Subject(s): Science Grades(s): Junior High/High School

You may also want to take a look at our Weekly Science Experiments section!

Astronomy:

• Students create an indoor planetarium in this lesson
• Friendly aliens learn about the sun from your class in this well-developed webquest
• Students sort spreadsheet data in this lab to uncover the relationships between latitude, angle of the sun, elevation, and solar energy

Atmosphere & Weather:

• This is a fun lesson on wind power that involves students creating a “Puff Mobile”
• Student groups use multiple resources to compare two cities with similar climates and weather patterns, telling why their temperatures are so similar in a media-rich presentation and report
• Find more weather lesson plans, videos, and resource links on our Seasons, Severe Weather, Natural & Man-made Disasters page

Biology – Animals:

• This lesson uses Owl Pellets to aid in studying the Skeletal System
• This lesson looks at animals adapting to their environment and is called “Build An Animal”
• This lesson plan looks at animals and their adaptations to the environment
• This science experiment looks at whether fish can be raised in a bottle
• In this lesson, students create 3-D models of ocean animals, and you create a 3-D ocean bulletin board
• The main materials for this invertebrate lesson are octopus and squid from a local fish market

Biology – Human Body:

• Here’s an idea for researching the human body
• This is a lesson on Ville Diagram neural activity
• This blood bank research investigation idea lets science/health students apply classroom knowledge in a real world context
• In this research lesson, students must defend their organelle to the Cell Body Corporation which is considering layoffs
• This is a simple and very effective blood type compatibility demonstration
• In this LearntobeHealth.org activity, teens find out what stress is, how it effects the body, why it happens and steps to cope with it
• This lesson teaches the importance of and how to monitor your heart rate during exercise
• Here students collaborate via internet to construct a mixed media presentation about a human body organ system

Biology – Plants:

• This idea involves Scanning and/or Digital Cameras for observing Tree Bark
• Here’s a Science Experiment that asks “Can Water Travel Through Plant Stems?”
• This Experiment looks at the effects of a Dense Plant Population
• Do plants lose water through their leaves? Find out in this experiment!
• Here is an experiment that asks if plants need sunlight to be green
• The question in this experiment is whether green is the only color in a leaf
• Can a plant grow from nothing but the top of a carrot? Find out with this experiment
• Students predict the number of sections in citrus fruit in this experiment
• This experiment looks at the affect of temperature and gravity on seed germination
• Your students will find out what happens when seeds sprout with this experiment
• Water, air, food, or soil — these controlled experiments discover which is the most needed for plant growth
• Here students use PowerPoint or Inspiration software to create a web with pictures summarizing the process of photosynthesis
• Here students armed with Excel spreadsheets calculate the biotic potential of a tomato plant “taking over the world”
• This is a great plant transpiration lab

Biology – Other:

• This idea on Cell Organelles compares Cells to a School or Factory
• This Science Experiment looks at what conditions cause Mold to Grow fastest on Bread
• “How Viruses Travel” is the topic of this lesson plan
• A health lesson on bronchopulmonary dysplasia
• This lab experiment demonstrates osmosis
• This osmosis/diffusion lab idea is easy and dramatic
• This simple idea transforms plants (collected leaves) into animals (art project)
• In this original origin of life experiment, real cell membranes “self-assemble” around oil and water molecules
• This is a genetics unit rubric for a “newly discovered” organism (male & female) and their possible offspring
• In this genetics lesson, students build living Punnet squares for Martian combinations
• Here students discover what makes one compost mixture decompose faster than another
• In this lesson, students extract DNA from cells
• The role organelles play in a cell is compared here to the function of bicycle parts
• In this lesson, students compare aerobic and anaerobic respiration
• This lettuce project demonstrates cell diffusion, passive diffusion and selective barrier

Chemistry:

