Water: A Liquid That Can Take the Heat
Water is an amazing liquid. Not only is it the main solvent of cellular protoplasm, it also helps moderate climates with its high heat capacity. Water absorbs a large quantity of heat and slowly releases it over a period of time. This is the reason coastal climates are more moderate than climates farther inland. Water’s […]
Petri Dish Electrolysis Activity
Petri dish electrolysis is a simple, colorful way to introduce or wrap up many topics in chemistry. Use this activity to introduce reduction-oxidation reactions and electrochemistry. When using it at the beginning of a lesson, you can learn what students already know, while using it at the end can highlight their learning. Student misconception:Â Electrolytic cells […]
Webinar: Student-Designed Ecosystem Experiments in Middle Grades
Student-designed investigations that use Wisconsin Fast Plants® to study ecosystems are powerful, three-dimensional learning experiences. In this webinar, we share a ready-to-teach, hands-on approach for upper elementary or middle school students to investigate ecosystem interactions. Hedi Baxter Lauffer and Claudia SolÃÂs-Lemus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison demonstrate and discuss how to support learners in identifying […]
Cow Eye Dissection
In-Booth Demonstration Life Science 6-12 Middle / High School Carolina’s Perfect Solution® cow eye dissection introduces students to the anatomy of the mammalian eye. This activity allows students to identify the major structures of the eye. The activity supports 3-dimensional learning and builds toward the following: NGSS Scientific and Engineering Practice: Developing and Using Models NGSS […]
Strawberry DNA Extraction
In Booth Demo Life Science 9-12 High School Your students may never look at strawberries the same way again! This activity is designed mainly to introduce students to DNA. A discussion of how this DNA extraction procedure works might also touch on the plant cell wall, the cell membrane, proteins, and DNA’s lack of solubility […]
Butterfly Necklace
In Booth Demo Life Science K-12 Elementary / High School Students gain an understanding of the life cycle of the painted lady butterfly. They observe the growth and development of a larva in the butterfly necklace, a miniature habitat in which the larva eats, grows, molts, and forms a chrysalis. Then, they transfer the chrysalis […]
Let’s Agree—Lab Safety First
Laboratory safety is paramount for every teacher in every science classroom. Communicating to students and modeling safe lab practices are requisite actions from the very first day of school and every day that follows. It’s not always easy for students to understand the importance of lab safety or master the techniques needed in class. As […]
Elephant Toothpaste
A Carolina EssentialsTM Activity Total Time: 50 min Prep: 30 | Activity: 20 Physical Science | Chemistry 6-12 Middle | High School Total Time: 50 min [ Prep: 30 | Activity: 20 ] Subject: Physical Science | Chemistry Grade: Middle | High School Introduction This quick demonstration showing the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, catalyzed by […]
Carolina Genetic Corn: Seeds to Finished Product
Think about all the varieties of corn you’ve encountered—yellow corn, white corn, red corn, blue corn, and the thousands of products that contain corn. Have you thought about using corn to teach genetics? It’s the perfect, easy-to-use specimen. There’s no downtime waiting for plants to grow; offspring data are easy to obtain simply by counting […]
Forecasting Future Floods
A Carolina EssentialsTM Activity Total Time: 45-60 min Prep: 15-45 | Activity: 30-40 Earth and Space Science 6-8 Middle School Introduction Moving water is one of the most powerful forces in nature. A swift-moving river at flood stage can move cars and topple houses from their foundations. The greater the volume of water and the […]