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Course Standards
General Course Information and Notes
General Notes
Laboratory investigations that include the use of scientific inquiry, research, measurement, problem solving, laboratory apparatus and technologies, experimental procedures, and safety procedures are an integral part of this course. The National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) recommends that at the middle school level, all students should have multiple opportunities every week to explore science laboratory investigations (labs). School laboratory investigations are defined by the National Research Council (NRC) as an experience in the laboratory, classroom, or the field that provides students with opportunities to interact directly with natural phenomena or with data collected by others using tools, materials, data collection techniques, and models (NRC, 2006, p. 3). Laboratory investigations in the middle school classroom should help all students develop a growing understanding of the complexity and ambiguity of empirical work, as well as the skills to calibrate and troubleshoot equipment used to make observations. Learners should understand measurement error; and have the skills to aggregate, interpret, and present the resulting data (NRC 2006, p. 77; NSTA, 2007).Special Notes:
Instructional Practices: Teaching from a range of complex text is optimized when teachers in all subject areas implement the following strategies on a routine basis:
- Ensuring wide reading from complex text that varies in length.
- Making close reading and rereading of texts central to lessons.
- Emphasizing text-specific complex questions, and cognitively complex tasks, reinforce focus on the text and cultivate independence.
- Emphasizing students supporting answers based upon evidence from the text.
- Providing extensive research and writing opportunities (claims and evidence).
General Information
Educator Certifications
Student Resources
Original Student Tutorials
Join a group of friends in a STEM challenge to build the quickest toy car as they use evidence from a series of controlled experiments to make a scientific claim in this interactive science tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Join a group of friends in a STEM challenge to build the quickest toy car as they analyze data from a series of controlled experiments in this interactive science tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Join a group of friends in a STEM challenge to build the quickest toy car as they conduct a series of controlled experiments in this interactive science tutorial.
This is part 2 in a 4-part series.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Join a group of friends in a STEM challenge to build the quickest toy car as they plan a controlled experiment in this interactive science tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how scientific research is done based society's goals and what current group needs as you complete this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how different scientists all over the world use vastly different skills to work toward the common goal of understanding and fighting an emerging disease in this interactive tutorial
Type: Original Student Tutorial
You'll explore how science does and does not influence decision-making about climate change, sea turtles, and human health, in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how unbalanced forces cause a change in speed, direction or both using sports-themed, interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn the importance of replication and repetition in science as you investigate the composition of a penny with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how innovation is important in moving scientific thinking forward with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore the interconnected world of science, society, economy, and politics and how they all influence one another with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about scientific theories and how they can change when new information is presented with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore how we define and describe scientific phenomena using scientific laws in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how math models can show why social distancing during a epidemic or pandemic is important in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about scientific theories and how they can change in this space-themed, interactive tutorial
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore different types of energy and energy transformations in this interactive tutorial. You'll also track the transfer of energy in funny Rube Goldberg contraptions.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Continue your scientific experiment about ghost ant food preferences by collecting the data, analyzing the results, and forming a conclusion with this interactive tutorial.
This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Click to open Part 1, Setting Up an Experiment.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to design a scientific experiment involving ants and what food they prefer. In this interactive tutorial, you will learn about variables and scientific processes required to conduct an experiment.
