A. The Nature of Matter

Big Things Come in Little Packages

Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS), Discovering Density. Target level: 6th to 10th grade. This teachers' manual includes five 25- to 50-minute lessons and possible follow-up lessons. Each activity is well designed, includes detailed instructions, handouts, and data tables.

Density Rainbow

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap001127.html
This satellite picture of the Earth at night shows how people are distributed around the world. The lit areas are densely populated cities.

http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/density.html
Many links to population data of cities and states. Some have calculated density, some have data for calculation.

http://www.hometrainingtools.com/articles/exploring-liquid-density-newsletter.html
More activities for studying the density of liquids.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/climate/primer/hydro-p.html
Good article explaining ocean currents and their role in climate change. Shows pictures of ocean currents and describes how salt concentration and temperature play a role.

Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS), Discovering Density
Target level: 6th to 10th grade
This teachers’ manual includes five 25- to 50-minute lessons and possible follow-up lessons. Each activity is well designed and includes detailed instructions, handouts, and data tables.

Inner Space

http://www.middleschoolscience.com/suface.htm
The general website features many science lesson plans. This lesson plan (under Chemistry) explores the surface tension of water by counting how many drops of water will fit on a penny. The website address really does have "surface" misspelled.

Matter of Degree

Lerangis, Peter, Antarctica: Journey to the Pole
Reading Level: 3rd to 8th grade
An exciting novel packed with thoroughly researched information. Each chapter told from a different crew member's point of view.

Raskin, Lawrie, 52 Days by Camel: My Sahara Adventure
Reading Level: 4th to 8th grade
Photographer Lawrie Raskin traveled to Timbuktu from Fez on a series of excursions riding buses, jeeps, trucks, a train, and a camel. Lively narrative. There are maps for each leg of the journey that are color coded with dots that match accompanying text. Also includes cultural information about survival in this extreme environment. Clear, bright, full-color photos abound.

Ryan, Zoe Alderfer, Ann and Liv Cross Antarctica: Dream Come True
Reading Level: 3rd to 8th grade
A factual account of the Bancroft Arnesen Expedition across Antarctica aimed at ages 9–12.

Forgey, William, Basic Essentials: Hypothermia
Reading Level: 4th to 8th grade
An information-packed tool for the novice or handy reference for the veteran. Distills years of knowledge in an affordable and portable book.

Salting Out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polar_molecule
An introduction to the concept of polar and non-polar molecules, with pictures and diagrams.

http://chem4kids.com
An excellent website with information on all chemical concepts. Their site map has a well-organized topic index. The topics "Solutions," "Mixtures 1," and "Mixtures 2" are relevant to this activity.

http://www.saltinstitute.org/38.html
The Salt Institute has an extensive site explaining the place salt has in history, politics, and economics.

Frankel, Jill and Kline, Michael, Super Science Concoctions: 50 Mysterious Mixtures for Fabulous Fun
Reading Level: 3rd to 8th grade
Well-organized, detailed recipes, fun activities, and thorough, accurate scientific explanations. The first section focuses on solutions and mixtures; later sections explore other chemistry topics.

B. Chemical Reactions

Color me Blue

http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~lrd/colorfac.html
The FDA’s frequently asked questions about food colors.

Of Cabbages and Kings

http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/fallcolr/fallcolr.html
Anthocyanins are responsible for the beautiful reds and oranges in autumn leaves. This site explains the chemistry of these color changes and includes discussions of other colored plant pigments like carotenes and chlorophyll.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid-base_indicator
A good introductory website to the topic, with a list of flowers and plants that contain acid-base indicators.

Reaction: Yes or No?

http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/HS/classAct/ClassActsList.html
The Journal of Chemical Education publishes online lesson plans for high school students on multiple topics. Under the topic, Consumer Chemistry, the lesson “Meltdown Showdown! Which Deicer Works Best?” investigates the effectiveness of different brands of deicers.

http://www.chem4kids.com/files/react_intro.html
A brief overview of chemical reactions with colorful pictures that show atoms from different molecules combining and rearranging to form new substances.

Color Changing Paper
Available at most Kinko’s stores, this goldenrod paper is bright gold but will change to bright red when exposed to base. It contains the same dye, curcumin, that makes the turmeric change color in this experiment. The brand is Wausau Papers, Astrobrights, Galaxy Gold.

