Classroom resources
Investigate science with fifth-grade experiments and hands-on lessons. Test materials, explore forces and circuits, observe living things and record results.
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A 23-chapter set of hands-on science labs and activities exploring water science topics for upper elementary/middle school students: water pressure, buoyancy, chemistry, surface tension, ice, purification, conservation, weather, and water's role in life.
Introduce elementary students to basic chemistry concepts through 20 hands-on chemical-reaction experiments with explanations of the underlying science.
A 90-minute biology lesson package guiding students through 10 hands-on plant experiments exploring how light, water, and soil affect plant growth.
A blank student investigation worksheet guiding a hands-on experiment testing how the surface a toy car rolls onto affects the distance it travels, to teach the concept of friction.
Guide students through a hands-on physics experiment testing how the speed of objects rolling down an inclined plane relates to potential energy.
Put scientific-method ideas into practice by comparing how much water different paper towels absorb. Students plan a controlled comparison, record measurements, calculate averages and use a graph to support their conclusion. Student notes and matched completed slides introduce variables and hypotheses beforehand, while an extension sheet suggests changing the liquid or measuring absorption time for a later investigation.
An edible/hands-on science activity guide presenting 10 kitchen-based experiments that teach science concepts (e.g., density, acid-base reactions) through food-safe materials.
Demonstrate diffusion through a simple STEM experiment using Skittles candy, warm water, and a plate.
Teach environmental science concepts (pollution, water quality, ecosystems, recycling, population, energy conservation) through hands-on labs framed as 'lab team' investigations.
Teach electricity and magnetism concepts (magnetic force, compasses, electromagnets, static electricity, electroscopes, electrical circuits, generating electricity) through hands-on experiments.
Teach 9-12 year old students earth science concepts (earth structure, landforms, rivers, coastal landscapes, oceans) through a photocopiable activity and experiment booklet.
Multi-file science mini-unit teaching mechanical, potential, and kinetic energy through direct-instruction and hands-on lesson plans, a slideshow presentation, and a model-building lab activity.
A single-page hands-on activity using a magnet and paper clips as a physical analogy to demonstrate how black holes attract objects.
Students predict which balls will need the most and least blowing to begin rolling, then record observations for up to six balls on soft-to-vigorous scales. Two recording pages provide hypothesis, experiment, outcome and conclusion sections. Compare results with predictions and discuss the limits of the test: different balls vary in several properties, so these qualitative observations do not isolate the effect of weight, size or texture alone.
Soda Pop Preferences - Scientific Method Lesson Included This engaging activity introduces students to the scientific method through an experiment involving their favorite soda pops. Students will form a hypothesis about which soda flavor they think will be most popular among their classmates.
An elementary unit-study booklet (with combined student and teacher booklet versions) on static electricity, static discharge/shock, lightning, and Benjamin Franklin's kite experiment; the title indicates current-electricity content is also covered.
An inquiry-based lab experiment ("Eco-bottle Lab") that has students design and run a controlled experiment testing how a human-caused factor (e.g., fertilizer, pesticide, road salt, acid rain, oil) affects a terrestrial/aquatic ecosystem, then write a formal lab report.
An introductory photosynthesis lesson for elementary science, teaching how plants make food using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide, paired with a hands-on seed-germination experiment comparing plant growth in light vs. dark.
An elementary unit-study booklet teaching how circuits work (components, batteries, short circuits, functional circuits) with a hands-on short-circuit experiment, in matching student and teacher booklet versions.
A hands-on inquiry science lab where students conduct three experiments (viscosity comparison, floating paperclip, water drops on a penny) to discover the properties of water: viscosity, surface tension, and cohesion.
A 9-day cross-curricular (science-based) crime-scene-investigation unit in which students act as detectives to solve a staged classroom 'crime' using forensic-style experiments.
Simple science investigation worksheet where students test and compare the strength of five types of magnets.
Teach or review the scientific method process through a hands-on ramp/toy-car experiment testing which fabric surface makes a car travel fastest.
Provide a collection of hands-on science experiments/demonstrations (chemical reactions, physical science, sensory play) for elementary students to try with adult-supplied household materials.