This is Part 1 of a two-part series. Click to open Part 2, Conducting an Experiment and Analyzing Results
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Investigate the benefits and limitations of experiments, observational studies, and comparative studies with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about different types of scientific investigations as you discover the Zebra Longwing, a special type of butterfly that calls Florida home. In this interactive tutorial, you'll also learn how scientists collaborate with each other and share empirical evidence.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Help Ryan revise his soccer science experiment to make it replicable. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn what "replicable" means and why it's so important in science.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Follow the story of how the model of the atom has changed over time in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore atoms--the smallest unit of matter--and how they are made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to calculate the volume of spheres while learning how they make Bubble Tea in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Join our class hamster experiment to learn about making hypotheses, organizing and analyzing data into graphs, and making inferences in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Join our class hamster experiment and learn to identify independent, dependent, and controlled variables in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Join the investigation into our class hamster's respiration! In this interactive tutorial, we will explore different methods of investigation, hypothesize, interpret data, determine appropriate conclusions, and make predictions.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Cruise along as you discover how to qualitatively describe functions in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about kinetic and potential energy as we explore several sporting activities in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the tools of science as we look at the mystery of bird migrations in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how scientific knowledge is open to change and how the knowledge about the Earth's surface has changed in the past 100 years as you complete this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Science isn't just about experiments! Learn about other ways to do science such as observational and comparative studies in this interactive tutorial. Science is varied and interesting as we use scientific skills to learn about the world!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn the differences between science and pseudoscience in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Use models to solve balance problems on a space station in this interactive, math and science tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how science can help us make informed decisions that improve our lives as you complete this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore the processes of science and how it changes over time. This interactive tutorial uses the historical development of The Cell Theory to illustrate these ideas.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Engineering and science may be similar but their goals are somewhat different. In this interactive tutorial, learn about engineers; some of the different fields of engineering, where engineers work, what they do, and some of their goals.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the work of geo-scientists: What they do, where they work and the types of questions they strive to answer in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore kinetic and potential energy and how energy is conserved in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the world of physics and explore what physicists do. In this interactive tutorial, you'll discover where they work and what kinds of questions they try to answer.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the work of chemists, various fields of chemistry, where chemists work and the types of questions they strive to answer in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the varied job of a biologist; where they work, what they do and the types of questions they try to answer.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to calculate and interpret the Mean Absolute Deviation (MAD) of data sets in this travel-themed, interactive statistics tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how science relies on creative and innovative thinking as we explore the science of discovering exoplanets in this interactive tutorial. Science is a problem solving endeavor as we try and figure out and learn new things. The answers are hard to find, but if we keep asking questions and building on what we know, then we can solve problems to things we once were thought were impossible!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Help scientists find the most effective vaccine for Zombie Virus vaccine by effectively analyzing and summarizing experimental data. In this interactive tutorial, you'll write a scientific question, a claim, supporting evidence and an explanation of what happened during the experiment.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to write an effective hypothesis with sharks as a focus in this interactive tutorial. A hypothesis should be testable and falsifiable.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the amazing science discoveries by people from all over the world and all walks of life. In this interactive tutorial, you'll see that science is by and for everyone!
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore the organization of elements into groups on the periodic table and what the group location indicates about an element's atomic structure.
This is part 2 of 2 in a series of tutorials on the periodic table. Click below to open part 1.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore the organization of elements on the Periodic Table and pay special attention to energy levels of elements that share periods in this interactive tutorial.
This is part 1 of 2 in a series of tutorials on the periodic table. Click below to open part 2.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Describe the average velocity of a dune buggy using kinematics in this interactive tutorial. You'll calculate displacement and average velocity, create and analyze a velocity vs. time scatterplot, and relate average velocity to the slope of position vs. time scatterplots.
This is part 3 of 3 in a series that mirrors inquiry-based, hands-on activities from our popular workshops.
- Click to open The Notion of Motion, Part 1 - Time Measurements
- Click HERE to open The Notion of Motion, Part 2 - Position vs Time
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to write a valid conclusion from a scientific investigation. In this interactive tutorial, you'll also learn how to answer questions using scientific reasoning.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Come with me as we select Scientist's Next Top Model! When does an abstract idea become a real scientific model? When the model appears in scientific journals and textbooks all over the world. Before a model can grace the cover of these high profile, peer reviewed journals and textbooks it must go through a rigorous process. How does a model go from an idea to a scientific model? What took me 2000 years I am going to make happen for one lucky model in just 15 short minutes!
