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Creative Learning ClassScience!
Open Equal FreeOpen Equal Free provides information, news, resources, consulting, and networking opportunities to champions of education in the developing world. We firmly believe,
and have consistently demonstrated, that it is possible to provide world-class educational experiences using the physical resources already available to educators and
NGOs working in the most underfunded classrooms on earth.
www.openequalfree.org
This is an Open Educational Resource for the developing world compiled and designed through a partnership by:
PEPYPEPY (Promoting Education, emPowering Youth) is a 501(c)3 organization registered in the
United States and based in Cambodia. We began in 2005, with a mission to improve access to quality education in rural Cambodia, and primarily ran projects supporting government
schools in Kralanh District, Siem Reap Province. Over time, our mission and focus has evolved to meet community needs and to leverage on our strengths. As a result, some of our programs are expanding, and several of our programs that no longer align with our
goal, are now drawing to a close. This has coincided with a process of localization, and in 2014 our Cambodian-led team created a new local organization, with their own mission
statement, core values, and vision. The overall approach to programs remains the same, with commitments to providing education and youth empowerment initiatives for young people in
Kralanh District. We are very happy to support their new programs!
We are also proud of the programs that PEPY-US has created and implemented in Kralanh over the past eight years. These manuals describe several programs that PEPY-US created
and implemented in Kralanh, Siem Reap. They share the lessons we’ve learned, the successes we have had, the challenges we have faced, and tips and best practices for those
interested in implementing similar programs.
To learn more about where we have been and where we are headed, visit:
www.pepycambodia.org
Creative Learning ClassScience!
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Great Science TeachingThe most important part of great science teaching is simple:
Don’t give them the answer.As outlined in the “Scientific Thinking” page, teaching great science is about teaching
students to be critical thinkers and problem solvers: to develop questions, research, design experiments, discover solutions, and discuss their findings. As smart phones and the internet become more and more common, even in the developing world, knowing facts isn’t nearly as important as being able to use them creatively.
Each lesson in this book is designed to present students with a question. The steps for teachers to go through focus on leading students to discover the answers for themselves rather than simply hearing it from their teacher. In the sidebars some additional information is given to teachers to help them lead students to the answer, but, this information should never be given to students directly. The best thing a teacher can say when asked the answer is:
“I don’t know, find out for yourself!”But how? Always try to answer questions with more questions (sometimes called the
Socratic method). Instead of explaining that sand is a solid that acts like a liquid because it’s made of small pieces (a particulate solid), ask questions to help students come to that answer themselves. “Is a rock a solid? What happens if we put a bunch of rocks in a box, and then pour them into a pipe? Is that similar to sand? How?”
Instead of telling them how much water and vegetable starch to add for Oobleck, give them a sample and tell them to recreate it. Suggest they start with only half their vegetable starch and work from there (so they don’t waste too much). Go around “How is yours different from mine? What should you add to make it more like mine, vegetable starch or water?”
If all goes well, in the end you’ll have a classroom full of scientists, not a classroom full of science books.
Scientific Thinking
FormulationStudents will think of questions and problems that are relevant to them:• Make and record observations about the world around them• Raise questions about the world around them based on their observations• Define problems based on observable information
ResearchStudents will gather information effectively and efficiently:• Gather information from multiple sources (interviews, books, observation, and the internet)• Keep records (notes, graphs, etc.) of information collected• Combine observations from multiple groups/students using different resource
ExperimentationStudents will develop creative methods to answer questions:• Infer based on observation (make guesses)• Use creativity in answering difficult or unusual questions• Become comfortable with trial and error (especially in the face of initial and repeated failure/difficulty)• Design experiments that refine information and test possible answers.
EvaluationStudents will evaluate answers and determine if they are correct and useful:• Be able to answer the question “how do you know?” and compare it to/against observable facts• Explain why experiments should be repeatable and determine if they are• Compare answers and experiments (especially methods) of classmates• Be able to determine between empirical evidence and ideas, opinions, and inferences.
CommunicationStudents will communicate their methods and answers to others:• Create presentable explanations that fit experimental results• Present collected information to peers• Discuss and defend their methods when questioned.
Scientific Thinking
Table of ContentsAbout CLC
Part I Physical Science
Solids and Liquids — 2
Paper Boat Float — 3
Oobleck — 4
Liquid Density — 6
Bubbles — 7
Gases — 9
Physical vs Chemical — 10
Acid Rain — 11
Cold Firecrackers — 12
Simple Machines — 13
Soda Can Engine — 14
Mouse Trap — 15
Gravity & Air — 16
Magnetism — 18
Solar Oven — 20
Part II Earth & Space Science
Our Solar System — 22
Orbits and Time — 24
Gravity & Air — 26
Parts of the Earth — 29
Describing Soil — 30
Groundwater Flow — 32
Erosion — 34
Evaporation — 37
Clouds — 38
Measuring Rain — 39
Watching Wind — 40
Part III Life Science
Seed Power — 43
Grow Up — 44
Trees — 45
Transpiration — 46
Types of Cells — 47
Cell Membranes — 48
Osmosis & Diffusion — 49
Taxonomy — 51
Invertebrates — 52
Camouflage — 53
Body Bacteria — 54
Body Systems — 55
Sensory Lab — 56
Diseases — 58
Genetics — 59
I. Abbreviations CLC - Creative Learning ClassPEPY - Promoting Education emPowering YouthCD - Chanleas DaiJHS - Junior High School
II. General Information about CLC
Project Objective
To enhance knowledge and skills of the students in creative thinking, enable problem solving through technology, and raise the quality of education in Chanleas Dai Junior High School.
CLC Background
Creative Learning Class (CLC) was created in November 2009. CLC is the development and ex-pansion of an XO laptop class which was implemented in grades 4, 5, and 6 in Hun Sen Chanleas Dai Primary School. After working in the primary school for several years, PEPY found that students in other schools also wanted the opportunity to learn and experience XO computers. PEPY then de-cided to move XO classes from the Hun Sen Chanleas Dai Primary School to Chanleas Dai Junior High School in order to engage students from the whole commune. As a result, students throughout the commune were able to get the same educational opportunities.
How We Started Our CLC Program
Creative Learning Class (CLC) is an experiential education class offered at Chanleas Dai Junior High School and incorporates aspects of science, English, math, creative writing, critical thinking, social studies, and art. The program was created in November 2009. Previously, between 2005 and 2009, PEPY delivered a program called ‘XO Class’, a computer and creative thinking class for Grades 4, 5, and 6 in Hun Sen Chanleas Dai Primary School.
It became apparent that students who went on to junior high school from Hun Sen Chanleas Dai
About CLC
About CLC Primary School had far superior skills in English and computers and had gained confidence through additional educational experiences through their XO classes. To work towards evening the playing field across all schools, and to create a higher level learning program appropriate for the junior high school level, CLC was developed as an expansion of the successful XO Class offerings.
The PEPY team conducted a survey and found that many students in Chanleas Dai Junior High School lacked confidence in science and math, especially since they had very little hands on prac-tice with using those subjects experientially. Other students were shy and most felt they had very little creative outlets in school. Additionally, they were not encouraged to think critically in their other classes. To address this issue, the Creative Learning Classes were designed with experiments and curriculum inspired from a range of books, science learning kits, and visiting educators from across Cambodia and the world. In the end, the curriculum was divided into three areas – science, social studies, and technology. Each class was designed to foster critical thinking skills through research, group work, and experimentation.
Impact
• 80% of students in the Junior High School registered for the PEPY’s CLC class in 2011/2012• 180 parents attended the opening presentation to support their children• Parents noted children are more confident in their learning ability and asking and answering
questions• Further impacts can be found through our Creative Learning Clubs
Challenges / Lessons Learned
• Critical thinking and problem solving are not familiar concepts in Cambodia and many don’t recognise the benefits of these skills. We strive to make classes relevant to the student’s ev-eryday lives.
• It’s no good having amazing learning tools if teachers don’t know how to use them! Our Edu-cators have spent a lot of time learning about XO Computers and LEGO kits to be able to use these resources to their full capacity.
• Nothing lasts forever! While the XO computers are robust machines – the battery and the mouse pad are the first things to break. PEPY was faced with either reinvesting in more com-puters or finding another, innovative way of teaching these same skills once the XOs are no longer usable.
III. Running the ProjectCLC is provided to students in grades 7,8 and 9 for four hours per week. These classes run as
supplementary classes to scheduled government classes. CLC takes place between 7-11 in the morning and 1-5 in the afternoon from Monday to Friday, with classes filling empty slots in student schedules.
Yearly Activities Plan Development
Developing a yearly activities plan is a very important step for implementing the project smoothly and effectively. The yearly activities plan helps the team understand clearly where, how, and what is going to happen during the whole year. In order to develop a good yearly activities plan our CLC team does the following:
• Brainstorming supplemental topics and activities for the whole year in addition to reviewing the curriculum
• Analyzing and prioritizing activities• Reviewing activities, discussing implementation, and troubleshooting likely problems as much
as possible• Document all activities, making note of the following: number of activities, team member re-
sponsible, year, month, and comments• Project manager needs to list all materials needed for the activities in the yearly activities plan• Project Manager then needs to insert all the materials needed along with the cost into an ap-
propriate budget for submission to management team• Yearly activities plan and budget should be submitted to the management, revised, and ap-
proved• Finally, it’s important to revisit the plan throughout the year. Reality requires changes and
moving of schedules and it’s important that all team members know when this happens
Coordinating With the Government School
Before starting to implement the project we have to get approval from the principal. To that end, we schedule a meeting with him or her and other teachers. This meeting is conducted with the pur-pose of improving communication and collaboration with the school, informing them about what we are planning to do, and classifying what roles and responsibilities that the school has to ensure the project will run properly.
For example:
Before the meeting day
• The project manager has to prepare and organize a presentation on the project, documents related to the project such as yearly activities plan, curriculum, and the contract before the
meeting • Prepare the invitation letter to send to the principal, teachers, and school support committee
Meeting day
• The project manager presents the project’s purposes and detailed plan• All the participants are encouraged to ask questions or comment about the project• Finally, a contract is signed between the school principal and project manager. The contract
should be made in collaboration between a program representative and the school principal before the meeting day.
Coordinating with Government Teachers
• It is important to present the curriculum to the government teachers so that they can under-stand the CLC lessons and give us feedback.
• Finally, once both government teachers and the PEPY team agree, we can sign the contract and get started.
• Note: It is important to update and improve lessons each year based on experience from pre-vious years
Student Selection
CLC was not a government class and was implemented directly by PEPY with students during their free time from school. Students who want to join this project have to sign up at the beginning of school year. The process of selecting students to join the class was:
• Project staff announce to students in the Junior High School at the same time they register for their government class
• Students have to fill out the PEPY application form Students have to submit their application forms to PEPY before the deadline
• PEPY team announces to students who are qualified to attend the class. Students were gen-erally always qualified to study in the class except those whose parents did not provide the approval by signing the application form.
Starting Class
Before starting class we would organize a meeting with students, teachers, the project manager, school support committees, and parents. The purpose of this meeting was to share with the partici-pants what PEPY will do for the whole year, and get more collaboration from the parents. Parents’ engagement is important as they have a lot of influence over their children. The agenda of the meet-
ing was: project presentation, question and answer session for parents and students, and a speech from the principal of schools about education.
Home Visits
In rural communities some students lack motivation and some students are forced to stay at home and help with chores. As a result, this often affects school attendance. Going to see their house and meeting members of their family is important to better understand their living condition and why they may not be attending class. It is a good opportunity to provide them with more infor-mation about what their children are doing at school; especially in CLC. This is because families often do not really understand what activities are taking place at school. During these visits our team documents all the information that we receive for later trouble shooting. It is a good idea to also bring government teachers or the principal along with us because they are influential figures in the community and understand the community culture more deeply.
Parent Engagement
In the rural community parents have a strong influence on their children; engaging them with our activities is a very important part of the project. In PEPY, we involve them in our project by organiz-ing a meeting with them at the beginning and end of the year.
Teachers’ Involvement
Along with parents, the government teachers play very important role in ensuring the project runs smoothly. We invited teachers to come see our project once a month. We sought feedback on our teaching style and hoped that they could also learn from us.
Weekly Team Meeting
At PEPY we coordinated via team meeting every week. In this meeting we shared what we have learned from the previous week, any issues faced, ideas to solve problems, and worked to develop the weekly plan. We found the weekly meeting to be very important for keeping everyone working as a team and informed. Our meetings lasted about 1 hour because members were strongly en-couraged to be well prepared with their agendas and issues before the meeting.
IV. Introduction to PEPYPEPY (Promoting Education, emPowering Youth) is Cambodia-based Non-Governmental Orga-
nization started in 2005. We started with the belief that education is the best way to improve Cam-
bodia’s future. Our team of about 35 Cambodians and about 6 international staff work on education programs where we partner with government schools and Community Development Programs. We also work with children and families outside of school. These programs focus on the Chanleas Dai Commune in the district of Kralanh.