C. Biochemistry

Bend a Carrot

http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/HS/classAct/ClassActsList.html
The Journal of Chemical Education publishes online lesson plans for high school students on multiple topics. Under the topic, Biochemistry, the lesson by Bertoluzzo, et al. investigates osmosis. The first half of the investigation requires advanced technique and chemicals. The second investigation is appropriate for younger students. Students observe onionskin under a microscope as water and saltwater solutions are added.

http://www.tvdsb.on.ca/westmin/science/sbi3a1/cells/osmosis.htm
Good graphics about the process of osmosis in hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic solutions.

http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk
An extensive site about carrots, their history, their cultivation, nutritional value, and literary references. Contains many links to external sites as well as detailed information on the site.

DNA Extraction

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/units/activities/extraction/

http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/HS/classAct/ClassActsList.html
The Journal of Chemical Education publishes online lesson plans for high school students on multiple topics. Under the topic, “Biochemistry,” the lesson “Liver and Onions” uses a more complicated procedure to extract DNA.

Balkwill, Frances R., DNA is Here to Stay
Reading level: kindergarten to 4th grade
This gives a simple explanation of what DNA is and what it does in the body. This author also writes a series called “Enjoy Your Cells.” This book is scientifically accurate and good for all ages.

Walker, Richard, Genes and DNA
Reading level: 4th to 8th grade
This book explores modern genetics, from an investigation of genes and their function to forensics, gene therapy, and cloning.

Claybourne, Anna et al., Usborne Internet Linked Introduction to Genes and DNA
Reading level: 4th to 8th grade
Beautiful artwork takes you deep inside a cell. This book also explains genetically modified foods, the Human Genome Project, gene therapy, designer babies, and DNA testing.

Watson, James D., The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA
Reading level: 10th to 12th grade
This is an autobiographical account from one of the discoverers of the structure of DNA. Tends to be a bit dramatic.

Maddox, Brenda, Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA
Reading level: 10th to 12th grade
Rosalind Franklin conducted crucial research that led to the discovery of the double helical structure of DNA. Because of her unpublished data and photographs, Francis Crick and James Watson were able to publish their work on the structure of DNA.

D. Environmental Chemistry

Cleaning with Dirt

http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/waterfilter.html
Web site gives directions on making a water filter similar to the one modeled here. Kids are encouraged to write in to the site and share their results.

http://www.metro-region.org/
Metro is the regional government for the 3 counties and 25 cities in the Portland metropolitan area. At the bottom right is a link “for kids and schools” which describes lessons and videotapes available for teachers.

http://www.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/nps_urban-facts_final.pdf
The Environmental Protection Agency has good information about urban runoff.

Morrison, Gordon, Pond
Reading level: 3rd grade to 6th grade
Uses attractive ink drawings to describe the life cycle of a pond. Includes factual text about the animals and plants that live in a healthy pond.

Josephs, David, Lakes, Ponds, and Temporary Pools (Exploring Ecosystems)
Reading level: 5th grade to 8th grade
This activity book allows students to study a local pond. Includes detailed information about ponds and how sensitive they are to environmental factors. Also includes dichotomous keys to identify organisms living in the pond.

Foam Peanuts

http://www.worldwise.com/biodegradable.html
Even though things are biodegradable, they may not break down in a landfill. Since a landfill has many layers, air and water cannot get to all items to help them break down. This site discusses this issue and includes a table of the degradation times of common materials.

http://www.worldcentric.org/store/bioplastics.htm
Styrofoam and most plastics are made from petrochemicals (oil and gas). Bioplastics are created from plant materials, a potentially renewable resource. They are more likely to break down than traditional plastic, depending upon landfill conditions.

Showers, Paul, Where Does the Garbage Go?, Harper Trophy Publishing
Reading level: kindergarten to 3rd grade
Clearly written and accessible to young children, the book explains what happens to solid waste, what goes into landfills, and how aluminum, newspapers, glass bottles and jars, and plastics are recycled today.

Gibbons, Gail, Recycle! A Handbook for Kids, Little, Brown Young Readers
Reading level: 2nd to 5th grade
A very readable and well-organized offering that's filled with information. Gibbons' cartoons in primary shapes and colors graphically illustrate the contents of a landfill and how to recycle various products to cut down on the need for landfills—which in some areas are in short supply. Discussing paper, plastic, glass, cans, and polystyrene, the author describes how and why to recycle, as well as the benefits of recycling.

