Science lesson ideas?

In my chemistry class junior year of high school, we made ice cream and it was meant to show temperature difference and how salt changes the boiling/melting point of water. we also made electromagnets senior year in my physics class and had a contest to see who could dangle the most paperclips off the ends of the nails. In college we’ve done standing waves, specific heat, the EM spectrum, and others that escape my memory.

generate electricity through simple electromagnetism

e=mc2 simply by explanning the meaning behind this equation.
you can discuss about energy, how is it tranferable from one type to another without lost, about mass how change of material state i.e. water to vapor but still conservation of mass applies. About speed of light which is probably the only real constant in the universe. And finally how einsterin manage to visualise this 3 entities to be combined into one simple equation. Talk about atom bomb production by hitting neutron on to unstable uranium 236 and so on. ww2 hiroshima bomb and so on. Lots to say about this.

See if they’re tasters or non tasters. Build on that.

http://www.eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Genetics/GET0002.html

Have them build a marble (or golf ball) run, using misc stuff. Great lesson on gravity, acceleration, drag, friction, etc.

@del – I remember having tasters vs non-tasters in 9th grade bio class. The very fact that I still remember it is a tribute to the fun we had with it.

This book totally rocks: Chemical Magic- Leonard A. Ford

My Junior College Chem Professor used it and it showed me how awesome Chemistry really was.

It includes dozens of “magical” chemical interactions:
Glowing Steel
Black Foam
Bloody Picture
Water to Wine to Coffee
Acid breath
Fire extinguisher
Mystery Fountain
Cold Boiling
Burning Water
Disappearing Flame
Fireworks
Delayed fire
Chemical Cannon…

The book is great- and it really gets the attention of the viewer to see it in action then learn how the interaction works.

Lesson Plan Title : Using Our Senses

Age Range:

Grade 9 through Grade 12 (High School)

Overview and Purpose:

In this fun lesson, students use their senses of touch and smell to try to figure out what objects are hidden inside boxes. They can work together as a team to brainstorm descriptive words and record them on a worksheet. This will help build their vocabulary and might spark some debate over just what is in those boxes!

Objective:

The student will be able to

*use their senses of touch and smell to identify four objects.

*write three descriptive words about what they felt and three about what they smelled.

Resources:

Teacher created worksheet

Cut up orange

Box of crayons

Banana

Play-doh

4 cardboard boxes labeled 1–4 with two holes just big enough for students’ hands cut out opposite the opening

Activities:

Ahead of time set the classroom up so there is a box and then a workstation after it. Lay the boxes on their sides so the students can come up and put their hands in the cut out holes. Place one item in each box (one box will have oranges; one will have crayons, etc) and close the flaps. Talk about the five senses: sight, touch, taste, hearing, and smell. Explain that today the students are going to have to use two of those senses, touch and smell, to try to identify some items you have placed in the boxes.

Pass out the worksheets and divide the class into groups of 3. Stagger the class so they start at a box and then move to a workstation to record their observations while the next group is at the box. (If you have more than 24 students you may have to have additional boxes or activities for the extra groups to do while they are waiting.)

After the whole group has had a chance to touch and smell what is in the box, they should move to a workstation and complete the section of the worksheet that is for that box. Encourage students to work quietly so no one else can hear their comments.

After all the groups have had a chance to experience each box, come back together as a class. Review the worksheet and talk about the activity.

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