Science Teacher's Activity-A-Day, Grades 5-10

PAM WALKER and ELAINE WOOD each have more han twenty years of science teaching experience. They are the authors of dozens of books for middle and high school science teachers and students, including Crime Scene Investigations and Hands-On General Science Activities with Real-Life Applications, both from Jossey-Bass.

"Each activity begins with a concise explanation of the concept upon which it focuses and includes a materials list, the procedure, follow-up questions, and extensions. These high-interest investigations use materials that are inexpensive, easily accessible, and familiar to students" (National Science Teacher's Association.org, October 2010)

• About This Book iiiAbout the Authors ivCorrelations of Activities to the National Science Content Standards xiiUnit I. Physical ScienceSection 1: Organization of Matter1.1 Boyle’s Gas Law: Marshmallow Under Pressure 31.2 Buoyancy: Ketchup Packet Cartesian Divers 41.3 Counting Molecules and Atoms: Number of Molecules of Chalk in Your Signature 51.4 Identifying and Naming Isotopes: ‘‘EggCeptional’’ Isotopes 61.5 Chemical and Physical Changes: Examining Paper for Change 71.6 Physical Properties of Matter: Tootsie Roll Properties 81.7 Density: Can’t Hold a Good Ping-Pong Ball Down 91.8 Atomic Size in Picometers: Cutting Paper to Atom Size 101.9 Surface Tension: Why Some Insects Can Walk on Water 111.10 Birds in Flight: How Birds’ Wings Enable Them to Fly 121.11 Mendeleev’s Periodic Table: It Was All in the Cards 131.12 Volume of a Cylinder: The Long and Short of Volume 14Section 2: Interactions of Matter2.1 Acids and Bases: Cabbage Juice Indicators 162.2 Polymers: Water-Loving Chemicals in Diapers 172.3 Freezing Point: Why We Sprinkle Salt on Icy Roads 182.4 Exothermic and Endothermic Reactions: Hot Packs and Cold Packs 192.5 Chemical Reactions: Alka-Seltzer and Water Temperature 202.6 Balancing Chemical Equations: Rearranging Atomic Dots 212.7 Limiting Reactants: Putting a Halt to the Reaction 232.8 Writing Ionic Formulas: Equating the Ions 242.9 Single Replacement Reactions: Turning Iron into Copper 252.10 Double Replacement Reactions: Trading Partners 262.11 Polarity and Solubility: Breaking Bonds of Packing Peanuts 272.12 Surface Area and Solubility: Sweet Solutions 29Section 3: Energy of Motion3.1 Potential Energy and Kinetic Energy: Bouncing Golf Balls 313.2 Potential Energy: The Energy of Falling Objects 323.3 Friction Through a Fluid: Fluids and Falling 333.4 Newton’s First Law of Motion: Inertia—the Magician’s Friend 343.5 Law of Conservation of Momentum: Marble Collisions 353.6 Static Friction: Going Against the Grain 363.7 Newton’s Second Law of Motion: Acceleration of the Coffee Mug 373.8 Using the Speed Formula: Speedy Manipulations 383.9 Newton’s Third Law of Motion: What Is a Reaction? 393.10 Inclined Planes: Making Lifting Easier 413.11 Levers: First-Class Machines 423.12 The Three Classes of Levers: Lots of Levers and Lots of Class 43Section 4: Heat, Light, and Sound Waves4.1 Thermal Energy: What Does Temperature Really Measure? 464.2 Measuring Temperature: Human Thermometers 474.3 Refraction: A Real Light Bender 484.4 Concave and Convex Mirrors: An Up-Close Look at the Spoon 494.5 Magnifying Lens: Water Drop Microscopes 514.6 Mechanical Waves: The Stadium Wave 524.7 Transverse Waves: Anatomy of a String Wave 534.8 Compressional Waves: Making Waves with a Slinky 544.9 Sound and Its Mediums: Sound Matters 554.10 Sound Vibrations: Rubber Band Music 564.11 Sound and Water: Tuning Forks and Water 574.12 Energy Conductors and Insulators: The Cook’s Choice 58Section 5: Magnetism and Electricity5.1 Charging by Friction: Balloons and Dancing Salt Grains 605.2 Closed Circuits: A Battery, a Bulb, and a Paper Clip 615.3 Electrochemical Cell: Nine-Volt Battery Electrolysis 625.4 Resistance: Series and Parallel Circuits 635.5 Making Electricity: A Shocking Activity 645.6 Schematic Circuit Diagrams: Seeing the Circuit 655.7 Electromagnets: The Art of Magnetizing a Nail 675.8 Magnetic Field: Long-Distance Attraction 695.9 Magnets: What’s in a Refrigerator Magnet? 