• Categorizing Elements and Reading the Periodic Table are the topics of this lesson
• What do you get when you mix Borax with Glue? Find out in this Science Experiment
• This Science Experiment looks at what happens when Food Coloring is mixed with Oil and Water
• A Science Experiment on “Expanding Ice”
• How can you make Soap Bubbles last longer? Find out with this Experiment
• This Experiment determines how Detergent Changes how Water Acts
• Another Science Experiment – this one deals with the Density of Water with Salt or Sugar
• In this Experiment students make a Model of an Atom with a Walnut Shell
• An Experiment involving Melting Chocolate at different Temperatures
• This Experiment looks at the affect of Temperature on the Speed of Molecules in Water
• An Environmentally-Practical Science Experiment that looks at Garbage and its speed of Breakdown
• Another Soap Experiment – this one on what makes Soap Slide
• This is a cool and colorful demonstration of liquid density/diffusion/pH/acid-base indicators
• Students calculate the atomic mass of Yumminium in this delicious lesson
• Here’s a lesson you can sink your teeth into – calculating the percent composition of gum
• “How to make Fake Warts” is a “cool” lesson sent in by a student
• This awesome demonstration is simply magic – seriously, go try it now!
• The entire class models molecular behavior in this clever gas-liquid-solid lesson
• This is a density quiz
• Compounds are identified by fire in this experiment
• This pure substances and mixtures vocabulary worksheet really does “matter”
• Kool-Aid and pancakes are used here to demonstrate physical and chemical changes
• In “A-B-C Pipettes,” students must use deductive and “compound” reasoning to solve a chemical mystery
• An “Edible Slime” alginate polymer is mixed up here from brown seaweed
• In this activity, students make a rubber ball from latex
• Here learners create a PowerPoint slide show on a specific element from the periodic table
• In this lesson, students learn and use computer animation to obtain a deeper understanding of chemical elements
• “Sharpie Tie Dye” demonstrates solubility and movement of molecules while creating a cool shirt
• Here are great high school chemistry writing prompts for the start of school and throughout the year
• This scientific notation and significant figures worksheet is appropriate for a chemistry or pre-engineering class
• “Molecular Weight and the Mole” is the main subject of this unit conversion worksheet

Ecology – Rain Forests:

• This is a lesson on creating a rain stick
• This idea involves creating a simulated landfill to prevent erosion

Ecology – Other:

• This Wetlands idea is only feasible if you live in an area with various Wetlands
• This is just a set of handy questions that can be used after listening to a radio program available on the Internet on Nuclear Waste Cleanup
• This lesson focuses on building Hazardous Waste Awareness
• This lesson focuses on the Conservation of Energy
• Here is a reading comprehension quiz over a Nuclear Water Contamination article
• In this 1-2 week Biodiversity Preservation Project, students pick the environmental concern they wish to champion
• This is a 10-day Environment Curricula from Do Something, Inc.
  • Day 1: Introduction to global warming, energy conservation and how rising temperatures affect us locally
  • Day 2: Students learn about greenhouse gases and the power of language
  • Day 3: Students learn about the potential consequences of global warming
  • Day 4: Students examine their own energy consumption and conservation
  • Day 5: Students learn how schools can participate in energy conservation
  • Day 6: Students compare U.S. energy use to that of other countries
  • Day 7: Students explore different types of renewable energy sources
  • Day 8: Students discuss pros/cons of renewable energy
  • Day 9: Students debate the pros/cons of government involvement in energy conservation
  • Day 10: Students present their energy conservation projects
• Here students develop a digital ecosystem PowerPoint photo album
• This Globalization and the Environment Unit culminates with students participate in a mock Kyoto Protocol negotiation
• This A-Z endangered animal research project requires a triorama of creative writing projects
• In this hydraulic water cycle lesson, students test different water samples, compile results and create a display board as a class
• Groups present a digital story about a selected biome’s climate, topology, plants, animals, limitations, variations and adaptations here
• Here are two great Earth Day ideas from Planetpals.com:
  • 10 Earth Day Classroom Activities
  • Recycle? Precycle? Which Cycle Is Best for You?
• This multimedia research unit reports the facts about Environmental Injustices:
  • Lesson 1 – Research the Facts
  • Lesson 2 – View the PowerPoint
  • Lesson 3 – Go on the WebQuest
  • Lesson 4 – Create the Television Newscast
  • Lesson 5 – Make the Presentation
• This is a four-part Environmental Uniton climate change and the water pollution problem
  • Part I: The Science of Climate Change
  • Part II: A Macro Plan for Climate Change
  • Part III: A Personal Plan for Climate Change
  • Part IV: The Water Pollution Problem
• Students love this Earth Day Jeopardy game activity
• ESL students create a recycling brochure in this SIOP lesson
• Sustainability posters with recycling, composting, water conservation, organic gardening, repurposing and biofuel facts are created by groups here
• Here teams research and construct different solar ovens and then test parameters with digital probeware
• Students research the Mexican Grey Wolf re-introduction dilemma here and write a persuasive essay/PowerPoint offering their solution

Geology & Earth Science:

• This is a good lesson on gravity, erosion, and mass wasting
• Here is a science lesson on ocean currents
• In this lesson, students will model radioactive decay
• In this incredible edible lesson, students simulate the rock cycle and end up with igneous rock fudge – yum!
• Here the rock cycle is demonstrated with chewing gum and Pop Rocks
• This Easter egg idea demonstrates how geodes are formed in nature from minerals and evaporation
• Google Maps and Google Earth are used here to study plate tectonics and the corresponding locations of earthquakes and volcanoes

Physics:

