Over the past few years, RESEED volunteers and their teacher partners have developed numerous laboratory procedures and worksheets that are used in Middle School science classrooms. Brief descriptions appear on this page. These procedures are available to volunteers and web site guests in Adobe® pdf format files. Send an e-mail to drjcast@aol.com using the keyword(s) shown below for the specific procedure(s) you would like to view in the subject line of the e-mail.
Balancing Chemical Equations
A worksheet that helps students learn to balance selected chemical equations from among synthesis, decomposition, single-displacement, and double-displacement types. Keywords: Balancing Equations
Boiling Water at Low Temperature
This activity enables students to explore the connection between pressure and boiling point by lowering the pressure. Keywords: Boiling Water
Chemical Reactions that Produce Light
Chemiluminescence is a chemical reaction that produces light with little or no heat. Most students have seen this phenomenon in the from of “light sticks.” This procedure enables the volunteer to demonstrate an example of this reaction using luminol. Keyword: Chemiluminescence
Flame Tests to Identify Elements
In this lab activity, students observe the color produced when the salts of four different chemical elements are placed in a flame. Keyword: Flame
Floating Pennies and Archimedes Principle
This hands-on activity by the students enables them to float pennies in a plastic cup and to calculate the buoyant force acting upon it. They then compare the buoyant force with the weight of the cup and pennies to prove Archimedes Principle that the buoyant force on an object is equal to the weight of the fluid the object displaces. Keyword: Floating Pennies
Permanganate Volcano
This dramatic demonstration by a volunteer involves the oxidation of glycerol with potassium permanganate to produce white smoke and a violet flame. Keywords: Permanganate Volcano
Clues to a Chemical Reaction - Halloween Colors
A chemical change is demonstrated using the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and the
simultaneous reduction of chromium. Students recognize the evidence for a chemical reaction by observing the formation of new substances by the formation of a gas, an increase in temperature and a rapid color change from orange to black. Keyword: Halloween
Kinetic Theory and Graph Analysis
This exercise enables students to relate phase change to the kinetic theory and to interpret a graph showing temperature change. Keyword: Heats On
Simple Electrical Circuits
This demonstration by a volunteer helps students understand Ohm's Law and the relationship between power and current. A simple electrical circuit apparatus is used to pass an alternating electrical current through a hot dog held at its ends by two nails, which act as electrodes. The resistance of the hot dog enables it to heat up and cook. Keywords: Hot Dog
Compare the Density of Ice and Liquid Water
This activity helps students understand that the forces of attraction between the hydrogen and oxygen molecules are greater in liquid water than in ice. Thus, there are more spaces between the molecules in ice than in liquid water, so ice is less dense than liquid water. Keywords: Ice Water Density
Chemical Reaction - Synthesis
In this lab activity, students observe a synthesis type reaction involving the burning of the element magnesium with oxygen in the air to produce a new substance, magnesium oxide. Keyword: MagBurning
The Law of Conservation of Mass
This demonstration by a volunteer involves the reaction between sodium bicarbonate (“baking soda”) and acetic acid (“vinegar”) to produce sodium acetate, water and carbon dioxide. A demonstration with a rigid bottle containing the reactants on a triple beam balance, proves that the mass of the products of a chemical reaction are equal to the mass of the reactants. Keywords: Mass Conservation
The Metric System
The metric system is reviewed and simple problems are presented. Keywords: Metric Problems
The Concept of pH to Measure Acidity & Basicity
Starting with a batch of orange juice made from a can of frozen concentrate, students prepare four separate dilute solutions each with a different concentration and measure their pH using Precision pH Test Strips. Students then plot the data on semi-logarithmic paper to show that
each whole value of pH above 1 is ten times less acidic than the next. Keywords: Orange Juice pH
Determining Speed & Velocity
This exercise, which includes problems, helps students learn that Speed is a measure of how fast an object is moving or traveling, while Velocity is a measure of how fast an object is moving or traveling in a specific direction. Both speed and velocity include the distance traveled compared to the amount of time taken to cover this distance. Keywords: Speed & Velocity
Chemical Reaction - Decomposition
Students observe the acid-catalyzed decomposition of common table sugar (sucrose). Students
recognize the evidence for a chemical reaction by observing the formation of new substances by a color change, increase in temperature, and the formation of a gas. The decomposition of white sucrose, catalyzed by concentrated sulfuric acid, results in the formation of a black solid, carbon,
and a gas, water liberated as steam. Keyword: Sucrose
DNA from Strawberries
This hands-on experiment provides a good introduction to biology. After the teacher explains what DNA is and why it's important, students then extract and isolate DNA from strawberries. Keywords: DNA Spooling
Chemical Reaction - Precipitate Formation
In this simple demonstration, students are taught two clues to a chemical reaction: change in color and precipitate formation. When 100 ml of a 3% clear, colorless solution of silver nitrate is added to 100 ml of a 1% clear, colorless solution of sodium chloride, a white milky-like mixture is immediately formed and minutes later a heavy white precipitate of silver chloride settles to the bottom of the flask. Keywords: Instant Milk