and spreads out evenly. Students will test thermal equilibrium through a lab.

Students will complete three experiments and determine whether an endothermic or an exothermic reaction occurred. Extensive analysis questions are included after the lab. Lab materials include simple household items that make for easy setup and clean up!

A quick and easy guide for students to complete BrainPop Electromagnetic Spectrum on their own! A perfect online activity for students Grade 5-9! Includes login information for quick access for all students!

Students will watch a short clip about Piper, a small bird, terrified of the water. Students will discuss ways they can help Piper overcome her fears.

RI1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text W2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content Objectives: Read the article, “The Stephen Curry Show,” or, “Star Ballerina,” to gain information about obstacles

Students will do an interactive lab that is designed to demonstrate the modern view of natural selection and evolution. Students will complete the lab with conclusion questions and pie charts.