Competition is tough and each model will have to showcase why they are able to represent themselves as Scientist’s Next Top Model.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Light can be reflected, refracted or absorbed. Learn how light interacts as it strikes various objects in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Sounds are caused by vibrations. Learn how sound moves as compressional waves and travels at different speeds through different mediums in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to calculate the probability of simple events, that probability is the likeliness of an event occurring, and that some events may be more likely than others to occur in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn the difference between pure elements, pure compounds, mixtures and solutions in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Examine contact and non-contact forces such as gravity, electrical, and magnetic forces in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about gravity and its relationship with mass and distance in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Heat moves from warm objects to cool objects! Learn more in this tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Continue an exploration of kinematics to describe linear motion by focusing on position-time measurements from the motion trial in part 1. In this interactive tutorial, you'll identify position measurements from the spark tape, analyze a scatterplot of the position-time data, calculate and interpret slope on the position-time graph, and make inferences about the dune buggy’s average speed
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to differentiate replication (by others) from repetition (multiple trials) in experimental design through the information and practice exercises in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Begin an exploration of kinematics to describe linear motion. You'll observe a motorized dune buggy, describe its motion qualitatively, and identify time values associated with its motion in this interactive lesson.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore the components of solar radiation by examining infrared, visible, and ultraviolet light in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore how scientists have used scientific thinking and methods to develop hypotheses about the development of life on Earth. Throughout this interactive tutorial, you'll see how learning through science requires retesting data, reconsidering evidence, and debate between scientists.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to measure, graph, and interpret the relationship of distance over time of a sea turtle moving at a constant speed.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to identify models and their use in science with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to identify the independent variable and the dependent variable in an experiment with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to identify the importance of scientific laws and how they are different from societal laws.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Join Chef Ragu as he learns about acids, bases, and salts while he cooks up something special. In this interactive tutorial you will compare and classify the properties of compounds that are acids, bases, and salts and identify basic examples of these compounds.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to analyze and evaluate arguments for their soundness and relevancy. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read several short passages about raising the legal driving age. You'll practice examining the evidence presented to determine whether it's sound and relevant to the argument at hand.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Investigate the limiting factors of a Florida ecosystem and describe how these limiting factors affect one native population-the Florida Scrub-Jay-with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Investigate how temperature affects the rate of chemical reactions in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to identify physical properties, compare and contrast substances based on their physical properties. In this interactive tutorial, you'll focus on density and determine whether physical properties have the ability to change.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how scientific knowledge can change when new evidence is discovered or new ideas are developed. In this interactive tutorial, you'll look at some famous example from the history of science, including the cell theory and the theory of plate tectonics.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn what genetic engineering is and some of the applications of this technology. In this interactive tutorial, you’ll gain an understanding of some of the benefits and potential drawbacks of genetic engineering. Ultimately, you’ll be able to think critically about genetic engineering and write an argument describing your own perspective on its impacts.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Differentiate between weight and mass, recognizing that weight is the amount of gravitational pull on an object and is distinct though proportional to mass. In this interactive tutorial you'll help a curious chicken learn more about this important topic.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to demonstrate that there are a finite number of elements that combine to form all existing compounds, whether living or non-living, and in any state of matter.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn about the Law of Conservation of Energy. This law states that energy can't be created or destroyed, instead it is transformed from one form to another.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to find the density (how many g/cm3) of three different objects, and explain what that number means with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how to demonstrate that adding heat to a system can result in a change in state in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Understand and demonstrate that mass is conserved when substances undergo physical and chemical changes in a closed system with this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to recognize and explain the difference between scientific theories and scientific laws in this interactive tutorial. You'll also explore several examples of scientific theories and the evidence that supports them.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn how scientists use models to simplify and understand the world around us. In this interactive tutorial, you'll also explore the benefits and limitations of scientific models.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to sequence a series of diagrams to create a model of a substance transitioning from a solid state to a liquid state in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Learn to distinguish a physical change from a chemical change in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Explore methods used in scientific inquiry by following an actual astronomer in search of new planets within our solar system in this interactive tutorial.