705.10 Magnetizing Metals: The Magnetic Nail 715.11 Magnets and Compasses: Which Way Is North? 725.12 Magnetic Forces: Force Blockers 74Unit II. Life ScienceSection 6: The Cell6.1 Characteristics of Life: Is It Alive? 776.2 Energy Molecules: ATP and ADP 786.3 ATP and Lactic Acid: Muscle Fatigue 796.4 The Cell Cycle, Part One: Getting Started 806.5 The Cell Cycle, Part Two: The Process 816.6 Cell Transport: When It Comes to Cells, Small Is Good 826.7 Proteins as Enzymes: Saltine Crackers and Amylase 836.8 Plant Cell or Animal Cell: Shoestring Venn Diagram 846.9 Enzymes: Temperature and Paperase 866.10 The Mitochondria: Surface Area and the Folded Membrane 876.11 Photosynthesis and Respiration: Formula Scramble 88Section 7: Genetics7.1 DNA: Candy Nucleotides 907.2 Chromosomes: Learning to Speak ‘‘Chromosome’’ 927.3 Genetic Diversity: Crossing Over During Meiosis 937.4 Genetic Combinations: Tall and Short Pea Plants 957.5 Mendel’s Law of Segregation: Cystic Fibrosis 967.6 Dominant and Recessive Genes in Cat Breeding: Curly-Eared Cats 977.7 Pedigrees: The Higgenbothum Hairline 987.8 Sex-Linked Traits: Flipping Over Color Blindness 997.9 Gene Splicing: Human Growth Hormone and Recombinant DNA 1007.10 Protein Synthesis: Modeling Transcription 101Section 8: Evolution8.1 Natural Selection: Life as a Peppered Moth 1038.2 Advantageous Traits: Which Creature Is the Fittest? 1058.3 Primate Adaptations: The Importance of the Opposable Thumb 1068.4 Steps of Natural Selection: Natural Selection Sequencing 1078.5 Plant Adaptations: Features for Survival in the Rain Forest 1088.6 Adaptive Radiation: The Beaks of Darwin’s Finches 1098.7 Variations and Survival: Pine Needle Variation 1108.8 Horse Evolution: Horse Height Over Time 1118.9 Fossil Dating: Stacking Up Rock Layers 1128.10 Antibiotic Resistance: Present-Day Evolution 115Section 9: Diversity of Life9.1 The Six Kingdoms: Kingdom Match Game 1179.2 Vascular Plants: Checking Out a Fern Frond 1199.3 Flower Parts: Dissecting the Flower 1209.4 Food Storage in Seeds: Dissecting a Dicot 1229.5 Seed Dispersal: Where Plants Come From 1239.6 Animal Symmetry: What Symmetry Is This? 1249.7 Viruses: Nuts and Bolts of a Bacteriophage 1259.8 Bird Digestion: Why Birds Don’t Need Teeth 1269.9 Examining a Fungus: Close-Up Look at a Mushroom 1279.10 Taxonomic Categories: Addressing Classification 129Section 10: Ecology10.1 Energy Flow Through the Food Chain: The 10 Percent Rule of Energy Flow 13110.2 Population Growth Rate: Growing Exponentially 13210.3 Food Web: Piecing Together a Food Web Puzzle 13310.4 Population Estimations: Mark and Recapture of Wildlife 13410.5 The Importance of Niches: Extinction and the Paper Clip Niche 13510.6 Symbiosis: Want Ads for Mutualism 13610.7 Human Pollution: Plastic Killers 13710.8 Plant Growth Requirements: When Seeds Get Too Crowded 13810.9 Packaging and the Environment: Convenience or Conservation? 