At PEPY, we believe that all students should have the chance to learn, and their education should teach them to think creatively, to solve problems, and to be leaders. This is because we want all young Cambodians to have the power to make their dreams happen. Our main goal is to help young people get the skills they need. Second, we connect them with systems outside their commu-nities (for example, we guide them when they want to go to college but they don’t understand how to get in.) Third, we stay positive and inspire them to work towards their goals, raise standards of living and improve education in their communities.
Originally The PEPY Ride, PEPY was incorporated in the state of New York in the United States in February 2006, and is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States In-ternal Revenue Code. The roots of PEPY began when cofounders Daniela Papi and Greta Arnquist began planning a cycling adventure across Cambodia to learn about and contribute to development, aid, and sustainable adventure tourism in the region. They were joined by a team of four friends, and together they raised funds to support educational non-governmental organizations (“NGOs”) they had identified. Following their five week ride, they began laying the groundwork for PEPY, an organization inspired by the inadequacies of the funding organizations they had worked with and seen. PEPY Founders were inspired by a commitment to working directly with the community of Chanleas Dai to improve education, specifically health and environmental knowledge in the area. In March 2007, PEPY signed an MOU with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as an official INGO in the Country. PEPY also has agreements with the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, and the Dis-trict Office of Education in Kralanh.
At PEPY, we believe that education is the key to sustainable change and recognize the impor-tance of the holistic impact of development programs. Our programs work in concert with one an-other, both in and out of the classroom, to create an atmosphere where education becomes valued and valuable.
Vision
All young Cambodians empowered to achieve their dreams.
Mission
To invest time and resources in young people in Cambodia, working with them to connect them to the skills, systems, and inspiration necessary to achieve their goals, raise standards of living, and improve the quality of education in their communities.
Core values
• Commit to our unending potential for improvement • Think unreasonably. Dream BIG• Focus on impact, not inputs. Invest in people, not things• Be strategic in our choices, and thoughtful in our plans• Collaborate, both within and beyond• Create and sustain a culture of open feedback• Work with, not for• Do more with less. Be responsible in our environmental and economic choices• Be humble in success, transparent in failure and share the lessons we learn• Nurture the creative and quirky PEPY culture• Stay connected with the PEPY family. Wave until you can’t see them anymore• Live the principles we promote. Work with integrity
Part I Physical Science
Matter, Energy, and Forces
2 Days2 Days
• Write the words “liquid” and “solid” on the board and discuss what this means as a class.
• Create possible definitions for the two terms. • Arrange students into groups and have materials out on tables.• Have several solids and liquids mixed together for each group.• Have students divide the materials into the two groups (solid or liquid).• Have students write a definition of each term.• Discuss each definition with the class as a whole and develop class
definitions for each of the terms.• Compare the new definitions with the ones you made at the beginning
of class.
2 DaysSolids and LiquidsObjectives
• Students will create and evaluate definitions of “solid” and “liquid” based on observations and class-room discussions.
• Students will redefine definitions in the face of substances that seem to break expectations.
Materials• Some solids: rocks, plastics,
pencils, aluminum foil, fabric, etc.
• Some liquids: juice, water, milk, water with food color-ing, syrup, honey, etc.
• Sand, sugar, salt• Colloids: Toothpaste, Shaving
Cream, Jelly, Custard.
Why?• A solid has a definite shape
no matter what you put it in. • A liquid changes its shape to
fit its container. • Sand, sugar, and salt are
a bunch of tiny solids that seem like a liquid when put together.
• Toothpaste, jelly, and shaving cream are colloids: solids sus-pended (floating and spread out) in a liquid. Because they are spread out evenly the water molecules get trapped between them and behave in strange ways. Each colloid is a little different.
• Review the definitions from yesterday. Ask if any changes need to be made.
• Give students examples of substances that don’t fit neatly into the two categories:
• Toothpaste, shaving cream, sand, sugar, salt, jelly, custard, etc. • Have students explore these objects and discuss in groups how to
refine the definitions.• Discuss definitions as a class. Introduce the term colloid.
Day 2
Day 1
Scratch ExtensionHave students create an animated demonstration of their defini-
tions in Scratch. After presenting the definitions, the program can be used to say whether something is liquid or solid when pointed to, or students can make an identification game.
2 Days2 Days
• Ask students to think of what boats are used for, what they are made of, and some basic ideas about their design.
• Tell students they will be working in groups to make boats out of paper. They may cut, fold, tear, or combine the paper in any way they like, but in the endpaper should be the only material in the boat.
• Allow them 30 minutes to plan and build their boats. • Now, put the boats in the water. • The boat that floats the longest wins!• At the end of class, discuss the different designs.• Have students write evaluations of their design, what worked and what
didn’t, and what they would do next time.
2 DaysPaper Boat FloatObjectives
• Students will work in groups to create floating boats using only paper. • Students will test their designs, evaluate their effectiveness, and improve them as necessary. • Students will compare their designs with other groups in a final competition.
Materials• Several sheets of plain paper
for each group• A tub of water or several
buckets.
How?• Paper boats will need to fol-
low a few simple rules to be effective:
• Boats should be thick enough that the water won’t dissolve the paper.
• Boats should be heavier at the bottom so that they don’t tip over.
• The sides of the boat should be high enough that water cannot get into the boat.
• Folds should be crisp and strong enough that it won’t fall apart.
• Allow each group to read their evaluation from yesterday to the class. • Discuss each evaluation and allow students to offer further sugges-
tions. • Give them another 30 minutes to design new, better boats. • Put the boats in water again and see which one winds the competition. • Discuss the results as a class. If possible, develop a list of “boat making
guidelines.” Facts and techniques that are true of all boat designs that future designers can use.
Day 2
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Provide students with the materials for making Oobleck. • Show them an example of Oobleck but do not give them the recipe.• Have them try to recreate the substance you have shown them.• Give students 10-15 minutes to play with oobleck and examine it. Tell
them at the end of this time, they will have to write a new definition for whatever Oobleck is.
• Rearrange the groups and have them share ideas with one another and begin to develop definitions of Oobleck in relation to the definitions they created for solids and liquids.
• Discuss the definitions as a class and create a class definition.
4 Days OobleckObjectives
• Students will re-examine their definitions of solid and liquid in light of this new substance. • Students will experiment with ingredients and quantities in order to replicate a new substance.• Students will design, test, and evaluate designs for a spaceship intended to land on this substance
without sinking.
Materials• Cornstarch or Tapioca Starch• Water• Containers • Spaceship building materials
such as: straws, toothpicks, cotton balls, q-tips, tape, pa-perclips, staples, string, etc.
• Sub woofer• Metal sheet
• Show them a movie from YouTube that shows how Oobleck behaves on a sub woofer.
• Have them make their own Oobleck again, or add water to yesterday’s mixtures to replace the water that has evaporated.
• Place a metal sheet on top of the sub woofer and allow the students to play and explore in their groups.
• Be sure to allow plenty of time for clean up!
Day 2
Day 1
How?• Oobleck is made from a mix-
ture of Cornstarch and water. • The exact measurement
depends on a lot of different things, so we can’t give an exact recipe.
• Start with twice as much cornstarch as water. Add wa-ter or cornstarch until it is the right consistency.
• The goal is to create a substance that is hard if squeezed in your hand, but melts when you relax your fingers. It should seem hard if you punch it, but wet if you slowly sink your finger into it.
Scratch ExtensionNow that students have their spaceships designed, have them
animate them in Scratch! Students can make a sprite of their spaceship flying through space, landing on a planet with oceans of Oobleck, col-lecting a sample, and flying away!
• Tell students they will now be making a space ship that will have to land on oobleck without sinking.
• Have examples and pictures of space ships and tell them what a space ship is. Explain why we will be using a spaceship.
• They will have 40 minutes to design and build their spaceships. • Have each group show their spaceship to the class. Allow the class to
discuss the merits and possible problems of each one. • Students in the class should predict whether the spaceship will be ef-
fective and give possible changes that could help it.
Why?• Oobleck is a strange sub-
stance. It can either be called a Polymer or a non-newtoni-an fluid.
• Newtonian fluids (like water, oil, and almost any other liquid) have something called viscosity. This is how thick or runny a liquid is, and for most fluids, this never changes.
• Oobleck’s viscosity changes which is why it is called “non-newtonian.” It’s basically a fancy way to say “not like other liquids.”
• But Why? Scientists haven’t even explained why Oobleck behaves the way it does. They can describe what hap-pens, but not explain why it happens.
• Allow students to work in their groups to improve their spaceships based on yesterday’s discussion.
• Test each of the spaceships in a large vat of Oobleck to see if it is suc-cessful.
• Discuss as a class the success or failure of each spaceship. Why did it work? Why didn’t it work? What can we do to make it work better?
Day 4
Day 3
Clean Up!Remember, this is just
vegetable starch and water, so don’t work too hard clean-ing up. If it gets everywhere, just let the water dry and sweep away the starch!
2 Days2 Days
• Discuss with students the idea of weight and volume. • Are things that are bigger always heavier? Are things that are smaller
always lighter? Would you rather carry a pillow to school or a bucket of water the same size?
• Lead them to the idea that size and weight are not always connected. This is because of another quality called density.
• Tell them that today you will be learning about the densities of differ-ent liquids: water, oil, syrup, and vinegar.
• Before you begin, ask them to make predictions about what will hap-pen if you mix up these different liquids into one container.
• Have each group mix their liquids into a container and set it aside for about 20-30 minutes. (This would be an excellent time to play a game or do some other small activity.)
• At the end of the 20 minutes observe the liquids again. Have students record their observations and discuss them as a class.
• Now, you can experiment with gently placing objects (such as fruit, bits of paper, erasers, etc.) into the “density columns” and seeing where they float. Some things will sink to the bottom, some will stay at the top, but others will float in the middle.
1 Day Liquid DensityObjectives
• Students will experiment with different liquids to determine the comparative density of each one.
Materials• Clear Containers• Water• Oil• Syrup• Vinegar• (Or any liquids of varying
densities)
Why?• All matter is made up of mol-
ecules, tiny things that are packed together.
• We normally measure matter using weight (how heavy it is) or volume (how big it is).
• Density is a third way to measure matter. Weight and volume can tell you how big or heavy something is, but as we know, some big things are very light and some small things are very heavy.
• Density tells us how the mol-ecules in matter are arranged. If something is heavy for its size, the molecules are very tightly packed. If something is light for its size, the mole-cules are spread out with lots of space between them.
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Have students try to make a paper clip float• This should take about 10 minutes. Walk around and give advice on
how to make it happen. (Find a way to set it down slowly. Find a way to put it on the water without touching the water with your fingers. Maybe you can change the shape of it?)
• Once a group figures it out, have them share their method with the rest of the class.
• Explore why. Send students back to their stations where they should have eyedroppers, wax paper, and pennies.
• Have them put drops of water on the wax paper and write down their observations.
• Have them put drops of water on the pennies. First, have them ob-serve the shape, then see how many drops they can fit on the pennies before the surface tension breaks.
• Collect the droppers and pass out some liquid soap. Have students add a small amount of soap to the drops of water on their wax paper and on their pennies. Observe and record the changes.
• Bring the class back together for whole group discussion. Do the bub-bles in water vs. soapy water demonstration to explain what surface tension is.
4 DaysBubblesObjectives
• Students will demonstrate the effect of surface tension by making a paperclip float. • Students will observe surface tension in other situations and share conclusions about its behavior
with the class.• Students will develop methods of blowing bubbles given specific criteria.• Students will Record the effects of soap on water tension.
Materials• Water• Paper Clips• Wire• Soap• Containers• Straws• Measuring cups and spoons
Why?• Floating a paper clip is tough.
The trick is to lay it down flat on the surface of the water without touching the water with our fingers.
• This can be done in at least two ways: 1: Bend up a small piece of the paper clip and use it as a handle to lower the main part of it slowly onto the water. 2: Bend another paper clip to serve as a tool for lowering a second paper clip on to the water.
• Remember it has to be per-fectly flat. If anything breaks the surface tension of the water (dips underneath it) it will break and sink.
Day 1
• Give each group a straw, wax paper, soap, and water. • Tell the groups they have two tasks: First, to make the largest bubble
they can using only the materials provided. Second, to make a bubble using only themselves, a straw, soap, and water. They will work for 5 – 10 minutes a time, taking breaks in between each session to discuss their findings with other groups.
• Once all groups have figured it out, have a contest to blow the largest bubble.
• Clean up!
Why?• Like all matter, water has mol-
ecules that hold themselves together via an invisible force.