Type: Original Student Tutorial
Educational Game
Students attempt to save towns from damage prior to the arrival of several different natural disasters. Students will learn the importance of early prevention and actions to protect others, themselves and their property when faced with a natural disaster. Certain disasters are more appropriate for particular grade levels. Each scenario takes between 20 and 45 minutes to play, depending on the disaster for which your students are trying to prepare. There are five scenarios available, hurricane, tsunami, flood, earthquake, and wildfire. Each scenario can be played on easy, medium or hard difficulty levels. As with life, there are no "perfect solutions" to each scenario and no "perfect score", so students can play multiple times and the scenarios will still be slightly different.These simulation are part of a larger website that provides multiple links for natural disasters.
Type: Educational Game
Image/Photograph
This site uses text and images to describe methods that the U.S. Geological Survey measures water temperature, pH, specific conductance, turbidity, dissolved oxygen, hardness, and suspended sediment.
Type: Image/Photograph
Perspectives Video: Experts
Statistical analysis played an essential role in using microgravity sensors to determine location of caves in Wakulla County.
Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.
Type: Perspectives Video: Expert
Some scientists' labs are outside! Learn all about a large-scale environmental model called LILA!
Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.
Type: Perspectives Video: Expert
Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiasts
This discussion about the physical properties of flamenco guitars is full of good vibes.
Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.
Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast
A sculptor explains how he creates illusions using light, mirrors, and other tools.
Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.
Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast
Find out how math and technology can help you (try to) get away from civilization.
Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.
Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast
No need to sugar coat it: making candy involves math and muscles. Learn how light refraction and exponential growth help make candy colors just right!
Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast
Want a clean sound in your recording? Oxidation will test your mettle. Make sure you choose the right material for the job.
Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.
Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast
Your heart will melt as you watch a mother-daughter team explain how heat is used for glass artistry.
Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.
Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast
Ideas about applied physics should flow freely after you learn about heat and bronze casting.
Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.
Type: Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiast
Presentation/Slideshows
This interactive tutorial explores the evolution of time measurement through the ages, beginning with Stonehenge and ancient calendar systems. It progresses through sun and water clocks, mechanical and quartz-movement clocks, and atomic clocks.
Type: Presentation/Slideshow
Resource provides a succinct overview of the nature of science; what science is and is not. Information includes the aims of scientific pursuits, principles, process and thinking.
Type: Presentation/Slideshow
Problem-Solving Tasks
This task asks students to calculate probabilities using information presented in a two-way frequency table.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
In this resource, students will determine the volumes of three different shaped drinking glasses. They will need prior knowledge with volume formulas for cylinders, cones, and spheres, as well as experience with equation solving, simplifying square roots, and applying the Pythagorean theorem.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
Students are given a context and a dotplot and are asked a number of questions regarding shape, center, and spread of the data.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
The purpose of this task is for students to interpret two distance-time graphs in terms of the context of a bicycle race. There are two major mathematical aspects to this: interpreting what a particular point on the graph means in terms of the context and understanding that the "steepness" of the graph tells us something about how fast the bicyclists are moving.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
The primary purpose of this task is to elicit common misconceptions that arise when students try to model situations with linear functions. This task, being multiple choice, could also serve as a quick assessment to gauge a class' understanding of modeling with linear functions.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
This is a simple task about interpreting the graph of a function in terms of the relationship between quantities that it represents.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
In this task students draw the graphs of two functions from verbal descriptions. Both functions describe the same situation but changing the viewpoint of the observer changes where the function has output value zero. This small twist forces the students to think carefully about the interpretation of the dependent variable. This task could be used in different ways: To generate a class discussion about graphing. As a quick assessment about graphing, for example during a class warm-up. To engage students in small group discussion.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
Students will just be learning about similarity in this grade, so they may not recognize that it is needed in this context. Teachers should be prepared to give support to students who are struggling with this part of the task. To simplify the task, the teacher can just tell the students that based on the slant of the truncated conical cup, the complete cone would be 14 in tall and the part that was sliced off was 10 inches tall. (See solution for an explanation.) There is a worthwhile discussion to be had about parts (c) and (e). The percentage increase is smaller for the snow cones than it was for the juice treats. The snow cones have volume which is equal to those of the juice treats plus the volume of the dome, which is the same in both cases. Adding the same number to two numbers in a ratio will always make their ratio closer to one, which in this case means that the ratio - and thus percentage increase - would be smaller.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
In this task, students are able to conjecture about the differences and similarities in the two groups from a strictly visual perspective and then support their comparisons with appropriate measures of center and variability. This will reinforce that much can be gleaned simply from visual comparison of appropriate graphs, particularly those of similar scale.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
The purpose of this task is to give students practice working the formulas for the volume of cylinders, cones and spheres, in an engaging context that provides and opportunity to attach meaning to the answers.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
Students should think of different ways the cylindrical containers can be set up in a rectangular box. Through the process, students should realize that although some setups may seem different, they result in a box with the same volume. In addition, students should come to the realization (through discussion and/or questioning) that the thickness of a cardboard box is very thin and will have a negligible effect on the calculations.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
In this task students interpret two graphs that look the same but show very different quantities. The first graph gives information about how fast a car is moving while the second graph gives information about the position of the car. This problem works well to generate a class or small group discussion. Students learn that graphs tell stories and have to be interpreted by carefully thinking about the quantities shown.