Pollution Diffusion

http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/wsb/
The United States Environmental Protection Agency maintains a website with information and educational activities. The Water Sourcebooks contain 324 activities for grades K–12. The chapters labeled “Ground Water Resources” have activities and information relevant to this activity.

http://www.hanford.gov/orp/
The Hanford Site—Office of River Protection. Closing the nuclear waste tanks to protect the Columbia River.

http://www.deq.state.or.us/wmc/tank/lustlist.htm
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality lists 500 pages of sites for leaking underground storage tanks. County, street address, city, dates of cleanup are listed.

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/ust-lust/tanks.html
Washington State Department of Ecology maintains a list of LUST sites. Sorted by county, the 600-page list contains city, latitude, longitude, and cleanup status of storage tanks.

http://www.deq.state.id.us/waste/prog_issues/ust_lust/index.cfm
Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has two lists of LUST and UST sites. Lists have city, zip code, and clean-up status listed.

Kramer, Stephen P., How to Think Like a Scientist: Answering Questions by the
Scientific Method
Reading level: 4th to 7th grade
Humorous and appealing pictures accompany explanations of how to use the scientific method to answer questions. Also points out the problems encountered when the scientific method is not followed correctly.

Blanford, Millie and Camplair, Patience, Teaching The Scientific Method: Instructional Strategies To Boost Student Understanding
The lessons in this book enable students to solve problems using the scientific method, conduct research, use scientific equipment appropriately, construct and explain tables, graphs, and reports, and develop experiments independently.

E. Chemistry of Food

Kool Colors

http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/basicratesmenu.html#top
A great Web site with sections on all areas of reaction rates: theories, causes, factors, etc.

http://jchemed.chem.wisc.edu/HS/classact/ClassActsList.html
The activity “A Kool Reaction from the Fine Print” on this page provides an alternative version of this activity, along with student questions and further information on the chemistry behind the reaction. Scroll down to the link and click through to the PDF file.

Delamare, Guineau and Francois, Ber, Colors: The Story of Dyes and Pigments
Reading level: 6th–8th grade
This small book details the history and uses of colors over the ages, from cave paintings to medieval alchemy to modern textiles. It is packed with colorful pictures and small anecdotes about color, dye-making, and the use of pigments.

Odors Aloft

Cole, Joanna, You Can’t Smell a Flower With Your Ear!, Grosset & Dunlap
Reading level: 1st to 4th grade
How do your ears hear? Will food taste the same if you hold your nose? A fun and simple science book—with games and experiments kids can do to test and trick their five senses—by the bestselling author of the Magic School Bus series.

Meisel,Paul, Weidner Zoehfeld, Kathleen, What Is the World Made Of? All About Solids, Liquids, and Gases, Harper Trophy
Reading level: 1st to 4th grade
A fact-filled, accessible study of solids, liquids, and gases. The book gives examples of each state of matter and some simple activities that demonstrate the attributes of each.

Cho, Shinta, The Gas We Pass: The Story of Farts (My Body Science), Kane & Miller Publishers
Reading level: kindergarten to 6th grade
This title, which explores all forms of flatulence, is "both informative and blunt," said Publisher’s Weekly. "The book provides young readers with solid facts as well as plenty to snicker about."

F. Industrial Chemistry

Choose Your Ooze

http://www.omsi.edu/flubber
The official OMSI recipe for making Flubber.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fazPiaHvFcg
This video, “Kid Science Episode 1: Cornstarch Suspension” is one of the favorites in the Chemistry Lab at OMSI. The host, Blake (age ~9), makes a suspension of cornstarch in water and explores some of its properties. He also discusses the three types of matter. We eagerly wait for future episodes from this young scientist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHlAcASsf6U
This video titled “People Run on a Pool of Oobleck” shows two men running across a suspension of cornstarch in water. The pool is about 3 feet deep, and you can see how the suspension compresses under their weight under high force. This video is not in English but still quite entertaining.

Dr. Seuss, Bartholomew and the Oobleck
Reading level: kindergarten to 4th grade
This is a sequel to The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, a page to King Derwin in the kingdom of Didd. King Derwin orders something more interesting to fall from the sky and gets Oobleck, a sticky, green substance. Discusses the importance of owning up to your mistakes.

Penny for Your Thoughts

http://www.jmckinley.com/us/metal-reactions.htm
Detailed discussion of silver jewelry and its reactions.

http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/battery.htm
A detailed description of how batteries work. Good diagrams.

http://www.energizer.com/learning/science/
Directions on making electrical circuits and batteries.

http://www.unr.edu/sb204/geology/mas.html
This is a simplified table showing the comparative reactivity of different metals. Notice that iron is higher on the list than copper, so it is more reactive and allows copper to take its place on the paper clip.

