Make your classroom electrifying with activities and information spanning chemistry and physics content. Everything from equilibrium to electricity and reactions to rocketry at your fingertips.
It’s all about the interactions among land, water, living organisms, the atmosphere, and beyond. Mine activities, information, and helpful hints for ESS.
Teach a class like forensic science where you have to apply physics, chemistry, and biology content? We have interdisciplinary activities and tips to help.
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Estimating Populations Using Mark-RecaptureMark-recapture is one of the most common methods used by ecologists to determine population size. Engage your students with this exciting activity to get hands-on experience with the Mark-recapture method. View »
Sweet and Colorful Density ColumnIn this activity, students determine the density of a variety of sugar solutions and layer them to form a density column.
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Investigating a PhenotypeIn this activity, students investigate a phenotype that is not so conspicuous, and they perform a simple chemical test to reveal the underlying basis of the phenotype. View »
Daphnia Heart RateIn this introductory physiology lab, students determine the heart rate of Daphnia magna and then test the effect of changing temperature on the heart rate. View »
Dry Ice ExplosionDemonstrate the physical states of carbon dioxide with the help of this video. View »
Freezing Point Depression Activity: Ice CreamSpring brings showers, sunshine, and the prospect of summer break. Celebrate with this cool, fun activity. It requires just a few inexpensive materials and can be the basis of an engaging lesson on colligative properties. View »
Grasshopper DissectionExplore basic insect anatomy with preserved grasshoppers. This dissection requires only dissecting scissors, and you can do it in a class period. View »
Periodic Table MysteryP is less dense than S. S is an alkali metal. E is a noble gas. In this activity, students generate a periodic table from clues and predict the missing properties of several elements based on the elements’ locations in the table.
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Plant Biodiversity Field ActivityThis field activity introduces students to biodiversity through the study of plants and animals in a designated area. But here’s the twist—instead of using a quadrat to designate the area of study, students use a Hula Hoop® instead. View »
Teaching with Ecosystem AquariumsBy creating and maintaining an aquarium ecosystem in the classroom, students can understand the web of relationships that link organisms to one another, and they can develop a growing sensitivity to living things and what they need to survive. View »
Investigating Seed GerminationThe story of how a seed becomes a plant is fascinating to young students. These activities for grades K-4 will help your students explore the process of germination, seed structure, and early seedling growth. View »
Seed GerminationIn this inquiry activity students in grades 5-10 design and conduct an experiment to investigate factors that may affect seed germination. View »
Wisconsin Fast Plants® and Product TestingIn this inquiry activity, students conduct experiments to determine if a commercial product effects the germination of Wisconsin Fast Plants® seed. In doing so they practice basic science skills including collecting and graphing data, interpreting data, and doing serial dilutions. View »
Air Pollution: Tropospheric Ozone, Particulates, and Indoor Carbon Dioxide"Bad" ozone, dangerous particulates, and significant CO2 buildup—in and around your school! Access a series of field tests students can use to measure your school’s tropospheric ozone levels and the number of deposited particulates in different locations, and to study how carbon dioxide concentrations indoors vary throughout the school day. View »
Invasion!Invasion!
Engage life science students by investigating a fascinating topic: invasive species. Here’s a lesson plan outline to help you get started. Based on the KWL chart, it guides you through 4 days of invasive species activities that introduce the topic, guide research, and culminate in a research project.
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Shaving Cream and Food Coloring ChemistryDecorating eggs is a fun and memorable way to illustrate scientific concepts and make real-world connections. This egg-speriment is appropriate for either the kitchen at home or the laboratory at school. View »
Easy Variation and Natural Selection Lessons with Wisconsin Fast Plants® Seed DisksExplore a technique that makes teaching variation and natural selection lessons with Fast Plants® easier than ever. In this activity, students examine the effects an abiotic environmental change (salinity) has on an experimental plot of Fast Plants®. Includes detailed background information and instructions. View »
Two Quick, Easy Ways to Collect Insects for Diversity StudiesGet your students outside and engaged with the world around them. In this activity, we’ll look at 2 techniques that make collecting insects in the field quick and easy. Use one or both to collect insects from microenvironments around your school and then examine diversity using Shannon’s or Simpson’s diversity index. View »
End the Year with an Outdoor ClassroomEverything’s better in the great outdoors. Celebrate the warmer weather and engage your students during the final stretch of the school year with these fun activities. View »
How Do We Grow? Light vs. DarkReinforce your K–5 instruction on structure, function, matter, and energy flow in plants with an easy 5-day lesson that uses Wisconsin Fast Plants® seed disks, which require no soil or special lights. View »
Schoolyard Field StudyConduct a field study of your schoolyard with this activity. It’s an opportunity for students to apply what they’ve learned throughout the year. Students work in groups of 2 to 3 over several class periods. View »
Bee-ing an Engineer with Wisconsin Fast Plants®Looking for a great STEM lesson for your K-2 classroom? This fully reproducible guide will help you and your students learn about pollination, engineering, and animal and plant interactions! Includes teacher guide, students guide, and correlation to NGSS Standards. View »
Fractional Distillation of a Carbonated Soft DrinkHow is crude oil refined into many valuable products? Students can find out with this lab activity. Substituting a soft drink for crude oil, they use fractional distillation to separate the soft drink into its components, or fractions. View »
Using Algae Beads as a Model for PhotosynthesisIntroduce students to photosynthesis with fresh water algae. By creating algae beads (made of algae and sodium alginate solution), they indirectly observe the change in concentration of oxygen in beads that are exposed to different amounts of light. View »
Wisconsin Fast Plants® Monohybrid Crosses InquiryIn this scientific inquiry activity, students germinate F2 generation Wisconsin Fast Plants® seeds and identify the phenotypes and possible genotypes of the F2 generation plants. View »
Introduction to Wisconsin Fast Plants® PhenotypesIn this inquiry activity, students investigate phenotypes using Wisconsin Fast Plants® seeds. After the seeds germinate, students identify the phenotypes and the possible associated genotype. View »
PhotosynthesisIntroduce students to photosynthesis in a visual way. As Elodea uses carbon dioxide from an initial solution, a change in pH occurs, causing a color change in the solution. View »
Comparative MetamorphosisIn this investigation, students observe development of 3 different insects from the larva or nymph stage through the adult stage. They also complete a comparative development study of metamorphosis, observing complete and incomplete metamorphosis. View »
Sense of Smell and Olfactory FatigueIn this introductory activity, students use fragrant oils to determine the time of olfactory fatigue for both of their nostrils and examine the link between smell and memories. View »
An Inquiry into Seed GerminationThis NGSS-aligned activity is a student inquiry into factors that affect seed germination.Use it as an introduction for plant studies in biology or as an environmental impact investigation in earth science, environmental science, or agricultural science. View »
Reaction Time and PracticeIntroduce students to reflexes and reactions, the nervous system, or learning theory with this engaging activity. View »
Ocular DominanceHow does the brain process information from both eyes? This short activity introduces the senses, sensation and perception, and evolutionary differences in predator-prey relationships. View »
Hydroponic Nutrient SolutionAfter a structured investigation of a hydroponic technology, students design an experiment to test different nutrient solutions. View »
Frog DissectionLooking for an introductory frog dissection activity? This one requires only dissecting scissors, and you can complete it in 1–2 class periods. View »
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