Type: Problem-Solving Task
Student Center Activities
Students can practice answering mathematics questions on a variety of topics. With an account, students can save their work and send it to their teacher when complete.
Type: Student Center Activity
Students can practice answering mathematics questions on a variety of topics. With an account, students can save their work and send it to their teacher when complete.
Type: Student Center Activity
Text Resources
This Frequently Asked Question page can be used by educators and students as a scientific resource to answer the question, "Why isn't Pluto a planet?". From the International Astronomical Union, the definitive answer from the governing body that classified Pluto as a dwarf planet.
Type: Text Resource
This web site features an interactive periodic chart that provides information on the elements, including a description, physical and thermal properties, abundance, isotopes, ionization energy, the element's discoverer, translations of element names into several languages, and bibliographic information on research-and-development publications involving the element. Additional information includes technical information and information on manufactured products for elemental metals, metallic compounds, and ceramic and crystalline products. The American Elements company manufactures engineered and advanced material products.
Type: Text Resource
Tutorials
This video demonstrates finding the volume and surface area of a cylinder.
Type: Tutorial
This video explains the formula for volume of a cone and applies the formula to solve a problem.
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial, students will compare linear functions from a graph. Students should have an understanding of slope and rate of change before reviewing this tutorial.
Type: Tutorial
This tutorial shows how to compare linear functions that are presented in both a table and graph. Students should have an understanding of rate of change before viewing this video.
Type: Tutorial
Students will compare linear functions presented in a graph and in a table. Students should have a strong understanding of rate of change before viewing this tutorial.
Type: Tutorial
In this tutorial, you will look at several real-world examples of linear graphs and interpret the relationship between the two variables.
Type: Tutorial
In this video, you will see two ways to find the Mean Absolute Deviation of a data set.
Type: Tutorial
This video discusses the limits of probability as between 0 and 1.
Type: Tutorial
This video shows how to find the value of a missing piece of data if you know the mean of the data set.
Type: Tutorial
Would a brick or feather fall faster? What would fall faster on the moon?
Type: Tutorial
This resource helps the user learn the three primary colors that are fundamental to human vision, learn the different colors in the visible spectrum, observe the resulting colors when two colors are added, and learn what white light is. A combination of text and a virtual manipulative allows the user to explore these concepts in multiple ways.
Type: Tutorial
The user will learn the three primary subtractive colors in the visible spectrum, explore the resulting colors when two subtractive colors interact with each other and explore the formation of black color.
