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The classroom resource provides a video that will describe the different ways heat can be transferred from the sun through the atmosphere, as well as other applications of heat transfer. There is also a short test that can be used to assess students' understanding.

In this episode, we talk about Silicon Valley's namesake and how network solids are at the heart of it all. Hank also discusses solid-state semiconductors, N-type and P-type semiconductors, diodes, transistors, computer chips, and binary code--all from the same thing that makes up sand.

Acceleration is a change in velocity. That means acceleration can mean a change in speed or direction. Acceleration can be thought of as an object’s change in velocity over time.

The classroom resource provides a video that will explain Newton's Second Law of Motion. This resource can provide background information for students before they conduct their own demonstrations. There is also a short test that can be used to assess students' understanding.

In this lesson, students will be able to explain that the density of a liquid has to do with how heavy it is for the sample size. Students will also be able to explain that if a liquid is denser than water, it will sink when added to water, and if it is less dense than water, it will float. As a demonstration, the teacher will compare the weight of an equal amount or volume of water and corn syrup so students can observe that corn syrup is denser than water and sinks. Students will compare the weight of an equal amount or volume of water and vegetable oil and see that vegetable oil is less dense than water and floats. Students add corn syrup to layered oil and water and see the corn syrup sinks below both the oil and water.

Students learn how human activity has impacted animal migration. They begin by watching a video of elk migration through Yellowstone National Park to understand what animal migration is, why elk migrate, how far they travel, and why humans should care. They then imagine themselves back in time and think about how they would adapt the land to better meet the evolving needs of their developing community. Finally, students learn more about specific ways people have altered the environment, explore one geographic area in the United States, and map the human activity in that region. This lesson is part of the Interrupted Migrations unit.

Get energized! Start an energy club! Using this interactive, students will compare and contrast renewable and nonrenewable energy, make their own windmill, and discover the answer to the burning question, “What on earth is a nutria?”

Players are challenged to complete a series of missions to photograph desert plants and animals in the Australian outback, in this interactive game from PLUM LANDING™. Through the clues that Plum provides, players learn about desert ecosystems, the plants and animals living there, and how they are adapted to desert life.

In this lesson, students use the water displacement method to find the volume of different rods that all have the same mass. They calculate the density of each rod and use the characteristic density of each material to identify all five rods. Then students consider the relationship between the mass, size, and arrangement of atoms to explain why different rods have different densities. Students will be briefly introduced to the periodic table.

Students will be able to explain that materials have characteristic densities because of the different mass, size, and arrangement of their atoms. Students will be able to use the volume displacement method to find the volume of an object.

Students collaboratively investigate our planet’s five mass extinctions and the possibility of a sixth mass extinction. Then, students explore the Anthropocene Epoch’s cultural and environmental complexities and impacts before selecting a biome and endangered species that exist within it to be the focus of their research throughout the rest of the unit. They predict how human activity has impacted these biomes and species. This lesson is part of the Engaging in the Fight Against Extinction unit.

In this media-rich lesson, students conduct simple experiments to investigate how light travels. They examine the paths that light takes with different materials and observe shadows, reflection, and refraction.

In this interactive lesson, students learn that animals take care of their young in many of the same ways the adults in their lives take care of them. Students watch videos from NATURE and engage in a variety of activities to check for understanding and reinforce learning. First or second-grade students should be able to do the lesson independently or in pairs; younger students and struggling readers may need additional support. 

In this lesson, students will place isopropyl alcohol, mineral oil, and corn syrup in water to see if any of these liquids dissolve in water. Students will extend their understanding and definition of “dissolving” and see that certain, but not all, liquids can dissolve in water.

Students will identify and control variables to help design a solubility test for different liquids in water. Students will be able to explain, on the molecular level, why certain liquids, but not all, will dissolve in water. They will also be able to explain that the solubility of a liquid is a characteristic property of that liquid.

​In this lesson, students prepare for BioBlitz by defining biodiversity and examining the characteristics of various plants and animals as examples of taxonomic groupings. A bioblitz is a short, intensive study of the biodiversity of an area. Students learn about the number of species identified globally in key taxa and use this information to make predictions about the biodiversity they may observe during their local bioblitz. 

In this lesson, students will examine the various parts of flowers through the use of dissection. At the end of the lesson, students will play a quick game of pollinator tag to help students understand how pollination works.

Use this game from The Ruff Ruffman Show to help children learn motion and stability: forces and interactions through physical science. Use the engineering design process to build, test, and redesign structures to help the hungry hamsters reach their food.

This resource is part of The Ruff Ruffman Show Science Collection.

In this lesson, students will conduct two chemical reactions. In the first, the temperature will go down (endothermic), and in the second, the temperature will go up (exothermic). Students will see an animation to show that it takes energy to break bonds and that energy is released when new bonds are formed. Students will use this idea to explain why a reaction is either endothermic or exothermic.

Students will be able to define an endothermic and exothermic reaction. Students will be able to use the concept of energy in bond breaking and bond making to explain why one reaction can be endothermic and another reaction can be exothermic.

What makes a shadow? Do shadows change? Can a person escape his or her shadow? These and many other questions provide the framework for students to explore their prior knowledge about shadows as fiction, informational texts, and poetry. In this lesson, language arts skills are linked to the learning of science in a literacy-based approach to the study of shadows. Through discussion of the literature on shadows and the use of questioning techniques to probe prior knowledge, students begin to explore scientific concepts and develop and test hypotheses. After studying shadows, recording observations of shadows, and hearing poetry about shadows, students create their own poetic response incorporating their knowledge. The inclusion of poetry in the lesson encourages aesthetic appreciation of scientific phenomena and invites students to observe the world around them from new perspectives.

In this activity, students experiment with batteries, wires, bulbs, and switches to assemble series and parallel circuits and to test for conductivity in sample items.

Imagine your favorite food. Do you know why you like it so much? It is all up to your sense of taste. Find out how it works!

The tongue has thousands of taste receptors that respond to chemicals in the food you eat. Nerves in your tongue and nose send signals to your brain, allowing you to taste the food you eat.

This resource presents a short slide show about how humans detect and interpret taste. After utilizing this resource, the students can complete the short test to assess their understanding.

Observe and read about Earth’s cosmic neighborhood and objects found in space with this annotated slideshow of NASA images. This slideshow can pique students’ interest and provide opportunities to ask questions about various objects found beyond Earth’s surface as they consider what telescopes have revealed. This is a great activity to introduce objects in the solar system before students make their own models. 

Support materials include Background Reading, Teaching Tips, and Discussion Questions. This resource was developed through WGBH’s Bringing the Universe to America’s Classrooms project, in collaboration with NASA.