• A Science lesson plan on the Speed of Sound
• A well-developed lesson on Convex and Concave lenses
• This Science lesson plan is called “Looking For Newton” and integrates the Internet
• In this lesson, students can Build a Car (an Index Card Car)
• Here’s a lesson on Current and Static Electricity
• A great lesson on Force and Motion as well as Measurement in Newtons
• This lesson looks at the Structure of Atoms
• This lesson plan uses a Meter Stick as a Scale and is called Torque Lab
• This is a Science Experiment – How many pennies can be added to a full glass of water?
• Can a paper clip float in air? That’s answered by this Science Experiment
• This Experiment looks at whether Electricity can be made to do Work
• A Science Experiment on making a Roller Coaster
• This Experiment looks at Cars, Ramps, and the Ramp’s affect on the Car’s Energy
• An Experiment involving Cartesian Divers
• Does Sound Travel through Walls? Find out with this Experiment
• This Experiment determines whether Heavy or Light Objects Fall Faster
• Your students can find out Why Hot Air Balloons Float with this Experiment
• An Experiment that looks at the Density of Hot Air versus Cold Air
• This Experiment involves determining Hot or Cold by Touch
• Want to make a Rainbow? This Experiment tells you how.
• This unit provides instruction on how to construct and perform experiments with a basic PVC wind turbine:
  • Introduction
  • Basic PVC Wind Turbine Parts and Tools List
  • Constructing Basic PVC Wind Turbine Procedures
  • Building and Testing the Blades
  • What You Can Do with Your Turbine
• This is an experiment that looks at how the amount of water in a bottle affects sound
• This experiment focuses on the center of gravity of objects
• This physics lesson serves as an introduction to Bernoulli’s Principle
• This is a simple and fun “Launch an Eggonaut” physics team activity
• This physics idea has students predicting and comparing results of bouncing various sports balls
• The speed formula (S = d / t) is the topic of this lesson
• This is a static electricity lab
• In this aerodynamics lesson, an airplane is made with just a straw, an index card, and some tape
• This is a lesson on energy
• The phase changes of matter are studied here while making ice cream in a recloseable plastic bag

Psychology:

• This Psychology / Art lesson is on Rorschach Spots (Inkblots)
• This is a psychology lesson on levels and characteristics of mental retardation

Other / Multiple Topics:

• This plan is for preparation for a science fair
• This lesson looks at eye safety in labs
• Here are great content-rich comedy skits on oxygen, G-force, hydrogen, and inertia and some Algebra songs
• This lesson looks at inventions and discovery and makes use of PowerPoint
• This is a lesson on making a hydrometer
• Is it possible to force an opponent to Win Tic-Tac-Toe? Find out with this experiment
• Your students can find out the most common month for birthdays in this experiment
• This science experiment attempts to discover what time people are most alert
• In this multidisciplinary lesson, students use K’NEX to Design and Build a Bridge
• Find out how healthy fast food really is
• In this scientific method lesson, students analyze prepared trash to find evidence of a crime
• Here students research the biography of a scientist and create his tombstone
• Students complete a QBI (question based inquiry) on their favorite science topic in this lesson
• Here students make their own science videos ala Bill Nye
• This lesson teaches students how to “question the author” and “write to learn” in science or other fields

Art Connections:

• Here is a good lesson on painting, the elements of light, and studying countries
• This outstanding 3-week multi-discipline fresco art unit features lessons on painters, symmetry, pigment, color wheel, primary colors, Italian Renaissance, solutions, chromatography, molecules, and atoms; plus a good museum education bibliography.
• This well-developed sculpture diorama lesson examines positive/negative space and the works of Dale Chihuly
• Here students decorate plastic cup flowers with different materials that they then test for opacity, aesthetic value and durability

Computers & Internet Connections:

• This is an activity using digital cameras to capture shapes in nature
• Here students use Photo Story 3 to combine photos with a poem about the current science unit

Language Arts Connections:

• Tinker Toys and digital cameras are used in this direction writing exercise
• After this nature hike, students identify, write about and make a shadow box with their outdoor treasures
• Students create a newspaper about their most admired person in these Writing Workshop activities
• Students explore word play devices, research animals, and more in this multidisciplinary unit

Math Connections:

• Here is a fun idea for an online lesson on Leap Year
• Here are some ideas for connecting math to the study of the environment (on Field Trips)
• Students create a “Let’s Get Cooking” documentary showing how they used math and science to create a treat

Music Connections:

• The question “Does background music affect your writing?” is tested here

Physical Education / Health Connections:

• Teach students about careers in the health field using this lesson
• By mixing chemicals with random classmates (or abstaining), students see how quickly a disease, like AIDS, can spread
• This is an excellent 6-week Healthy Lifestyle Diet and Exercise Analysis Health Unit would benefit us all
• Here’s a great lesson on the Science of Addiction that uses poetry – part of a full curriculum on Prescription Drug Abuse

Social Studies Connections:

• Here students demonstrate their knowledge of space exploration during the Cold War through Photo Story 3
• Students create a Civil War digital diorama here which could include the suggested science component

More Lesson Plans: HotChalkScience.com