Mathis, Sharon Bell, The Hundred Penny Box
reading Level: 4th grade to 8th grade
Michael’s great-great-aunt Dew has a box with a penny for every year of her life. She spends time with Michael telling stories about each of the hundred years of her life. Winner of a Newberry Honor.

Sticky Situation

http://solutions.3m.com/en_US/
The Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M) Company started out making sandpaper and now makes every type of tape, label, glue, and sticker imaginable. If you are having trouble thinking of different kinds of adhesives, take a look at their product line.

http://www.3m.com/intl/uk/3mstreetwiseuk/teachers_landing_page.htm
The 3M Company has a curriculum about safety that is free for teachers. Use this link to request teaching materials.

Cleeland, Holly, Glue & Go Costumes for Kids: Super-Duper Designs with Everyday Materials
Using just a glue gun and easy-to-find materials (fabric, cardboard boxes, plastic cups, foam core), you can make unique costumes. Book includes full-color photographs.

Wolf, Allan, Haiku Stickies: 100 Haiku to Write & Leave Behind
A pad of partial haiku poems is included with this book. Each poem has blank spaces for children to fill in; earlier in the pad, they’ll need to add only a word or two, while the later haiku will have kids writing nearly from scratch.

G. Crime Scene Chemistry

Dye Detective

http://www.kids.union.edu/classroomActivities.htm
Lists many activities for classrooms by concept. Under chromatography, two activities link chromatography to books, Rainbow Crow and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Walker, Pam and Wood, Elaine, Crime Scene Investigations: Real Life Science Activities for the Elementary Grades
Reading level: 3rd to 6th grade
A teacher resource book containing instructions for 60 different activities related to Technology, Earth, Life, and Physical Science. Students investigate and solve crimes through scientific activities.

Carr, Mary, One-Hour Mysteries and More One-Hour Mysteries
Reading level: 4th to 8th grade
Each book provides instructions for teachers and students to solve 5 different mysteries. Focuses on logic as well as scientific principles to solve crimes.

Latent Prints

http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/iafis.htm
The Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, a national fingerprint and criminal history system maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

http://www.hcso.tampa.fl.us/SOD/ffingerprintid.htm
A website on fingerprint identification run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

http://www.ridgesandfurrows.homestead.com/early_pioneers.html
Website lists the biographies of early pioneers of the study of fingerprinting, including Henry Faulds, Francis Galton, and Sir William Herschel.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/faulds_henry.shtml
Details the story of Henry Faulds, Francis Galton and Sir William Herschel and the conflicting claims of who was responsible for first using fingerprinting as a means of identification.

Emberly, Ed, Ed Emberly’s Fingerprint Drawing Book
Reading level: all ages
An amazing number of drawings and figures created using fingerprints and a pen.

Jones, Charlotte, Fingerprints and Talking Bones
Reading level: 5th to 8th grade
Never gory or gross, and often even funny, especially when explaining things such as the reason police analyze a murder victim's stomach contents.  Includes a glossary, cool crime facts, and a bibliography.

Fingerprinting, Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS), Lawrence Hall of Science
Reading level: 4th to 8th grade
Detailed plans for three class sessions, fully supported with handouts and answer keys, including fingerprint samples.  Recommended by NSTA.

Lost Labels

http://www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/classify/classify.html
This website has many ideas for classification exercises using plants and animals.  It suggests properties to use to group species.  Lessons can be used for all ages.

http://www.linnean.org/
The Linnean Society of London is concerned with taxonomy, which involves the examination and collection of a wide range of scientific evidence for accurate identification that is essential to any research. The Society finds much importance in identification of species for biodiversity conservation.  Information about Carl Linnaeus, the founder of modern taxonomy, can be found on the site by choosing History from the main page.

Watts, Tom, Pacific Coast Tree Finder
reading level: 3rd grade to adult
This is a classic key to identifying the native trees of the Pacific Coast, from British Columbia to Baja California. It uses characteristics such as leaf shape, tree height, and geographical location to determine the species of tree. It also includes pictures for easier identification.  This book uses a dichotomous key format for accurate identification.  The Finders series of pocket guides also includes guides to identify flowers, berries, mammals, and ferns.

Dussling, Jennifer, Looking at Rocks
reading level: 1st grade to 4th grade
This is a great introduction to rocks and rock hounding. The pictures are clear and enhance the text which is written at a good level for beginning readers.