Foundational Level General Science Laboratory Descriptions
Earth Science
Solar System Scale Model
Scale Model of Solar System
In this activity, students see how the orbits of comets compare to the orbits of the planets. They use a loop of string to learn the difference between an ellipse in general and a circle in particular. Students then go outside to make a true-scale chalk drawing of the orbits of the planets in our solar system, including a few comets.
Solar Measurement and Sun Spots
Gitas New Sun Spot Exercise
How Big is the Sun
Students construct a simple apparatus and use a simple method for calculating the sun's diameter. Students observe, track, and analyze sunspots from real-time imagery found on NASA's website.
Earthquake Slip and Liquefaction
Landslide Mapping
Students create a simple hands-on model to simulate earthquakes and then experiment with different variables in their model.
El Nino
El Nino
Students create a model El Nino simulation. Using modeling programs, they make graphical representations of sea surface pressures and sea surface temperatures. Further, they examine data on changes in sea surface height and seasonal fluctuations in precipitation, looking for correlations.
CO2
CO2 Lab
Simulation of the greenhouse effect utilizes two fish tanks, heat lamps, and either laboratory thermometers or laptop-driven temperature probes. Experiments are run by creating a CO2-enriched environment and measuring the differential heating of that experimental apparatus compared to an identical control. This experiment can be run as a hands-on student project or by the instructor as a demonstration for larger lecture classes. This greenhouse experiment and the broader curriculum have been developed around the central theme of teaching students to distinguish (1) solid scientific mechanisms from (2) actively debated hypothesis from (3) the broader genre of misperception and misinformation. This process provides students the opportunity to gain a much deeper understanding of the climate system, the nature of scientific uncertainty, the burden of proof in ongoing research, and the difficulties in transferring scientific results to the public-policy realm.
Differential Heating of Ambient Air and CO2
Differential Heating of Ambient Air and CO2
In this experiment, students examine/demonstrate the warming of air when the CO2 concentration is increased. This is an update to the CO2 Lab, redesigned for middle school, using easy to find materials and increased student interaction.
Albedo
Albedo
Students experiment with a model system to better understand the effect of color on albedo and relate the results of this activity to various surfaces on the Earth such as water, snow, and ice.
Land/Water Heating
Land-Water Heating
Students conduct an experiment that illustrates the different heating capacities of water and sand. They connect the observed differences to real-life phenomena.
Water Masses
Water Masses
Students model the stratification of seawater by combining water of different temperatures and densities.