The CCMR Educational Programs Lending Library is a resource for teachers interested in teaching science in grades K-12. The Lending Library offers lesson plans and student activity sheets for a wide variety of science topics which can be downloaded in PDF format. Kits, which contain the materials necessary for the activities are also available upon request.
| Lesson Plan and Kit | Objective | Grade Levels | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airboats | Students will be introduced to Newton's Laws of Motion. Students will understand the effect of a force on an object's motion and gain an understanding of how an airboat works. | 6-8 3-5 | Physics |
| Boat Building | Students will explore materials and use knowledge of their properties to engineer their own boat design. | K-2 | Engineering Physics |
| Bridge Building | Use Newton's Laws in designing a bridge by using free body diagrams and Hooke's law to choose an appropriate bridge design and material for the project. To use engineering skills to build and test a bridge. | 9-12 | Physics |
| Catapult | Students will learn basic principles of physics and the scientific process in order to optimize a catapult. | 6-8 9-12 | Physics Engineering |
| Chemical Reactions | Students will learn the principles of chemical reactions by mixing and observing chemicals. | 3-5 | Chemistry |
| Classification | Learn how to use some of the tools of classification in order to more easily understand the relationships between groups of objects. | 6-8 3-5 | Earth Science General Science |
| Crystal Radio | Students will learn about how a radio works and use the special materials needed to build their own. | 6-8 | Engineering Physics |
| Density | To further student understanding of density by comparing liquids of different densities quantitatively and qualitatively. | 6-8 | Physics |
| Density: Measuring Mass and Volume | Students form an understanding of density and its importance in their daily lives. | 3-5 | Physics |
| Diffraction | Learn about principles of light and light waves. Discover how diffraction and interference of light waves can be used to measure. | 9-12 | Physics |
| Discovering Enzymes | Students will learn about the properties of proteins by demonstrating their breakdown with hydrogen peroxide. | 6-8 9-12 | Chemistry |
| Drop Tube | Students will gain experience with the scientific method through accurate data collection, graphing, and making predictions. | 3-5 | The Scientific Process |
| Edible Glass | Students will examine the properties of molecules a nd heat by creating edible glass (syrup). | 6-8 9-12 | Chemistry |
| Electromagnets | Students will understand what an electromagnet is and how it works. They will be able to explain the relationship between electricity and magnetism. | 9-12 | Physics |
| Electroplating | Students will learn the principles of electroplating by coating a penny with zinc sulfate, and coating a nickel with copper sulfate. | 6-8 9-12 | Chemistry |
| Energy Detectives | Students learn that energy is found in several forms and is always present. It cannot be created or destroyed, just change forms, which is important in everyday life. | 3-5 6-8 | General Science |
| Forensics: Case of the Missing Diamond Maker | Students learn about techniques of forensic science including: fingerprint identification, chromatography, and chemistry. | 6-8 | Chemistry |
| Friction | Learn about the properties and types of friction and how it affects students’ lives. | 6-8 9-12 3-5 | Physics |
| Fuel Cell | Connect to and build upon students’ knowledge of oxidation-reduction reactions in order to introduce the chemistry involved in fuel cell technology. | 9-12 | Chemistry |
| Fuel Cell Game | Build on students' early understanding of oxidation/reduction reactions and electrochemistry. Illustrate how electrons are captured from the chemical reaction in the fuel cell. | 9-12 | Chemistry |
| Fun with Phases | Students will learn the principles of phase separation and partition of solutes between phases. | 6-8 9-12 | Chemistry |
| Getting Silly with Putty | Students will be introduced to the concept of polymers and their structure, as well as properties associated with them. | 6-8 K-2 3-5 | Chemistry |
| Grocery Bag | Students will understand how the structure of a polymer can affect its mechanical properties. | 6-8 9-12 | Chemistry |
| How do we see things? | To engage students in a self-guided investigation of light; to lead students to justify their conclusions based on their data; and to make them understand the basic principles of light. | 9-12 | Physics |
| Ice Cream | Students will make their own ice cream using liquid nitrogen and learn about the freezing points of certain liquids and chemicals. | 6-8 9-12 K-2 3-5 | Chemistry |
| Isotope Rummy | Students will learn what an isotope is and how their real-world applications make them useful to scientists. | 9-12 | Chemistry |
| Marvelous Magnets | Introduce magnetism to young children. Explore which objects are magnetic and which are not; learn about magnetic poles and which magnets are strongest. | K-2 K-2 | Physics |
| Measuring with a Microscope | Learn how to measure and/or calculate field of view under various magnifications and thus determine relative sizes of an object and/or organism using a compound light microscope. | 9-12 | Biology |
| Nick Robertson Modules | A mini-course where students learn about technologies and materials that make modern life possible. | 6-8 9-12 | Materials Science Chemistry |
| Paper Airplanes | Students will design and test a paper airplane as part of an engineering experience. | 6-8 9-12 | Engineering |
| Rocks and Minerals | Learn about simple observable characteristics/properties (color, streak, hardness) used to identify rocks and minerals. | 6-8 9-12 | Earth Science General Science |
| Roller Ball | Learn about potential and kinetic energy, as well as slope and how it affects the distance a ball will roll. | 3-5 | Physics |
| Rube Goldberg Machine | Students learn about the Law of Conservation of Energy. | 6-8 | Physics |
| The Science of Snowflakes | Students will learn about states of matter while classifying snowflakes by shape and structure. | 6-8 | Earth Science |
| Vitamin C | Learn about the history and importance of Vitamin C and the process of titration. | 9-12 | Chemistry |
| What is Rust? | Students will understand rust as a chemical reaction and be able to explain why certain metals rust differently. | 6-8 9-12 | Chemistry |