Type: Tutorial
Video/Audio/Animations
With an often unexpected outcome from a simple experiment, students can discover the factors that cause and influence thermohaline circulation in our oceans. In two 45-minute class periods, students complete activities where they observe the melting of ice cubes in saltwater and freshwater, using basic materials: clear plastic cups, ice cubes, water, salt, food coloring, and thermometers. There are no prerequisites for this lesson but it is helpful if students are familiar with the concepts of density and buoyancy as well as the salinity of seawater. It is also helpful if students understand that dissolving salt in water will lower the freezing point of water. There are additional follow up investigations that help students appreciate and understand the importance of the ocean's influence on Earth's climate.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Ocean explorer Robert Ballard gives a TED Talk relating to the mysteries of the ocean, and the importance of its continued exploration.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
This game aims at showing the use of model organisms in behavioral studies and in detecting the causes of certain diseases
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Students test their knowledge about the names of elements and learn some of their properties through the hint provided with each scrambled word
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Students determine the number of protons, electrons, neutrons, and nucleons for different atoms
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Students match the names of elements of the periodic table with their symbols
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
This game tests students' knowledge about elements, such as their symbols, atomic numbers, and names
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
A collection of crossword puzzles that test the knowledge of students about some of the terms, processes, and classifications covered in science topics
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Learn how to build a circuit
Show the difference between AC and DC
Describe the effect of an inductor on a circuit
Describe the effect of a capacitor on a circuit
Learn how to use an ammeter and a voltmeter in a circuit
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
- Explain the concept of concentration
- Explain the effect of concentration changes on colors of solutions
- Demonstrate the effect of changing the amount of solute, or solvent, or both on the concentration of the solution
- Identify a saturated solution
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
This 13-minute video segment produced by NOVA Science Now explores the work by one committed family and researchers to identify patterns in the genetic information of autism patients.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
More than 155 planets have been found outside of our solar system since the first extra-solar planet was identified in 1995. The search has long been heavily biased towards finding massive planets with short orbits. Now, to find an Earth-like planet, scientists are looking for a planetary setup that is similar to our own, in which a Jupiter-like planet lies a good distance away from its sun. This video segment adapted from NOVA explores how the arrangement of planets in our solar system may have affected the development of life on Earth.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
The Sun produces a solar wind — a continuous flow of charged particles — that can affect us on Earth. It can, for example, disrupt communications, navigation systems, and satellites. Solar activity can also cause power outages, such as the extensive Canadian blackout in 1989. In this video segment adapted from NASA, learn about solar storms and their effects on Earth.
Type: Video/Audio/Animation
Virtual Manipulatives
Build an atom out of protons, neutrons, and electrons, and see how the element, charge, and mass change. Then play a game to test your ideas!
Type: Virtual Manipulative
This unique periodic table presents the elements in an interesting visual display. Select an element to find an image of the element, a description, history, and even an animation. Other chemical data is linked as a PDF file (requires Acrobat Reader).
Type: Virtual Manipulative
Density is defined as mass per unit volume. Density of the gases is highly affected by the pressure and the temperature. This module simulates the measurement of the density of a gas sample. Different gaseous compounds and elements are available and the pressure and temperature of the sample can be adjusted. Learners will understand that density of an ideal gas can be doubled by doubling the pressure or by halving the temperature.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
In this activity, students adjust how many sections there are on a fair spinner then run simulated trials on that spinner as a way to develop concepts of probability. A table next to the spinner displays the theoretical probability for each color section of the spinner and records the experimental probability from the spinning trials. This activity allows students to explore the topics of experimental and theoretical probability by seeing them displayed side by side for the spinner they have created. This activity includes supplemental materials, including background information about the topics covered, a description of how to use the application, and exploration questions for use with the java applet.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
This resource will build the following skills:
- Describe the relationship of mass and volume to density.
- Compare objects of same mass and different volume and vice versa.
- Explain that density of a certain object does not vary with its mass or volume.
- Measure the volume of an object from fluid displacement.
- Use density to identify an unknown material.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
Play with objects on a teeter totter to learn about balance.
- Predict how objects of various masses can be used to make a plank balance.
- Predict how changing the positions of the masses on the plank will affect the motion of the plank
- Write rules to predict which way plank will tilt when objects are placed on it.
- Use your rules to solve puzzles about balancing.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
Allows students access to a Cartesian Coordinate System where linear equations can be graphed and details of the line and the slope can be observed.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
This activity will allow you to practice balancing a chemical equation. You will have to make sure you are following the law of conservation of mass and recognize what can change to balance an equation.