• Unlike solid matter, the force that holds water molecules together is weak enough to allow it flow.
• But! It’s still strong enough to hold it together, even at the surface. This force is strong enough to hold up a paper clip, but not strong enough to keep us from pushing our hands through easily.
• When we add soap to water, it makes the force holding the molecules together even weaker.
• It’s not strong enough to hold up a paper clip, but just strong enough to make bub-bles.
• Give each group a straw, wax paper, soap, and water.• Tell the groups that they will be mixing different amounts of soap and
water and experimenting to see how the amount of soap affects bub-ble size.
• Groups will add 1 (?) of soap to 1 cup of water and blow 10 bubbles. Each time a bubble pops they will measure the diameter of the ring it leaves and record it.
• Repeat with 2 (?) of soap, 3(?) of soap, and 4 (?) of soap• Find the mean of the results and make a bar graph representing the
effects of the amount of soap to the size of the bubble.
Day 3
Day 2
• Bubble Olympics!• Set up several stations where students compete to make the best bub-
bles in a given category. • Categories can include: biggest, longest, the most bubbles inside one
another, bubbles that last the longest, “bubble juggling” (attempting to hold the most bubbles on your body and/or for the longest).
Day 4
2 Days2 Days
• Students will travel between several stations in their groups. It would be a good idea to have duplicates of a station or two, or have a side project for them to work on if the stations are too crowded.
• Be sure to have good instructions at each station so that students can figure out what to do for themselves.
• Gas and Weight/Mass• Here, have three balloons filled with 3 types of gas. 1 will have
helium, 1 will have the gas made from the gas collection sta-tion (prepared before-hand) and 1 will have regular air. Students should determine which has the most mass (which is the heavi-est) and which has the least mass (which is the lightest).
• Trapping Smells• Put strong smelling items/liquids into jars or bottles. Provide
some plastic bags for students to capture the smells into. Have them capture each smell. Wait a few minutes, and see if they can smell it.
• Gas and Pressure• Have wide mouthed jars or containers and plastic bags. Students
will fill the bag with air by blowing into it. Then, they should cap it over the end of the jar using a rubber band. Have them push down on the bag and record the effects.
• Next, have them take the bag off the mouth of the jar and stuff it inside the jar and cap it with a rubber band. Have them try to pull the bag out and record the effects.
• Gas Collection• Mix baking soda and vinegar in a bottle. Put a balloon over the
mouth of the bottle and watch it fill up with gas.
1 DayGasesObjectives
• Students will explore and experiment with the properties of gases at several learning centers. • Students will use a chemical reaction to create gas from a solid and a liquid.
Materials• 3 Balloons (1 filled with he-
lium)• Strong smelling substances• Sealable containers• Plastic bags• Baking soda• Vinegar
Why?• Like liquids and solids, gas is
matter and has molecules.• In gases, the force hold-
ing the molecules together is so weak that it is often lighter than air, and can eas-ily change shape, be broken apart, or dispersed.
• However, it is still matter, takes up space, and has weight (although it’s so light it’s very difficult to measure) and density (it is the least dense of the three types of matter).
• Because gas takes up space it fills up the bag and cannot easily be pushed. Likewise, you can’t make gas out of nothing, so when the bag is in the jar, it can’t be pulled out without gas to take up the space.
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Give students two sets of instructions. One set has a list of chemical changes, the other a list of physical changes.
• Have students follow the instructions. • Physical changes: ripping paper, mixing sugar or salt into water,
bending metal, breaking toothpicks. • Chemical changes: Burning paper and mixing baking soda and
vinegar.• At the end, discuss the differences between the two sets of instruc-
tions as a class. Determine which of the two were physical changes and which were chemical changes.
• Have students develop written definitions of each and share them with the class.
• Create a class definition of physical changes and chemical changes .
1 DayPhysical vs ChemicalObjectives
• Students will conduct experiments and classify various physical and chemical changes. • Students will develop and compare definitions of the two types of changes based on their observa-
tions.
Materials• Paper• Matches• Salt• Water• Containers• Sugar• Baking soda• Vinegar• Metal wire• Toothpicks
Why?• Physical changes involve
changing the shape or look of something without changing what it is. This can usually be done with your hands and simple tools: ripping, cutting, hammering, smashing, mix-ing, folding, etc.
• Chemical changes involve changing what something is. Chemical changes can pro-duce gas or energy and can change the color or smell of a substance.
• A mixture is a physical change because if the water evaporates (another physical change) you’ll have sugar or salt again.
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Begin by discussing weathering. Perhaps show an old statue (part of Angkor Wat?) that was inside and compare it to a statue that was out-side. Discuss the differences in groups and then as a class.
• Ask students if humans can affect how quickly this happens? Do they think pollution from cars and motos can affect it?
• Present each group with these materials: Chalk, Vinegar, water, and cups/glasses for each group.
• Tell them that water is like regular rain, and vinegar is like rain in an area with a lot of air pollution. Chalk, although not as strong, is like buildings. Remind them that although vinegar is stronger than pol-luted rain and Chalk is weaker than Angkor Wat, we want to see the results much faster.
• We want the students to make different “levels” of acid rain. One all water, one half water/half vinegar one all vinegar and meas-ure, record, and present info.
• Tell them they have 30 minutes to devise an experiment to see if pol-luted rain can affect buildings like Angkor Wat. You would like to know if the amount of pollution also has an effect.
• Discuss as a class.
1 DayAcid RainObjectives
• Students will experiment with the effect of acids on stone-like substances and relate that effect to acid rain and buildings.
• Students will experiment and draw conclusions with the amount of pollution and its effects on the strength of acid rain.
Materials• Chalk• Cups• Vinegar• Water• Pictures of buildings effected
by weathering and/or acid rain.
Why?• One of acid’s qualities is that
it is corrosive, it breaks things down faster than substances that are not acidic.
• A scale, called the “PH scale” measures how acidic some-thing is, so, how quickly it will corrode things it comes into contact with.
Day 1
Scratch ExtensionHave students make an XO project in scratch that teaches people
to use less gas and pollute the air less. They can show buildings that have been affected by acid rain and talk about how important these buildings are to their cultural heritage.
2 Days2 Days
• Remind students about the activity were we made gas fill up a bal-loon. What would happen if we trap the gas in a container that doesn’t expand?
• Break students into groups and give them all the materials. Tell them that if you just drop the baking soda into the bag the gas will escape before they can seal it and there won’t be an explosion. They have to figure out a way to slow down the vinegar getting to the baking soda so that they can close the bag before the chemical reaction happens.
• Experiment and have fun. See who can make the biggest bang! If groups are having trouble you can have them meet as a class and share observations and also give little hints as you walk around.
1 Day Cold FirecrackersObjectives
• Students will make inferences about chemical reactions based on previous experiences. • Students will devise a method for creating a small (safe) bomb.
Materials• Baking soda• Vinegar• Paper towels• Plastic zipper bags
Why?• When vinegar and baking
soda (an acid and a base) are mixed together it creates a chemical reaction that pro-duces gas.
• If enough gas is produced in a small container, it will make the container explode.
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Discuss with students the idea of work. Work is anything that takes energy. Lifting and pulling are two very common examples of work.
• Machines help us do work. They can be very simple or very complicat-ed. Can they think of some examples of machines?
• Tell them not to forget things like handles, levers, knives (wedg-es), pulleys, as well as more complicated things like cars and pumps.
• Give each group a bucket of water or some other heavy object with a handle. Have them time how long they can hold up the bucket without any help.
• Now give them a wooden dowel and some rope. Tell them if they can find a way to hold up the wooden dowel, they can make a pulley sys-tem that will help them hold the bucket up.
• Now have them pick up the bucket using their pulley system and see how long they can hold it up for.
• Discuss as a class the different methods used and if they pulleys made the work easier.
1 DaySimple MachinesObjectives
• Students will create a pulley system that allows them to lift and hold heavy objects that they would not be able to hold otherwise.
Materials• Wooden dowels, pipes, rods,
or strong sticks.• Rope• Heavy objects such as buckets
of water
Why?• The simplest way will be
to put the dowel between two desks and put the rope around the dowel. Tie the rope to the bucket and pull on the other end.
Day 1
Scratch ExtensionSearch on YouTube for a video of a Rube Goldberg machine. These
machines are very complicated connections of simple machines that serve some simple task.
After you have talked about Rube Goldberg machines and seen a few examples, have students design and make Rube Goldberg ma-chines in Scratch or Physics (or both!).
2 Days2 Days
• Review the simple machines and pumps you’ve discussed so far. • Bring up the idea of an engine. Ask students if they think they can
make an engine that runs on water. • Show students an example of the soda can engine. Ask them if they
think they can duplicate it. • Give them 2 or 3 soda cans (so they can mess up at least once) and the
rest of the materials, plus a few decoys (beans, copper wire, etc.)• Have students work in groups to re-create the soda can engine. At the
end, have them discuss and share their methods with the class. Evalu-ate who had the most efficient and effective method.
• Agree on a finalized method and write it down as the “class method.”
1 Day Soda Can EngineObjectives
• Students will use trial and error to replicate a simple machine they have observed.
Materials• Soda cans• Strings• Water• Large nails• Something to hang the en-
gines from.
How?• Take a soda can and punch 4
holes in the bottom. • When you punch the wholes,
be sure to do them at an an-gle so water will pour out of them in the same direction.
• Hang the can from a string us-ing their tab.
• Fill it with water. If the water flows the same direction out of all the holes, it will cause the can to spin slowly.
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• If you’ve been following the book, it’s getting near the end of the year and students should be familiar with the ideas of experimentation, persistence, and collaboration. Let’s see what they can do!
• Arrange the students into groups. • Explain that they will be given several objects with which they will
make a small car. • Tell them that you won’t help them, but we’ll meet as a class at the
end of every day to discuss successes and failures and share ideas. • Give them the materials, tell them they will have 10 minutes to discuss
each object and how it can be used to make a car that move on its own.
• Have groups come together as a whole class and share ideas. Discuss which ideas are good, and which ones may not work.
• Let them build! • Save the last 10 minutes of class for discussion. Students can share suc-
cesses and failures, give ideas, and ask questions about each other’s attempts. Have them put their materials away for the next time they meet.
• This is a tricky project with lots to think about. It may take several days to figure out. If a group gets frustrated, allow them to split up and qui-etly watch other groups work. Maybe they can get ideas, or maybe the break will help them focus.
? DaysMouse TrapObjectives
• Students will use simple materials to create, test, and evaluate a car that moves on its own.
Materials• Mousetraps• Straws• Dowels that fit inside the
straws• 4 plastic wheels, or bottle
tops.• Plywood or cardboard for the
body. • Thread • Glue
How?• Glue the mousetrap to the
top of the wood or cardboard so that the lever pulls back-ward.
• Place a small hole in the back near where the rear axle will go.
• Glue one straw across the front like an axle. Cut a small piece out of the middle of the second straw and glue it in the rear near the hole.
• Put the dowels in the straws and glue the wheels on.
• Tie the string to the dowel and the lever of the mouse-trap.
• Spin the back wheels to pull the lever back as the string winds up.
• Let the lever snap!
Day 1+
2 Days2 Days
• Discuss gravity as a class. Drop two binder clips from head height. Dis-cuss how they fell at the same rate and what makes them fall (gravity).
• Give each group of students 2 binder clips, a plastic shopping bag, a paper bag, napkins, some clear tape, string, and some scissors.
• Explain that their job is to make a binder clip fall as slowly as possible. They have the entire class period to experiment and they will demon-strate their best method to the class at the end.
• Demonstrate methods to the rest of the class. See which is the slowest and discuss why.
4 Days Gravity & AirObjectives
• Students will develop a way to make binder clips fall as slowly as possible using simple materials. • Students will design and test a simple rocket to be launched by the rocket stomper. • Develop a method for making their rocket fall slowly without hindering its ability to fly.
Materials• Binder clips• Paper towels• Coffee filters• Plastic bags• Paper bags• Tape • String • Wooden dowels• Paper • Wire• Tea lights
Why?• Gravity is an invisible force
that affects us every day. Every object has gravity, but some, like a grain of sand, have so little it can’t be meas-ured.
• Only very large objects or very dense objects like stars, planets, and moons have gravity that we can see the effect of.
• When things fall because of gravity, they have to fall through air. We can shape things so that it moves through air slowly or quickly.
• Demonstrate the use of one simple rocket and the rocket launcher outside.
• Give each group paper, tape, and a wooden dowel. And give them a few minutes to make their own.
• Test the rockets. • Discuss how they could be made better (cone shape on top, fin)• Have students make the improved models.• Test the rockets• Discuss which models worked best and why.
Day 2
Day 1
• Tell students that today they will make rockets that will fall more slowly. Discuss what they could use to make a rocket fall slowly (a para-chute). If it doesn’t happen naturally, lead them to the idea that the parachute should remain closed while the rocket takes off and open while it falls.
