Effective Density Lesson

This activity has it all; a story line and a simple effective demonstration. I have used this activity in my elementary science methods class and love it.

Mystery Densities

This activity will attract anyone who is fond of mystery scenarios. While the theme is an old one, this twist is likely to achieve active engagement, while guiding students to a sound unders... See More

This activity will attract anyone who is fond of mystery scenarios. While the theme is an old one, this twist is likely to achieve active engagement, while guiding students to a sound understanding of density. The activity is perfect for the Engage component of a 5E lesson plan that includes students working ion cooperative groups. The clever use of modified egg cartons as test tube holders helps keep the cost down. This is a great density activity that both you and your students will enjoy.

For younger middle school students

This is an older article in the Science Scope archives from 2003. It seemed, that a lot of the scenarios that teachers wrote to cause students to inquire had a similar theme: "Here is the ... See More

This is an older article in the Science Scope archives from 2003. It seemed, that a lot of the scenarios that teachers wrote to cause students to inquire had a similar theme: "Here is the scene, someone did not write stuff down, here is the material, figure it out." While useful on the every once in a while, students grow tired of this scenario if used completely. The EveryDay Science Mysteries set of books produced by NSTA is a better source of more authentic stories. The author also gives instructions in the first book on how to write your own mystery. Beyond this, students do engage in a guided inquiry. It uses mathematical skills in that students need to try different combinations of liquids in order to determine the layer of liquids.