You can:
- Balance a chemical equation.
- Recognize that the number of atoms of each element is conserved in a chemical reaction.
- Describe the difference between coefficients and subscripts in a chemical equation.
- Translate from symbolic to molecular representation.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
This simulation will allow you to heat, cool and compress atoms and molecules and watch as they change between solid, liquid and gas phase.
Ideas to investigate:
- Describe characteristics of three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas.
- Predict how varying the temperature or pressure changes the behavior of particles.
- Compare particles in the three different phases.
- Explain freezing and melting with molecular level detail.
- Recognize that different substances have different properties, including melting, freezing and boiling temperatures.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
Students will pump gas molecules to a box and see what happens as they change the volume, add or remove heat, change gravity, and more. Measure the temperature and pressure, and discover how the properties of the gas vary in relation to each other.
- Students can predict how changing a variable among pressure, volume, temperature and number influences other gas properties.
- Students can predict how changing temperature will affect the speed of molecules.
- Students can rank the speed of molecules in thermal equilibrium based on the relative masses of molecules.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
Explore when objects float and when will they sink. Learn how buoyancy works with blocks by modifying the properties of the blocks and the fluid.
Some of the sample learning goals can be:
- Predict whether an object wills sink or float when place in a liquid, given densities of the object and liquid.
- Apply the definition of density to both liquids and solids
- Relate the buoyant force on an object to the weight of liquid it displaces
- Predict the weight of a completely or partially submerged object of known mass and volume
- Describe the forces that act on a completely or partially submerged object
- Explain how an object that is more dense than water can be kept afloat by placing it on an object that is less dense than water.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
In this activity, students use preset data or enter in their own data to be represented in a box plot. This activity allows students to explore single as well as side-by-side box plots of different data. This activity includes supplemental materials, including background information about the topics covered, a description of how to use the application, and exploration questions for use with the Java applet.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
In this online tool, students input a function to create a graph where the constants, coefficients, and exponents can be adjusted by slider bars. This tool allows students to explore graphs of functions and how adjusting the numbers in the function affect the graph. Using tabs at the top of the page you can also access supplemental materials, including background information about the topics covered, a description of how to use the application, and exploration questions for use with the java applet.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
The students must apply force to a given object and try to push it up the ramp. They will see the forces being applied to the object at all times.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
Students can test the pH of several substances and visualize hydronium, hydroxide, and water molecules in solution by concentration or the number of molecules. Students can add water to a given substance to see the effects it will have on the pH of that substance; or they can create their own custom substance.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
This interactive simulation investigates graphing linear and quadratic equations. Users are given the ability to define and change the coefficients and constants in order to observe resulting changes in the graph(s).
Type: Virtual Manipulative
Users select a data set or enter their own data to generate a box plot.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
This resource is a virtual manipulative that allows the user to change the angle of incidence of light and select from a variety of materials, each of which has a different index of refraction, to demonstrate how light may be refracted.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
This interactive demonstrates the impacts of the gravitational force of the sun on motion of objects in the solar system.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
This virtual manipulative allows one to make a random drawing box, putting up to 21 tickets with the numbers 0-11 on them. After selecting which tickets to put in the box, the applet will choose tickets at random. There is also an option which will show the theoretical probability for each ticket.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
Learn about conservation of energy with a skater! Build tracks, ramps and jumps for the skater and view the kinetic energy, potential energy, thermal energy as he moves. You can adjust the amount of friction and mass. Measurement and graphing tools are built in.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
This virtual manipulative allows you to investigate various aspects of gases through virtual experimentation. From the site: Pump gas molecules to a box and see what happens as you change the volume, add or remove heat, change gravity, and more (open the box, change the molecular weight of the molecule). Measure the temperature and pressure, and discover how the properties of the gas vary in relation to each other.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
This tool is useful for introducing students to the concept that light or electromagnetic waves pass through different substances at different speeds and in different directions.
Type: Virtual Manipulative
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