• Give them the materials to make a rocket plus a plastic bag and some tape. Allow them to rotate between the launcher and the construction areas, testing and modifying their ideas. If necessary, discuss every few minutes.
• At the end, have students discuss which models worked best and why.
How?• Large, flat things go through
the air slowly, pointed or nar-row things go through the air quickly.
• When making the binder clips go slowly, you want to tie it to something light that will catch the air. It should be big and flat like a parachute or a half-sphere like balloon with a big opening. Both of these shapes will catch air as it falls.
• When making the rockets, students should wrap their paper around a wooden dowel and tape it to create a paper tube. On the top they should make a cone so that it will go through the air quickly.
• To make it fall slowly, they need to design a parachute that won’t open until it starts to fall. The easiest way to do this is to make one that fits tightly and flat on the top as it goes up, and then falls slowly and catches air as it falls down.
• Finally, to make the balloon fly, they should design a very light balloon that will catch the hot air as it rises off the small candle. The candle should be located in the middle of the opening on the bottom. Make sure it is far enough away from the plastic that it doesn’t catch on fire!
• Tell students that we can also use our knowledge of chemistry and gases to make something fly. Tell them that warm air always rises. If we can find a way to trap air that is warm enough, we can make it carry things with it. With a lot of hot air, we can even lift people off the ground!
• Provide students with lightweight paper, lightweight wire, and a light metal container (tea-light might work?). Tell them once they build their balloon, the teacher will put cotton and oil in the container and set in on fire. If all goes well, it will lift into the air! (Tie it to the ground to avoid littering!)
• After the launches, discuss whose balloon worked, whose did not and why.
Day 4
Day 3
Scratch ExtensionHave students create an animation of their rockets flying into
orbit.
2 Days2 Days
• Explain that magnets only attract certain kinds of objects. • Give each group a variety of magnetic and nonmagnetic items and a
magnet. Allow students to experiment and determine which objects magnets attract.
• They should record their answers so that they can be shared as a class. • After this, give each group two magnets. Tell them to examine the
magnets and how they interact with each other and the objects they have been using.
• They should record their information to be shared with the class at the end of the day.
• Discuss the observations. It is important that they understand that magnets have a north and south end and that they attract or repel each other based on this.
3 Days MagnetismObjectives
• Students will explore the properties of magnets and develop a written explanation of poles. • Students will build a simple structure using magnets to hold an object in mid-air. • Students will test the strengths of magnets and explore the effect of objects in between the magnet
and metallic objects.
Materials• Magnets• Paper clips• String• Masking tape• Bottles, cans, popsicle sticks,
straws and other miscellane-ous building supplies
How?• To make the string float, they
should attach a metal object to the loose end of the string.
• Then, build a tower that can hold a magnet to the top of it.
• The magnet will pull the metal object, but the string will hold it back, making it “float.”
• Before class, tape a string to each groups’ table. • Tell the students that their job is to take the materials you give them,
and make the string not touch anything else but the table where it is taped, the rest must be floating in the air. When they are done, they cannot be touching the string or the device in any way.
• Give the students the majority of the class to build their devices. • Allow students to share their devices and methods with the rest of the
class and then possibly improve their designs based on what they’ve seen.
Day 2
Day 1
• Give students magnet and paper clips• Have them see how many paper clips the magnet can hold up in a
chain. Record results.• Add three pieces of tape to the bottom of the magnet. Now see how
many it can hold up, record results. • Add three more pieces of tape… repeat• Keep adding tape until it won’t hold even one. • Groups should present findings to the class and discuss.
Why?• In physics, magnetism is a
force that can attract (bring closer) or repel (push away) things that have a magnetic material like iron inside them.
• The force created by magnets is called a magnetic field.
• There are many different types of magnetic fields. The most common type (and the one we use in this lesson) are called ferromagnetic. This basically means that they at-tract metals and continually produce their own magnetic field.
• Some substances are affected by magnets and some are not or are affected by them so lit-tle that they may as well not be. These are called nonmag-netic and include things like copper, aluminum, gases, and plastic.
• Magnetic substances include other magnets, iron,
Day 3
Scratch ExtensionCreate an activity where you can pick up different types of objects
using a “magnet” sprite. Only certain types of objects can be picked up, the kinds that could normally be picked up by a magnet!
2 Days2 Days
• Explain to students that today they will be cooking hot dogs using only the sun. The sun has a lot of energy, but it is very spread out. If they can develop a method to focus it on a tiny pot or plate, they can cook something with it.
• Ask students what they might use to focus sunlight. • Two answers should come up. A lens to focus the light or some-
thing reflective to point it all in one direction. Explain that a lens large enough would be too expensive, but aluminum foil is easy to get.
• Provide students with the materials. Tell them they should try to finish their ovens as quickly as possible so that they have time to eat them before class is over.
• While the hot dogs are cooking, walk around as a class and discuss each model. Make guesses about which will be the most effective and what ideas could be combined to make the best oven?
• At the end of class see which hot dogs cooked the best. If any got burned, talk about how it’s possible to make ovens so good that you have to be careful!
• Eat the hot dogs!
1 Day Solar OvenObjectives
• Students will develop a method to focus sunlight effectively enough to cook a hot dog.
Materials• Per-boiled hot dogs that have
been cooled for re-cooking. • Cardboard• Aluminum foil• Tape or glue
Why?• Light from the sun is a type
of energy. When it comes in contact with things it heats them up.
• If you can focus the light so that more of it hits the same spot, it will get even hotter.
• Something that is Solar Powered is powered by the Sun, this can include compli-cated objects like solar panels that use electricity to power machines, or an oven that focuses the sun’s light to cre-ate heat.
Day 1
Part IIEarth & Space Science
Astronomy, Geology, Weather
Photo taken by NASA of the Earth with Southeast Asia at the center. In the photo you can see water, land, and clouds.
Public Domain: Photo by NASA
2 Days2 Days
• To teach the names of the planets and various provide students with a lateral thinking puzzle.
• Present the class with the following facts. Allow them to work in groups to determine the order of the planets.
• Mercury is closest to the sun. • Jupiter is closer than Saturn but further than Earth. • Earth is farther than Venus but closer than Saturn• Uranus is farther than Earth• Neptune is furthest. • Saturn is closer than Uranus• Mars is farther than Earth but closer than Jupiter.
• When each group thinks they have the correct order, share and com-pare them with the class. Have groups discuss the methods they used to determine the order.
2 Days Our Solar SystemObjectives
• Students will use lateral thinking to determine the order of the planets. • Students will compare the distances of the planets from the sun and represent those distances to
scale.
Materials• A safe place you can walk 1
km in a straight line.• 9 objects to represent the
solar system. • Sun: Volleyball• Mercury: Grain of sand• Venus: Peppercorn• Earth: Peppercorn• Mars: Grain of sand• Jupiter: Small ball,
about 2.5 cm• Saturn: A smaller ball,
about 2 cm.• Neptune: Soybean• Uranus: Soybean
Why?• The solar system is huge! It
is so large that people have a very difficult time under-standing the distances in between things so far away.
• These activities give students a basic idea of the objects in our solar system and how far apart they are.
Day 1
Scratch ExtensionStudents can make a game where the player has to guess the right
planet based on its order or a brief description of it.
Extra Facts• Each of the planets is named
after a different Roman god. • Mercury is the smallest
planet in the solar system and has a year that is only 88 days long.
• Venus is called Earth’s sister planet, they are almost the same size. It has no moons and rotates counter-clock-wise, unlike most other plan-ets in our Solar System.
• Earth is where we love. Its ro-tation is slowly getting slower. In 140 million years a day will be 25 hours.
• Mars has the tallest mountain in the solar system!
• Jupiter is the third brightest object in the solar system from Earth.
• Saturn has 62 known moons and is famous for it’s rings.
• Uranus is made entirely of gases and liquid.
• Neptune is very cold with an average surface temperature of -201 °C.
Day 2
Scratch ExtensionAssign each student a planet to make an educational video about.
It should present facts about the planet like its orbit, size, atmosphere, etc. Students can then rotate watching on another’s videos. For fun, you can set up the XO videos in the order of the solar system so stu-dents learn about the planets in order.
• Set out all the objects on the table in order. Tell them that the objects represent the sun and planets in our solar system. If the sun were the size of this volleyball, this is how big the planets would be. Ask stu-dents if they can use what they figured out yesterday to name each of the objects (You may have to point out the grains of sand) in order.
• Talk about the relative size of the planets. Ask students if they thought the earth would be bigger? Do they feel smaller now? Etc.
• Ask students how much space they think it would take to put the ob-jects the right distance apart (for their size).
• To do it, you’ll have to go outside to a place you can walk almost 1km in a straight line! Explain that the earth is about 13,000 km wide. The sun is 1.4 million kilometers wide! The distances between them are even further, so you’ll have to go outside to a place you can walk al-most 1 kilometer!
• Give students the diameter of a volleyball (20 cm) and the diameter of the sun (1,400,000 km) and have them figure out how much distance in space 1 cm in our model is equals to (70,000 km so 1 cm equals about 6 earths). How about 1m? (7,000,000km)
• Assign 8 students to carry the 8 planets. Take the students outside. Place the sun down at the start of the 800m solar system walk.
• Tell students that each large step is 1 meter, which is 7,000,000 km in our model.
• As you walk, talk about the distances and sizes of each object, their relation to earth, and how small we really are.
• Mercury: 10 paces (large steps)• Venus: 9 more paces• Earth: 7 more paces (our moon is about 10 cm away from the
Earth in our model).• Mars: 14 more paces• Jupiter: 95 more paces• Saturn: 112 more paces• Uranus: 249 more paces• Neptune: 281 more pace
2 Days2 Days
• Explain to the students that today they will be learning about why there are years, days, and seasons.
• Pass out the supplies to each group and inform them to do the follow-ing:
• Use the permanent markers to color the ping pong ball like the Earth. Make a mark where they would be (just above the equa-tor).
• Poke a hole in the bottom of the earth and put the straw in the hole so that it looks like a lollipop.
• Poke another hole in the bottom of the cup near the edge. When you put the “Earth Lollipop” in the hole it should tilt out of the cup at about 23.5 degrees.
• Designate a point in the room to be the North Star. All straws should point at the north star throughout the activity.
• Darken the room and have students ready their earth and their flash-light.
• Ask students to model one day using their “Sun” and “Earth.” Share the models with the class and discuss how the work. Discuss how long it takes the earth to spin around its axis.
• Ask students to model a year using their “Sun” and “Earth.” Discuss the models and how it works.
• Ask students to come up with hypothesis for why some parts of the year are cooler than others, even when it’s not raining.
• Discuss the hypothesis as a class and record them for the next day.
2 Days Orbits and TimeObjectives
• Students will use create a model of the Earth, Sun, and Moon and use it to explain time on our planet. • Students will extrapolate information based on observed data.
Materials• Flashlights• Ping pong balls• Permanent markers • Nails• Straws• Plastic Cups• Scissors• Tape• Protractors• Rulers• Magnifying glasses
Day 1
• Tell the class that today they will be exploring the effects of the Sun on the Earth and trying to answer the question about which . They will use the magnifying glass and wood to demonstrate how the suns raise warm the earth’s surface.
• Provide each group with a magnifying glass and a piece of wood. • Take the class to a place where they have lots of room and sun. Re-
mind them they’re not trying to set the wood on fire, only notice how quickly it blackens from the magnified sunlight. Their goal is to figure out what conditions make the sunlight heat the wood the fastest. They should try different angles and distances of both the wood and the magnifying glass to see which works best.
• Give them some time to explore and experiment independently. Make sure each group explores the angle at which the sun from the magnify-ing glass hits the wood.
• Bring the class back inside to talk about the results. They should have found that when the sun hits the magnifying glass and the wood di-rectly the wood burns faster. When the sun hits the wood at an angle, it burns more slowly.
• Now ask them if this new information might help them answer the question of why some months of the year are warmer than others?
• Also ask: Where on Earth is it colder when it is warmer in Cambodia? Are there parts of the Earth that are affected by this more strongly?
Why?• Day and night happens as the
earth travels around its axis (spins around itself). In 24 hours, the earth spins around one time, keeping half the earth in daylight and half the earth in night the whole time.
• Years happen as the earth orbits the sun.
• Because the earth is tilted, the sun hits different parts of the earth more directly at some times of the year than others.
• Sometimes it hits Cambodia directly, and sometimes it hits it at an angle.
• When it hits the earth at an angle, it is more spread out, and has to heat more ground than when it comes straight down.
• When sunlight hits a part of the Earth, it is warmer, or Summer.
• When sunlight hits a part of the Earth at an angle, it is more spread out this makes it cooler during that time of year (winter).