13910.10 Arthropod Behavior: Response of the Pill Bugs 140Section 11: Body Systems11.1 The Role of Bile in Digestion: Emulsifying Fat 14311.2 Tendons: Visualizing How the Fingers Work 14411.3 The Heart: The Strongest Muscle of the Body 14511.4 Partnering of the Brain and Eyes: Putting the Fish in the Bowl 14611.5 Lung Capacity During Exercise: Balloons and Vital Capacity 14811.6 Blood Vessels: Arteries or Veins? 14911.7 Muscle Interactions: Pairing of the Biceps and Triceps 15011.8 Mechanical Digestion: The Initial Breakdown of Digestion 15211.9 Peristalsis During Digestion: Moving Food Through the Esophagus 15311.10 Why We Sweat: Staying Cool with the Sweat Glands 155Unit III. Earth ScienceSection 12: Structure of Earth Systems12.1 Core Sampling: Seeing Inside the Cupcake 15812.2 Metamorphic Rocks: Pressure and the Candy Bar 15912.3 Sedimentation: Making Sedimentary Rocks 16012.4 Soil Conservation: How Much of the Earth Is Usable Soil? 16112.5 Physical Weathering of Rocks: Sugar Cube Breakdown 16212.6 Mineral Hardness: Mineral Ranks 16312.7 Cross Section of the Earth: Egg Modeling 16512.8 Porosity of Soil Samples: Soil’s Holding Power 16612.9 Groundwater and Permeability: Just Passing Through 16712.10 Water in the Ocean: Sink or Float? 16812.11 Ocean Currents: Temperatures Start the Motion 16912.12 Bottle Eruption: Volcanic Activity 170Section 13: Earth’s History13.1 Inferences from Fossils: Who Was Here? 17213.2 Magnetic Rocks: Lodestones 17313.3 Radioactive Rocks: The Age of Rocks 17413.4 Continental Drift: Puzzling Over the Continents 17513.5 Strength of Earthquakes: It’s the Cracker’s Fault 17613.6 Fossil Molds and Casts: Making Fossils 17713.7 Glaciers: Ice in Motion 17813.8 Deformation of Rocks: Rocks Under Stress 17913.9 Geologic Time Scale Model: Earth’s History on a Football Field 18113.10 Graded Bedding: Breaking the Law 18213.11 Seismic Waves: Human Wave Form 18313.12 Mountain Building: Paper Peaks 184Section 14: Meteorology14.1 Temperature Inversions: Weather Patterns and Pollution 18614.2 Cloud Formation: The Cloudy Bottle 18714.3 Warm Air Rises: Refrigerated Balloons 18814.4 Water Vapor: Dew on the Beaker 18914.5 Rain Gauge: Let It Pour 19014.6 The Loss of Ozone: Oxygen Is Not Just for Breathing 19114.7 Temperature: Do You Want That in Celsius or Fahrenheit? 19214.8 Heat Transfer: Spiraling Upward 19414.9 Read a Climatogram: Quick Take on Climate 19514.10 Air Has Weight: Living Under Pressure 19714.11 Make It Rain: Bottle Rainstorm 19814.12 Winds: Air Masses in Motion 199Section 15: The Universe15.1 Telescopes: An Eye on the Universe 20115.2 Light-Years: Universal Time 20215.3 Star Constellations: How Many Do You Know? 20315.4 Viewing Constellations: Moving Patterns in the Sky 20415.5 The Gyroscopic Effect: Spacecraft Navigation 20615.6 Space Shuttle Orbits: Holding Onto Your Marbles 20715.7 Gravity and Space Instruments: Writing in Space 20915.8 Visible Light: A Blend of Colors 21015.9 Infrared Light: Feel the Heat 21115.10 Star Magnitude: The Brightness of Stars 21215.11 Inertia in Space: Objects Keep Moving 21315.12 The Parallax Effect: A Different Perspective 214Section 16: The Solar System16.1 Planetary Revolutions: Birthdays on Mercury and Jupiter 21616.2 Jupiter’s Atmosphere: A Stormy Planet 21716.3 Orbiting the Sun: Earth’s Trip Around the Sun 21816.4 Planet Formations: How the Planets Were Made 22016.5 Surviving on the Moon: Lunar Trek 22116.6 Solar Eclipse: Blocking the Sun 22216.7 Astrolabe: Medieval Measurements 22316.8 Precession of Earth: Spinning on the Axis 22516.9 Lunar Surface Regolith: After the Meteorites Hit the Moon 22716.10 Weight and Gravity: Weighing In on the Earth, Moon, and Sun 22816.11 Auroras: Party Lights in the Sky 22916.12 Moon Face: The Moon’s Revolution and Rotation 231Teacher’s Notes 232Answer Key 239