• The winter is also cooler is because the sunlight has to travel through more of the atmosphere when it hits an at angle.
Day 2
Scratch ExtensionAssign each student a planet to make an educational video about.
It should present facts about the planet like its orbit, size, atmosphere, etc. Students can then rotate watching on another’s videos. For fun, you can set up the XO videos in the order of the solar system so stu-dents learn about the planets in order.
2 Days2 Days
• Tell students today they will do experiments with gravity. • Ask them what makes objects fall faster or slower? • Allow them to discuss this question in groups and come up with vari-
ous answers. Groups can then share their answers with the class. • Now, tell students they will test what qualities makes something fall
quickly or slowly. • Give each group 3 empty water bottles, enough water to fill one full
and another half way, and 2 pieces of paper. • Tell them they can use the water bottles to test if weight affects how
fast something falls and the paper to test if size affects how fast some-thing falls.
• Groups should work towards making the water bottles different weights (with different amounts of water) and crumpling the paper up to make one flat and the other balled up, but still technically the same size.
• Once they have conducted their experiments (dropping the objects from a height to see which hits the ground first, ask them if they were right? Allow them to discuss their old answers and maybe come up with a new one.
5 Days Gravity & AirObjectives
• Students will develop a way to make binder clips fall as slowly as possible using simple materials. • Students will design and test a simple rocket to be launched by the rocket stomper. • Develop a method for making their rocket fall slowly without hindering its ability to fly.
Materials• Water Bottles• Binder clips• Paper towels• Coffee filters• Plastic bags• Paper bags• Tape • String • Wooden dowels• Paper • Wire• Tea lights
Day 1
• Discuss gravity as a class. Drop two binder clips from head height. Dis-cuss how they fell at the same rate and what makes them fall (gravity).
• Give each group of students 2 binder clips, a plastic shopping bag, a paper bag, napkins, some clear tape, string, and some scissors.
• Explain that their job is to make a binder clip fall as slowly as possible. They have the entire class period to experiment and they will demon-strate their best method to the class at the end.
• Demonstrate methods to the rest of the class. See which is the slowest and discuss why.
Why?• Gravity is an invisible force
that affects us every day. • Any object that has mass has
gravity. Even a grain of sand or humans have gravity!
• But, most objects are too small or not dense enough for their gravity to effect anything.
• Only very large objects or very dense objects like stars, planets, and moons have gravity that we can see the effect of.
• When things fall because of gravity, they have to fall through air. We know that air is a type of matter and can move things or slow them down.
• We can shape things so that it moves through air slowly or quickly.
• Demonstrate the use of one simple rocket and the rocket launcher outside.
• Give each group paper, tape, and a wooden dowel. And give them a few minutes to make their own.
• Test the rockets. • Discuss how they could be made better (cone shape on top, fin)• Have students make the improved models.• Test the rockets• Discuss which models worked best and why.
Day 3
Day 2
• Tell students that today they will make rockets that will fall more slowly. Discuss what they could use to make a rocket fall slowly (a para-chute). If it doesn’t happen naturally, lead them to the idea that the parachute should remain closed while the rocket takes off and open while it falls.
• Give them the materials to make a rocket plus a plastic bag and some tape. Allow them to rotate between the launcher and the construction areas, testing and modifying their ideas. If necessary, discuss every few minutes.
• At the end, have students discuss which models worked best and why.
Day 4
• Tell students that we can also use our knowledge of chemistry and gases to make something fly. Tell them that warm air always rises. If we can find a way to trap air that is warm enough, we can make it carry things with it. With a lot of hot air, we can even lift people off the ground!
• Provide students with lightweight paper, lightweight wire, and a light metal container (tea-light might work?). Tell them once they build their balloon, the teacher will put cotton and oil in the container and set in on fire. If all goes well, it will lift into the air! (Tie it to the ground to avoid littering!)
• After the launches, discuss whose balloon worked, whose did not and why.
How?• Large, flat things go through
the air slowly, pointed or nar-row things go through the air quickly.
• When making the binder clips go slowly, you want to tie it to something light that will catch the air. It should be big and flat like a parachute or a half-sphere like balloon with a big opening. Both of these shapes will catch air as it falls.
• When making the rockets, students should wrap their paper around a wooden dowel and tape it to create a paper tube. On the top they should make a cone so that it will go through the air quickly.
• To make it fall slowly, they need to design a parachute that won’t open until it starts to fall. The easiest way to do this is to make one that fits tightly and flat on the top as it goes up, and then falls slowly and catches air as it falls down.
• Finally, to make the balloon fly, they should design a very light balloon that will catch the hot air as it rises off the small candle. The candle should be located in the middle of the opening on the bottom. Make sure it is far enough away from the plastic that it doesn’t catch on fire!
Day 5
Scratch ExtensionHave students create an animation of their rockets flying into
orbit in scratch.
2 Days2 Days
• Provide each group of students with apples and knives. • Tell them that they apple represents the earth and today we will talk
about how the earth is divided up. • Tell them to cut their apples into 4 equal quarters. • Ask them to divide their quarters into two piles. One pile should be
how much of the world they think is water, the other pile should be how much of the world they think is land.
• Once all groups have made their division, have them each say how many of them they thought were land.
• Now tell them that only 1 of them, ¼ of the Earth, is land. They can eat the other three pieces (that represent the oceans).
• Have them cut the remaining piece (the land) in half. What fraction do they have left? What do they think it represents? (1/8; the area where people live).
• Have them cut what is left into 4 pieces and eat 3 of them, leaving one small piece. What fraction do they have? What do they think it repre-sents? (1/32; the area where humans can grow food)
• Have them peel the tiny piece of apple (1/32) they have left. • What does this represent? Have them discuss what it represents (the
tiny bit of the earth’s surface that makes our food) and what it means. Why do we need to protect it, and what would happen if it were de-stroyed? They can write individually and share what they’ve written with their groups.
1 DayParts of the EarthObjectives
• Students will use an apple to explore the makeup of the earth. • Students will extrapolate information based on observed data.
Materials• Apples• Knives (not very sharp)
Why?• It’s often hard to imagine
how little of the earth we use, and how dangerous it could be if we destroy even a tiny fraction of our planet.
• Use this activity to start dis-cussion about the importance of protecting the land we use.
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
Rather than listing the amount of days each activity takes, this lesson is broken into several parts. Ideally, students would repeat the experiments with several types of soil, thus lasting many days.
Students should be encouraged to bring in soil from near their homes and farms. When they bring it in, they should write on a piece of paper where it is from and how deep the soil is from. The more variety in depth and location the better! Try to let each group run all of these experiments with at least 3 types of soil, thus having this lesson last about 6 days.
2+ Days Describing SoilObjectives
• Students will test soil for various qualities.• Students will describe soil based on experiments and observation. • Students will hypothesize what effect soil qualities have on growing plants.
Materials• Dry soils from different areas• Containers that can measure
water and soil down to 10 ml increments
• Magnets
Why?• Not all soil is the same.
Some soil is good for grow-ing plants, other soil is not as good.
• Soil can be described in many different ways:
• The amount of water it can hold (porosity).
• The types of particles that make it up.
• The plants, rocks, and animals you find in it.
• The color and smell.
• Have each group write a description of their soil sample, including:• What color is it? Is it all one color?• What does it smell like?• What does it feel like?• Are there any living or dead plants or animals? Any rocks or other
debris?• Does the sample contain any iron? (use the magnets to check)• Are all of the particles in the soil the same size?• Add water to a bit of the soil. Is it sticky like clay or grainy like
and? If you can roll and shape it, it is mostly clay.
Part 1
• Give each group two measuring containers. • Have them fill one with 500 ml of one type of soil and the other with
500 ml of water.• Slowly pour the water into the soil container. It should pour into the
soil, rather than collecting on top. When it stops sinking into the soil, stop pouring.
• Measure how much water is left over and subtract it from 500 ml to determine how much water is in the soil.
• Now, divide 500 ml of soil by the amount of water that could seep into it.
• This is the percentage of soil that is air, or, the porosity of the soil sam-ple.
• Have groups discuss which types of soil are probably best for growing plants and why.
Extra Facts• Soil (sometimes called dirt)
is the combination of rock, mineral fragments (pieces), organic matter (dead and liv-ing things), water, and air.
• It is mostly made up of grains of rock weathered by wind, rain, sun, snow, etc., and varying amounts of humus.
• The type of soil depends on the mix of humus and on the size of the grains of the rock.
• Humus is often described as the ‘life-force’ of the soil. Yet it is difficult to define humus in precise terms; it is a highly complex substance, the full nature of which is still not fully understood.
• In the earth sciences, “hu-mus” means any organic mat-ter which has reached a point of stability, where it will break down no further and might, if conditions do not change, remain essentially as it is for centuries, or millennia.
• In agriculture, “humus” is often used simply to mean mature compost, or natural compost extracted from a forest or other spontaneous source for use to amend soil.
• The grains can be very small and smooth, such as clay, or they can be larger, like grains of sand or even a piece of gravel.
• Give each group two measuring containers a piece of paper, and some tape.
• One container should be empty, the other should contain 500ml of water.
• Students should use the paper to make a funnel. The hole should be small enough that water can get through but not soil.
• They should fill the funnel with soil and place it over the empty con-tainer.
• Slowly pour the water into onto the soil in the funnel. • Measure how long it takes for the water to go through the funnel and
fill up 100ml in the empty container. • You can then compare the numbers to determine a soil’s permeability,
that is, how easy it is for water to flow through it.
Day 2
Part 2
Scratch ExtensionStudents can make a how-to video about how to collect and ana-
lyze soil. The video should include the step by step process, pictures of examples, and information about the pros and cons of each time of soil.
2 Days2 Days
• Provide each group of students with their supplies.• Students should put about 5 cm of gravel into the bottom of the bottle. • Then, place two straws on either side of the bottle and fill it almost to
the top with sand (leave about 5 cm at the top)• Finally, place soil on the very top. Now, you have a representation of a
piece of land with two wells on it. • Have students slowly pour water, bit by bit, onto the top soil. Have
them discuss what happens and what this represents. • Then, have students use the syringe to suck water out of the wells and
observe what happens. • After the students have experimented a bit, give them some food
coloring. Tell them this represents poison. Either a broken toilet, or chemicals from old batteries, or anything else we would not want to drink.
• For the first experiment, have them put some down one of the wells and draw water out of the other well. What happens to the poison?
• Now, have them see how much rain it takes until you are pulling out clean water from both wells.
• Once the ground water is clean, have them pour some of the food col-oring onto the soil. What happens to it?
• Remind students that not all poison is visible, and not everything makes you sick quickly. Have them discuss the impact of pouring poi-sons onto the ground or disposing of waste improperly.
2 DaysGroundwater FlowObjectives
• Students will model groundwater and examine its movement. • Students will extrapolate information based on observed data.
Materials• Clear plastic bottles with the
tops cut off• Gravel• Sand• Straws• Soil• Syringes (no needle)• Food Coloring
Why?• Just because water comes out
of the ground doesn’t mean it has to be clean.
• When we pour chemicals or waste on the ground, in gutters, or accidentally in one well, it can ruin water for everyone.
Day 1
• Today students can work together to make posters for their villages and primary schools about the importance of keeping groundwater clean.
• Give students all the materials they will need to make posters and ex-plain to them the goal: They want to encourage people in their villages to keep groundwater safe.
• Allow each group most of the period to make their posters. • At the end of the class, each group should present their posters to the
rest of the class.• If there’s time, you can encourage discussion about which posters stu-
dents think will be most effective and why.
Extra Facts• Groundwater is water which
is in the soil, below ground level.
• When rock or soil can hold a usable amount of water, it is called an aquifer.
• The point at which soil or spaces in rock becomes completely filled with water is called the water table.
• Typically, groundwater is thought of as liquid water flowing through shallow aquifers, but technically it can also include soil moisture, permafrost (frozen soil), or water stuck deep within rock or other places where it can-not be reached or moved.
• Rivers and streams, as well as rain feed these water basins.
• Groundwater will be released to the surface again, through springs, for example.
• People drink groundwater with water wells.
• Groundwater makes up about twenty percent of the world’s fresh water supply.
Day 2
Scratch ExtensionStudents can make a scratch video about groundwater pollution
and the importance of keeping groundwater clean. They can also make a story about a villager who pollutes groundwater and what happens because of it!
2 Days2 Days
• Provide each group of students with clay, some small objects and cups of water.
• Have them make a mostly flat mound of clay on their flat sheets. Tell them this represents soil that has a lot of clay in it.
• Tell them to sprinkle water onto the clay slowly, observing and discuss-ing what happens.
• Ask groups to hypothesize what will happen if we put objects into the soil. Ask them to make drawings of what they think the soil will look like.
• Now, have them put the objects into the soil, and do the same experi-ment. They should drip the water slowly so that the clay can collect around the objects.
• Have groups show what they’ve created and discuss what this might mean for farming and building. Some questions you can use to guide the discussion:
• What other things could have been done to protect the clay?• Can you think of examples where this has happened in nature?• What are some other examples of water erosion?
• If necessary, give the students some more clay. Ask them to put objects in the soil in a way that protects it from washing away.
4 Days ErosionObjectives
• Students will model and explore different methods of natural erosion. • Students will develop hypothesis of how to slow erosion in their local environment.
Materials• Soil, sand & nonoily clay. • Sheets of glass, plastic, metal,
or smooth wood.• Cups or containers for water.• Small hard objects such as
pebbles, coins, pieces of plas-tic, etc.
• Shallow plastic containers• Soil for planting• Seeds of small plants.
Why?• Water slowly carries soil with
it into the ocean. • Certain things can stop this
from happening. • Plants with strong root sys-
tems help to prevent erosion as do rocks and other more durable materials.
Day 1
• Provide each group of students with sand or dust. • Have them make a mostly flat mound of sand in their box or just on a
flat surface. If you don’t use a box, there will be a lot of clean up and you’ll need a lot of sand!
• Tell them to blow gently on the sand from the side and observe what happens.
• Ask groups to hypothesize what will happen if we put objects into the sand. Ask them to make drawings of what they think the sand will look like.
• Now, have them put the objects into the sand, and do the same experi-ment. They should blow gently from the sides as to not make too much of a mess.
• Have groups show what they’ve created and discuss what this might mean for farming and building. Some questions you can use to guide the discussion:
• What other things could have been done to protect the sand?• Can you think of examples where this has happened in nature?• What are some other examples of water erosion?
• If necessary, give the students some more sand. Ask them to put ob-jects in the sand in a way that protects it from blowing away
Extra Facts• Erosion is the process of
natural forces moving rocks and soil. Rocks and soil can be referred to as earth materials. The natural forces that make erosion happen are water, wind, ice, and gravity.
• Geology is the study of the structure of the earth and the processes that change the earth. Erosion is a geological process. Erosion occurs at the earth’s surface, and no effect on earth’s mantle and core.
• Most of the energy that makes erosion happen is pro-vided by the sun. The sun’s energy causes the movement of water and ice in the water cycle and the movement of air to create wind. If the sun did not provide energy for erosion, only gravity erosion would still occur.
• Erosion can cause problems that affect humans. Soil ero-sion, for example, can cre-ate problems for farmers. Soil erosion can remove soil, leaving a thin layer or rocky soil behind. Erosion can also cause problems for humans by removing rocks or soil that support buildings.
• Temperature changes cause pieces of rock to flake away from the surface. Also, the acid in rainwater dissolves rocks containing calcium car-bonate. These processes are called weathering.
• Today is mostly preparation for day 4, which will have to happen much later. Feel free to do many lessons in between, or to do this lesson very early so that it is ready when you need it.
• Students will put soil into shallow plastic boxes and then plant morning glory in different arrangements.
• Some boxes can be half and half, some can be all morning glory, some can have morning glory planted in different designs.
• Now you will need to wait until the morning glory has started to grow to begin day 4.
Day 2
Day 1
• Now, you should have many shallow bins filled with soil. Some should have morning glory planted all over, some should have some morning glory and some bare soil, and some should be only bare soil.
• Each of the boxes should be at a slight angle (maybe 10-15 degrees) and something to collect the water runoff should be set up.
• Students will walk around, pouring some water on each bin and ob-serving the results.
• Watering cans or bottles with holes poked in the lids will allow them to pour water on it in a steady way like rain.
• Once everyone has had a chance to experiment with every arrange-ment, and plenty of the bare soil has washed away, bring the contain-ers to the front of the class.
• Have students discuss in groups what the effect of having plants in soil has an erosion. How can they use this to help make their own villages and farms better?
Extra Facts• Water erosion happens when
water moves the pieces of rock or soil downhill and car-ries small pieces of material with it. Waves also carry away small pieces of material. A wave can wash up onto the surface of rock or soil and then carry away pieces of material as it flows back into the ocean or lake.
• The size of earth materials that can be moved by water depends on how fast the wa-ter is moving. A fast-flowing stream can carry large rocks while a slow moving stream might only be able to carry very small things like clay.
• Ice erosion usually happens when a glacier moves down-hill. As the ice of the glacier moves downhill, it pushes and pulls earth materials along with it. Ice erosion is one of the strongest kinds of erosion because glaciers can move very large rocks.
• Wind erosion occurs when wind moves pieces of earth materials. Wind erosion is one of the weakest kinds of erosion. Small pieces of earth material can be rolled along the ground surface by wind
• Gravity erosion is the sim-plest kind of erosion. Gravity simply pulls loose earth mate-rials downhill. Landslides are dramatic examples of gravity erosion.
Day 1
Scratch ExtensionStudents can make an interactive activity where they put plants
and other barriers in soil to keep it from eroding.
2 Days2 Days
• Provide each group with a jar or clear container filled with water, a small piece of plastic wrap, and a rubber band.
• Have each group seal the plastic wrap over the mouth of the container without shaking it and record observations about the container and water.
• Place containers in the sun or a warm place for about 30 minutes. • Have students get their containers and make more observations. Use
the following questions to guide them. • Did the water move? Where to?• How did heat affect the water? Did it evaporate more quickly or
more slowly?• Where would the water have gone if the container wasn’t cov-
ered?• What does the water cling to when it is in the atmosphere? • What do we call it when so much water clings together that it’s
too heavy to say in the air and falls?• Once the water falls, some of it will go into the ground, but what
will happen to the rest of it?
1 DayEvaporationObjectives
• Students will model evaporation and condensation. • Students will extrapolate information from the model to explain rain.
Materials• Jars or clear bottles• Plastic wrap• Rubber bands• Water
Why?• Water evaporates, going into
the air as water vapor.• Water vapor is always in the
air around us, but usually too little to see.
• When there is a lot of water vapor in the air around us, we call it fog. When there is a lot in the air above us, we call it clouds.
• When so much water vapor collects that it gets to heavy and falls, it becomes rain.
Day 1
Scratch ExtensionStudents can make an activity where they use the sun to make
puddles or containers of water evaporate.
2 Days2 Days
• This activity can either be done in class, or as homework. Students will have to observe clouds. If it’s a clear day you’ll have to wait or show them pictures.
• Give students some time over one class (or many days) to go outside and observe clouds. They should draw the clouds they see and write descriptions of them.
• Once you have a nice collection of clouds, ask students to work in groups to categorize them. They should arrange them into three or four groups based on any criteria they like. Once they have one ar-rangement, you can ask them to see if there’s any others that could make sense.
• Once each group has at least one category system, ask the groups to share their systems with the class.
• Finally, share the category systems that scientists have come up with to describe clouds. Ask students if there’s were similar or different. Do they think they made better classifications or the scientists, why?
2 Days CloudsObjectives
• Students will observe, describe, and classify clouds. • Students will create a model of cloud formation using simple tools.
Materials• Jars or clear bottles the same
width from top to bottom. • Matches• Plastic bags• Drawing Paper
Why?• There are four types of
clouds:• Cumulus – clouds with large
bases that pile up high.• Cumulonimbus – dark cumu-
lus clouds that spread out at the top and bring rain.
• Cirrus – white feathery bands or lines very high up.
• Stratus – layer clouds, usually dark and smooth.
• Google search “types of clouds” for pictures.
• For making a cloud, students should drop a lit match into the jar, attach the bag to the top of it with a rubber band, and pull the bag out to re-duce pressure quickly!
• Today, students will make clouds using simple materials. Each group will need a jar, a rubber band, a plastic bag, and matches.
• Once each group has all the materials, inform them that they have everything they need to make a cloud. Explain to them that clouds are made when pressure and temperature interact.
• Let them explore with the materials and see if they can make a cloud! Let them discuss with other groups and share ideas as necessary.
• At the end of class, have each group discuss their results and explain what makes a cloud.
Day 2
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Rather than taking up a certain number of days, this project requires observation over time. Results can be discussed each day, week, month, or only at the end depending on how often it has been raining.
• Provide each group with a jar or clear container, a ruler, and a perma-nent marker.
• Have each group use the ruler and the marker to mark the side of the container. Each container should be able to measure how many cen-timeters of water fill it up.
• Place the containers outside where they will be safe, but will fill up when it rains.
• Every day or week have students check the containers, writing down the amount of rain and emptying the containers.
• Every few measurements, have students graph and discuss their re-sults.
• This is an excellent opportunity to discuss experimental error.
2 DayMeasuring RainObjectives
• Students will measure rainfall over the course of several weeks or months. • Students will extrapolate information from the model to explain rain.
Materials• Jars or clear bottles the same
width from top to bottom. • Rulers• Permanent Markers
Why?• When we hear about how
much it rained from a weath-er service, it’s usually meas-ured in centimeters.
• Meteorologists (scientists who study weather) collect data on rainfall like by meas-uring how much rain fell over a small piece of land and use it to guess how much rain fell over a larger piece of land. Scratch Extension
Students can make a presentation of the data they have collected. It can show a chart of the rainfall over a period of days, weeks, or months and give a short description of what this means.
2 Days2 Days
• Today students will make weather vanes, a simple tool for measuring the direction of wind.
• Provide groups with a straw, a stick, cardboard, tape, and wire. • Tell them that they are going to make weather vane, which is a special
tool that turns to show the direction of the wind. • The goal is to make something that can turn easily to show which way
the wind is blowing. • Have students design their weather vanes, tell them that they are usu-
ally shaped or designed in some way to be beautiful. • Once students have their designs, let them discuss them with other
groups and get started!
3 Days Watching WindObjectives
• Students will create different tools used to observe wind direction and speed. • Students will develop a simple toy (kite) that uses wind to power it.
Materials• Thick wire or sticks.• Large sticks or dowels• Cardboard• Plastic Bags • Straws• Drawing Paper and colors.• Soil for planting• Seeds of small plants. • Heavy duty tape or glue• String
Why?• Measuring weather is an im-
portant part of life, especially for communities that depend on farming.
• By knowing how to measure things like wind and rain, we can get a better understand-ing of weather and begin to predict what will happen from year to year.
• These tools give students a chance to observe and meas-ure wind.
• Today students will make weather sock, which shoes not only the di-rection, but the strength of wind as well.
• Provide groups with string, a stick, a plastic bag, paper, and tape. • Tell them that they are going to make a wind sock, which shows the
direction of wind and how strong it is. • The goal is to make something long and light that will show which
direction the wind is blowing, and how strong it is blowing.• Students can probably start working on their wind socks right away
without much planning. Remind students that they should be brightly colored and beautiful.
Day 2
Day 1
• Today students will take the same materials they have been using to make kites!
• Tell groups they will have most of the class to design and make their kites using whatever materials form the past two days they like.
• At the end of the class (or some other time there is enough wind) there will be a kit flying competition to see whose kit can fly the high-est and for the longest!
Extra Facts• Wind is the flow of gases. • On Earth, wind is mostly the
movement of air. • Short bursts of fast winds are
called gusts. Strong winds that go on for about one minute are called squalls. Winds that go on for a long time are called many different things, such as breeze, gale, hurricane, and typhoon.
• Wind can move land, espe-cially in deserts. Cold wind can sometimes have a bad effect on livestock. Wind also affects animals’ food stores, their hunting and the way they protect themselves.
• If there is a high pressure system near a low pressure system, the air will move from the high pressure to the low pressure to try and even out the pressures.
• Wind can also be caused by the rising of hot air, or the falling of cool air. When hot air rises, it creates a low pressure underneath it, and air moves in to equalize the pressure. When cold air drops (because it is denser or heavi-er than warm air), it creates a high pressure, and flows out to even out the pressure with the low pressure around it.
• The wind is usually invisible, but rain, dust, or snow can let you see how it is blowing. A weather vane can also show you where the wind is coming from.
Day 3
Scratch ExtensionStudents can make movies of the different types of tools they
have made to measure wind.
Part IIILife SciencePlants, Animals, and Health
Life is all around us. Some of it is large, like humans, plants, and animals, some of it is so small we can’t even see it, like germs and viruses. This fish, usu-ally found in coral reefs, is in a fish tank to make it easier to observe.
Creative Commons Love: James Burgdorf
2 Days2 Days
• Soak seeds in water overnight. • Groups will be planting 4 seeds in 4 containers. One seed should have
soil, water, and light. One seed should be planted in tissues and have water and light. One seed should be planted in soil and watered, but with no light. Finally, one seed should have soil and light but no water.
• Ask students which plant they think will live the longest? Grow to be the tallest?
Have students observe the plants for about 2 weeks. They should spend around 5 minutes each day looking at each plant and recording their observations. After two weeks, you can do “Day 2.”
2 DaysSeed PowerObjectives
• Students will devise an experiment to determine the resources available in a seed. • Students will observe and record data about plant growth.• Students will create explanations of why plants grow the way they do.
Materials• Containers • Soil• Tissues• Water• Beans for planting• A dark place or solid contain-
ers light cannot get through.
Why?• Every seed contains enough
resources to get started. • As it first starts to grow, it
won’t have roots to collect water and nutrients or leaves to collect the sun.
• However, unless its roots get access to nutrients and leaves get access to sunlight, even-tually it will run out of stored energy and die.
• Groups should look at the data and make graphs about each plants survival.
• They should discuss where resources came from if they were not pro-vided after it was planted?
• How much of each resource was available to the plant in the seed? Which resources are most important to a plant in its early life?
• They should make a presentation for the class using their charts and graphs.
Day 2
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Soak seeds in water overnight. • Tell groups of students they must put the seeds and soil/tissues in
the container so that they can watch the seeds as they grow (before sprouting out of the top).
• Soak the soil or tissue with water. • Place in the sun, one container sitting upright and the other laying on
its side.• Watch and write down daily descriptions for one week. This should
take only a few minutes each day so you can do other lessons.
2 Days Grow UpObjectives
• Students will observe and record data about plant growth.• Students will experiment to determine why plants grow upwards.
Materials• Clear Containers (jars or cut
plastic bottles)• Paper towels or unscented
tissues (or carefully placed soil)
• Beans for planting.
Why?• Underground, seeds have no
way to know which way the light is because it’s dark all around.
• So, plants evolved to use another force, gravity to determine which direction to should grow.
• No matter where in the dirt you are, up is probably the best way to grow!
• Once the plants have started to grow, have groups collect their seeds and discuss what has happened.
• Each group should write an explanation of why the plants grew up even though light was coming from all directions.
• Have groups discuss and debate their explanations, guiding as neces-sary.
• Come to a consensus as a class about why they grow up. • Take the sprouts outside and plant them in a class garden.
Day 2
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Give each group a collection of pieces of bark.• Give them about 10 minutes to discuss each piece and how it is differ-
ent or similar to the other pieces. • Next, have them write descriptions of the pieces of bark. Their goal is
to be able to team up with another group, read the descriptions, and have the other group accurate pick the correct piece of bark.
• Switch and try! Each group should read their descriptions to the other group and allow them to guess which piece of bark they are describing.
2 DaysTreesObjectives
• Students will collect different types of bark for observation.• Students will determine the age and possible life events of a tree.
Materials• Ask students to bring in:
Pieces of bark from trees in the area.
• Ask a few students to bring in cut branches from a tree. You’ll need to cut them into discs. Each group will need one section about 2 cm thick and 9 cm across.
Why?• Bark is like a tree’s skin. It
helps to protect it while it grows.
• Each year, as a tree grows it creates a new layer, which looks like a ring when cut.
• Thick rings means there was a lot of rain, thin rings mean less rain.
• Bumps or big changes in a ring mean the tree was hurt in some way. Sometimes you can evidence of fire or other damage in the rings.
• Today, give each group a piece of a branch. • Give them some time, about 10 minutes, to observe and write down
some facts about their piece of branch. • Discuss the facts as a class. Ask students what they think the rings
might represent. Do they have anything to do with bark? Do you think they grow at a certain time of year? Can the number of rings tell us anything about the tree? Do you think a thicker ring was a good year or a bad year for the tree?
• Have students guess facts about their tree’s life and write a short story about their tree growing up to share with the class.
• Read the stories and post them!
Day 2
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Ask students to discuss the question: Where does all the water a plant takes in go? Does it all stay in the plant forever? Do plants sweat?
• Give them the materials and tell them that they need to think of a way to capture the sweat of a plant. Remind them that as with all good ex-periments, they must have a way to know if it was the plant or some-thing else.
• Students should come up with the idea of tying one bag around the plant leaves and another bag around nothing. If the bag around the leaves has more water than the bag tied around nothing, that means plants lose water through their leaves.
• Students should check the bags again in a few hours, and again the next day.
2 Days TranspirationObjectives
• Students will determine if plants lose water through their leaves.
Materials• Healthy plants (perhaps the
beans from previous experi-ments)
• Plastic bags• A way to tie them closed
Why?• Water is constantly moving
through plants. • It is absorbed into the roots,
travels up the stem or trunk, and is released through the leaves.
• This process allows plants to transport nutrients from the roots along with the water.
• Ask groups to discuss the results and make a demonstration to share with the rest of the class.
• During the discussion lead students to discuss how this affects the amount of water a plant needs, if a plant loses water, what else could it lose through its leaves? What experiments could the create to deter-mine what else it loses?
Day 2
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Give each group two bags. One bag with blocks and one bag with mar-bles.
• Tell them that each bag represents an organism and the things inside are its cells.
• Have them move around the bags, play with them and manipulate them in different ways.
• Ask them which bag they think would be like an animal, and which would be like a plant.
• Discuss.
1 DayTypes of CellsObjectives
• Students will experiment with different cell shapes to determine which shapes are likely to be found in animals and which shapes are likely to be found in plants.
Materials• Any type of blocks – erasers,
pieces of wood, matchboxes. • Any type of spheres – mar-
bles, round stones, beads.• They should be about the
same size. • Bags that can be tied to be
relatively full when filled with the blocks and marbles.
Why?• Both animals and plants are
made up of many cells. • Plant cells are like blocks and
animal cells are round.
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Divide students into groups and give them their materials. • Have students pour oil into a bowl.• Have students carefully break their egg into bowl and discuss what
happens. What are the differences? Does the egg spread out like oil? Why not?
• Explain that cells have membranes. These act like tiny sacs to hold cells together. Inside membranes are organelles, just like we have organs inside our skin.
• Tell students they have all of the ingredients to make cell membranes right in front of them.
• Pour about 100ml of water and 25 ml of oil into a bottle. Close it and shake for a few seconds.
• While the oil floats to the top and the water sinks to the bottom, stu-dents should collect a tiny drop of yolk very carefully. It’s important to only get a single drop and put it into the bottle.
• The drop is heavier than oil but lighter than water, so at first it will settle somewhere in the middle. Tell students to close and shake the bottle again for a couple seconds, just like before.
• This time, the oil layer should form lots of tiny membranes full of air, just like cell membranes!
• Also, now that the egg yolk is broken, you can have students discuss and observe what happens to a cell when the membrane is broken.
1 Day Cell MembranesObjectives
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of a cell membrane. • Students will simulate the construction of cell membranes
Materials• Containers (bowls)• Containers (bottles)• Cooking Oil• 1 egg per group• Small spoon(s)• Water
Why?• Like eggs, cells are contained
inside a thin layer called a membrane.
• Cell membranes hold the pieces of the cell together and keep everything en-closed.
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Bring the whole class together. • Place the bag with no holes in the bucket and use it cover about half
the opening of the bucket. • Pour about 10 cm of water into the bag and about 5 cm in the bucket.
Talk about what happens. Empty the bag and bucket.• Show students the bag with a big hole. Ask them what they think will
happen if you do the same thing with this bag? Pour in the water and discuss.
• Repeat this step with the each of the bags. After the final bag, ask students if the same thing could happen with a bag with many holes so small you couldn’t even see them?
• Next, have students stand in a line from you to the back of the room. Explain that gases function similarly to liquids. Just like liquids will go from a place with more to a place with less, so will gas. Also, when gases or liquids are mixed in different levels, the mixtures balance out too.
• Tell students you have something very smelly and just like in liquid, the smell will spread out to be equal in the whole room, and eventually spread so thin and far you can’t even smell it anymore.
• Tell students to raise their hand when they can smell it. Open the con-tainer. Students at the front of the line should raise their hands first, slowly going back to the end of the line as the gas spreads out.
• Break students into groups and give them their materials. • First, ask them to demonstrate diffusion using the colored liquid and a
glass of water. If they pour a little liquid into the water, does it all stay on one side or does it spread out? It may go to the bottom if it’s heavi-er, but it spreads along the bottom evenly, this is diffusion.
• Next, they will demonstrate osmosis. Have mark each of their eggs with a V, an O, and a W. They should measure the size of each egg, place the eggs in Vinegar, Oil, and Water, and put them aside until the next class.
• The eggs should be allowed to sit for at least 2 – 3 days before “Day 2.”
2 DaysOsmosis & DiffusionObjectives
• Students will demonstrate osmosis and diffusion using an egg as a model of a cell.
Materials• A small bucket• 4 plastic bags: 1 with no
holes, 1 with a large whole, 1 with three smaller holes, and 1 with many tiny holes.
• Something smelly sealed in a container
• Three eggs for each group• A liquid with color (soda), oil,
vinegar, and water• Containers
Why?• All cells have membranes, but
liquids and nutrients must be able to travel back and forth through the membrane.
• Osmosis is the process that allows liquids and nutrients to slowly pass through the tiny gaps in the molecules of a cell membrane
• Diffusion ensures that the amount of nutrients and waste inside the cell become equal with the amount out-side the cell.
Day 1
• Have students collect their eggs and observe and discuss the changes before taking them out of the containers.
• Have students remove the eggs from the containers (Carefully! The Vinegar eggs will be very fragile). First, they should measure the liquid and then the new size of each egg.
• Have students discuss in groups what happened? Which liquids con-tained more water than others? How did diffusion and osmosis happen in each container?
• Discuss as a class and then students can make posters about osmosis and diffusion.
Extra Facts• Hypotonic describes the less
concentrated solution. • An isotonic solution is when
the concentration is equal on both sides of the membrane.
• In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances. The substances that are dissolved are named solutes.
• Hypertonic describes the more concentrated solution. The usual cell biology situ-ation is: hypotonic solution outside the cell, and hyper-tonic solution inside.
• The plasma membrane of a cell is semi-permeable, which means it lets small molecules pass through, but blocks larger molecules.
• However, the membrane has special gateways which allow certain kinds of macromol-ecules to get though. This is not passive transport, but requires energy, and is selec-tive.
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Explain that in science, it’s important to classify things into categories that make sense.
• Give each group a set of cards. Ask them to divide them into groups that make sense. They can arrange the cards however they like, but they have to be able to explain why the animals in each group go to-gether.
• Discuss groupings as a class. • Present the groups used by scientists. • Discuss again. • Ask each group to list all the things they know each member of each
group shares in common. • Discuss the lists as a class and make a class definition of each type of
animal. • Tell students that these are only some of the animals in the world. All
of these animals together make up a group called vertebrates. Inverte-brates include things like earthworms, insects, and crabs.
1 DayTaxonomyObjectives
• Students will demonstrate the usefulness of organizing animals into conceptual classes. • Students will create their own taxonomies, comparing them to those established by science.
Materials• Cards with various animals
represented on them. Can be pictures, drawings, or just words. Should include several of each:
• Mammals• Birds• Reptiles• Amphibians• Fish
Why?• In order to be able to talk
about types of animals and plants scientists organize them into different groups.
• This organization is called a taxonomy.
• The groups start out very broad, marking things as plant or animal (or a few others) and then getting very specific, marking dogs, and kind of dogs, etc.
• You know that two creatures share certain characteristics if they are in the same group.
Day 1
2 Days2 Days
• Ask the class if they’ve ever seen an earthworm eat. Discuss what earthworms might eat and how we can figure it out.
• Lead them to the solution of cutting one open and looking in its stom-ach!
• Give each group a set of supplies. • Students should go slowly, and be sure to follow directions. • They should pin one end of the worm to the base (the cardboard, foam
or rubber), making sure to be bout 1 cm from the end of the worm. • Pull the worm slightly to make it tight, and pin the other end of the
worm to the base. • Their goals are to determine: Which end is the head and which is the
body, what they eat, and to identify as many organs as possible. • Bring the groups together as a class and discuss the outcome.
1 Day InvertebratesObjectives
• Students will dissect earthworms to determine their diets and observe their anatomy.
Materials• One earthworm per group.• One razor blade per group• 2 pins per group• 1 piece of thick cardboard,
foam, or rubber per group.
Why?• Earthworms do have a head
and tail.• The wide band on the earth-
worm’s body is called a clitel-lum. The shorter side of the clitellum is the head.
• Earthworms eat soil so when they open up the worms and find its stomach, it should be full of dirt!
Day 1
2 Days
• Before class, spread the colored objects somewhere outside. After the first class does the experiment, you can have them hide the objects for the next class.
• Divide students into groups and have each group elect a “hunter.” Each hunter will have about a minute to “fly” over the area and pick up as many of the objects as they can find. (Depending on the size of the area and number of objects you may want to give each group more than one hunter).
• After each group has had a chance to hunt for the objects, bring the class inside and tell them to count and record the number of each color their group was able to find.
• Now, tell them the total number of each color, and have them deter-mine the likelihood (expressed as a fraction) that each color was found.
• Bring all the groups together and find an average likelihood for each color for the class.
1 DayCamouflageObjectives
• Students will determine the effect of camouflage on survival in an ecosystem. • Students will calculate the likelihood of survival of certain species in a simulation.
Materials• Colored toothpicks, sticks,
marbles, or anything small. Must have several colors and equal numbers of each color.
Why?• Camouflage helps animals
hide in the wild. • Some animals have even de-
veloped the ability to change their color depending on where they are trying to hide.
Day 1
2 Days
• Before the lab, prepare the containers by making the plain gelatin and putting a little bit in each one. The gelatin should be set and sealed be-fore class begins. If possible, it is best to boil the containers to sterilize them before filling them with gelatin.
• During class ask students why people smell some times. Have them work in groups to see if they can determine the answer.
• After some time for discussion, tell them it’s time to conduct an experi-ment.
• Have students take a q-tip and rub it in their arm pits or between their toes, somewhere that is sweaty and at least a little smelly.
• Next take the Q-tip and lightly swab the top of the gelatin. Students should rub 2 or 3 lines on the top of the gelatin. They don’t need to break the surface, only spread a little sweat in lines on the top.
• Seal the containers and let them sit for about a week before doing day 2.
2 Days Body BacteriaObjectives
• Students will conduct an experiment to find the cause of body odor.
Materials• Sealable containers, prefer-
ably glass.• Gelatin• Q-tips
Why?• Most of the bad smells that
come from our skin (under our arms and between our toes) are the result of the bacteria that live there.
• Like other organisms, bacteria eat and produce waste. The smell comes form the waste building up over time and not being washed off.
• Yep, the smell is bacteria poop.
• Have students collect their group’s jar. • Can they see anything where the rubbed the sweat?• Have them open the jars. Does it smell better or worse than when they
started?• Give them time to discuss possibilities of what could have happened.
After a few minutes remind them that gelatin is a type of food. Ask them, what happens to their food after they eat it? How does that smell? So, if bacteria on your body where it smells, what might you be smelling?
• Have students make posters about the importance of good personal hygiene, why it is good to shower and wash your hands.
Day 2
Day 1
2 Days
• Divide students into their work groups and assign each group a differ-ent body system.
• Give students one full day to study their body system, discuss it, and take notes.
4 DaysBody SystemsObjectives
• Students will demonstrate in depth knowledge of a single body system.• Students will share their in depth knowledge with their peers.
Materials• Basic information about the
systems of the human body including diagrams.
• Large pieces of paper• Drawing supplies
Why?• The human body has several
major systems. • The digestive system, which
includes the mouth, stomach, intestines, rectum, and oth-ers, is how we absorb food.
• The nervous system, includ-ing the brain, spinal cord, and nerves, allows us to think and control our movements.
• The respiratory and cardio-vascular system allows us to breathe and pump blood.
• The skeletal system provides the framework for our bod-ies.
• The muscular system allows us to move.
• Students will continue to study their body systems and they will create a life size drawing of it.
• One student should lie down on the large piece of paper and another student should trace them.
• Then, they should draw in their groups body system, labeling it with the names and functions of all the different pieces.
Days 2&3
Day 1
• Each group should present on their body system while the other stu-dents in the class take notes.
Day 4
2 Days
• Provide each group with a compass. • The goal of the experiment is to determine how far apart two points
have to be on a persons forearm for them to know it is two points. • Every student should get a chance to be the test subject. • The experimenters should start with the two points touching and
lightly touch the subject’s forearm. The subject should report if they feel one point or two. The subject should keep their eyes closed for each touch.
• The experimenters should then put the points 10 degrees apart, 15, 20, 25 and so on, until the subject can feel two different points rather than just one. Tell them they can also try to trick the subject by touch-ing them with only one point sometimes, but they should not record those results.
• They should record the results, repeat for each member of the group and make a presentation about their experiments.
• Presentations should include an explanation of what they did and graphs of their results.
2 Days Sensory LabObjectives
• Students will conduct experiments to determine how their senses work.• Students will observe the function of their brains in constructing their experience of the world.
Materials• A compass for each group• Some colored animal cut outs
on a stick for each group
Extra Facts• In psychology, sensation is
the first stage in the biochem-ical and neurologic events:
• It begins with a stimulus upon the receptor cells of a sensory organ, which then leads to perception,when we see, hear, taste, feel, or smell something.
• The senses are usually di-vided into five different types: seeing, hearing, tasting, feel-ing, and smelling.
• The way we think of our senses, based on our own opinions and our culture, is called a sensorium.
Day 1
• Each group should have a few colored animal shape cut outs on sticks, preferably one for each member of the group.
• Each member of the group should have a chance to be the subject. • The subject should sit with their eyes focused on a point directly in
front of them. They must not look anywhere but the point right in front of them, though they can blink.
• The experimenters should take a colored shape they’ve never seen before and hold it to the side of their head.
• Then, they should very slowly move the object in front of their head. • If possible use protractors to measure the degrees and have experi-
menters ask the subjects what they think the object is every 10 de-grees or so.
• It’s very important that the subject only look ahead and not move their eyes to look directly at the object!
• Students should record the results for each subject.• After all students have had a chance to be the subject, you should pro-
vide a lot of time for discussion both in their groups and as a class.
Extra Facts• There have been eight po-
tential senses identified by science:
• Visual - seeing which is done through our eyes.
• Auditory - hearing done through our ears.
• Gustatory - taste which we do with our tongues.
• Olfactory - smell done through our noses.
• Cutaneous - feeling done through our skin.
• Kinesthetic - lets us know how we’re sitting,it’s our per-ception of our own posture.
• Vestibular - this is our sense of balance.
• Organic sense - The organic sense, per se, refers only to sensation from the internal organs, or viscera, but can, however, be expanded to include certain physiological processes, such as hunger, thirst, drowsiness, and suf-focation.
Day 1
2 Days
• Tell students that today you are going to be talking about diseases. • One disease will be a Sexually Transmitted Infection, the other will be
the common cold. • Select a volunteer from the audience. Put a lot of glitter on that per-
son’s hand. • Now, tell the volunteer to shake hands with two people. • Next, have all of the students walk and shake hands. Tell each student
they must shake hands with at lest 3 different people. • Pull the class back together and ask them to inspect their hands. • Who has some glitter on their hands?• Now ask, what if that were an STI, and what if handshaking were like
sex. How many people here would have caught the disease?• For the second half of the game, ask for two more volunteers. Tell the
class they are siblings and live in the same house. Put a new color of glitter on their hands.
• Now play games for about 20 or 30 minutes, or do some other activ-ity where students are interacting with each other but no rules about touching.
• Ask again, “How many students have the new color of glitter some-where, anywhere on them.” Have students inspect each other and bring all of the infected people to the front of the room.
• Talk about how the new glitter is like a cold. Even if you never touched the two people that had it, you still can get the germs on you. Discuss the importance of hand washing.
1 Day DiseasesObjectives
• Students will observe the importance of hand washing.• Students will learn how diseases get transmitted from one person to another.
Materials• Glitter, two colors
Day 1
Extra Facts• A disease or medical condi-
tion is an unusual occurring of the body or mind that causes pain, discomfort, dis-tress, or death to the person who has the disease.
• The term is sometimes used broadly to include injuries, disabilities, disorders, syn-dromes, infections, symp-toms, deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of struc-ture and function.
• In other contexts these may be considered separate cat-egories. Literally, a disease refers to the invasion of the body by pathogens such as viruses and bacteria.
2 Days
• Choose one student in your head. Ask the class if they can guess who you are talking about. Slowly write their physical features on the board. Ask students to raise their hand when they think they know who it is.
• Slowly, more and more students should have their hands raised. When almost everyone’s hand is raised, ask the class to whisper to a near by student who they think it is.
• Discuss as a class: How did they know who it was? What characteristics helped them to know? What characteristics does the student share with other people? What makes them unique (It may be a combination of things)?
• Have students get into their groups and play this game a few times with just themselves.
• After a few minutes, ask how this can relate to science. Why are ob-servable characteristics important to science? Why is it important that science only talk about things it can observe?
3 DaysGeneticsObjectives
• Students will explain the use of observing physical characteristics in science. • Students will understand that some traits are inherited.• Students will understand that some traits are learned or environmental.• Students will demonstrate the effect of dominant and recessive genes.
Materials• Paper or chalk boards.
Why?• Observing how things are
similar and different is very important to science.
• As students learned in the lesson on taxonomy, scientists use observable characteristics to label and discuss the world around them.
• The way we look is a product of our inherited genes and their interaction with the environment.
• Choose some of the inherited traits below to discuss with the class. • Have student guess how many of each student in the class has which
trait, and write the guesses on the board. • Have students work as a class to collect data on how many students
have each trait. Discuss how accurate their hypotheses were. • Once data is collected, have them get into their groups and graph the
information.
Day 2
Day 1
Inherited TraitsDominant Recessive
When hands are folded with fingers interlocking, left
thumb on top.
When hands are folded with fingers interlocking, left
thumb on top.Can roll tongue Cannot roll tongueCan flip tongue Cannot flip tongueCan wiggle ears Cannot wiggle ears
Wide lips Thin LipsSecond toe longer than big
toeSecond toe shorter than
big toeHas a widow’s peak Doesn’t have a widow’s
peakCurly Hair Straight Hair
Unattached Earlobes Attached EarlobesDimples No dimples
Extra Facts• Genes are forms of DNA. • DNA is a collection of chemi-
cal information that carries the instructions for making all the proteins a cell will ever need.
• Each gene contains a single set of instructions. These instructions usually code for a particular protein. Half of a person’s genes come from the mother. The other half come from the father.
• Genes are passed on from parent to child and are an im-portant part of what decides how children look and act (their biological properties).
• Genes affect the way our bodies work, including how we look. Our eye, hair and skin color are decided by genes. It is said that genes cause genetic effects in our bodies.
• Explain that whenever a baby is born it shares the traits of both par-ents.
• For every trait, each parent provides one gene. • Although we can’t predict exactly which traits will come out, we can
tell the probability of certain traits being present or not present in a baby.
• List the traits on the board and say that for each pair, some are Domi-nant and some are Recessive. For a dominant trait to show it only needs one of the two genes to be dominant, for a recessive trait to show a baby has to get both of the genes from their parents.
• Show the table below, called a punnett square, to students. Explain that each of the four squares represents a possible offspring.
• In this example we have blue flowers and white flowers. If two plants mate the offspring will always be blue because every possible combi-nation has a dominant blue gene. What would happen if both parents were white? If one were white and one were blue, but the blue parent had a recessive gene for whiteness?
• If there is time, students can then determine the possible variations of a third generation of offspring from the first pairings.
Day 2
Extra Facts• Sometimes, a gene is domi-
nant. Sometimes, it is reces-sive. For example, let’s say a mother only has genes for brown hair and a father only has genes for red hair. The child will inherit – receive – genes for red hair (from her father) and brown hair (from her mother). The brown hair gene is ‘dominant’ to the red hair gene. This means the child will have brown hair even though she has genes for both red and brown hair. This means only one domi-nant gene is needed for the child to receive that particu-lar trait, while two recessive genes are needed for one.
• A recessive trait might stay hidden for many generations. Let us use the child from the last example. We will call her “Mary”. Mary has brown hair but has genes for both red and brown hair. Let us say Mary grew up and married Tom. Tom also has brown hair, but like Mary one of his parents had red hair. This means Tom has genes for both red and brown hair. Mary and Tom would each have a chance of passing ei-ther brown or red hair genes to their children. This means that the children of Mary and Tom could have either red or brown hair. This explains why a person might look different from their parents, but look like their grandparents.
• Today students will use their traits to determine possible offspring among members of their groups.
• Have each student list their traits and whether they have a dominant or recessive version. If students know which of their parents have the traits, they can choose whether their genes are two dominants or one recessive. If they don’t know, they can guess at random.
• Remind them that if they have a recessive trait, they much have two recessive genes for the trait.
• Now have students make Punnett squares for each possible pairing in the group.
Day 3
GENE CHART
Creative Commons LoveContributing Authors, Organizations, and Photographers
Unattributed text and images were created originally by PEPY and their staff, volunteers, and partners.
This book was written by: Michael A. JONES, RITH Sarakk, and LOEM Lida.
The guide was compiled, edited, and finalized by Open Equal Free.
The “Extra Facts” sections were adapted to taken from simple English Wikipedia, www.simple.wikipedia.org :
p. 23 - Solar System
p. 31 - Soil
p. 33 - Groundwater
p. 35 - Erosion
p. 41 - Wind
p. 50 - Osmosis
p. 57 - Senses
p. 58 - Disease
p. 60 & 61 - Genetics
