This interactive periodic table developed for Teachers' Domain provides detailed information about the chemical properties of elements and illustrates the electron configurations that determine those characteristics.

This activity teaches students about the periodic table and how element properties can be predicted through periodic trends.

Through this lesson and its associated activity, students explore the role of biomedical engineers working for pharmaceutical companies. First, students gain background knowledge about what biomedical engineers do, how to become a biomedical engineer, and the steps of the engineering design process. The goal is to introduce biomedical engineering as medical problem solving as well as highlight the importance of maintaining normal body chemistry. Students participate in the research phase of the design process as it relates to improving the design of a new prescription medication. During the research phase, engineers learn about topics by reading scholarly articles written by others, and students experience this process. Students draw on their research findings to participate in discussion and draw conclusions about the impact of medications on the human body.

This activity is a method of tying a multitude of physical (and chemical) properties together showing what makes a substance unique and identifiable. This activity is a great way to lead the students into developing their procedures, their further investigations, and yet giving them the feeling of responsibility and ownership for their learning.

In a class demonstration, the teacher places different pill types ("chalk" pill, gel pill, and gel tablet) into separate glass beakers of vinegar, representing human stomach acid. After 20-30 minutes, the pills dissolve. Students observe which dissolve the fastest, and discuss the remnants of the various pills. What they learn contributes to their ongoing objective to answer the challenge question presented in lesson 1 of this unit.

Watch the rubber bands vibrate on homemade guitars in this video segment adapted from ZOOM as cast members talk about pitch and demonstrate how to make a cereal box instrument.

This video segment, adapted from ZOOM, explores the different sounds that a simple drinking straw can produce when you cut the straw and blow into it.

This video segment, adapted from ZOOM, demonstrates how to use a drinking straw and a bottle full of water to make low- and high-pitched sounds.

This is a short unit (including hands on activities) on polymers and plastics to expand our study of physical/chemical properties and changes.

After a brief history of plastics, students look more closely as some examples from the abundant types of plastics found in our day-to-day lives. They are introduced to the mechanical properties of plastics, including their stress-strain relationships, which determine their suitability for different industrial and product applications. These physical properties enable plastics to be fabricated into a wide range of products. Students learn about the different roles that plastics play in our lives, Young's modulus, and the effects that plastics have on our environment. Then students act as industrial engineers, conducting tests to compare different plastics and performing a cost-benefit analysis to determine which are the most cost-effective for a given application, based on their costs and measured physical properties.

This video segment adapted from A Science Odyssey uses animation and archival footage to provide an overview of the theory of plate tectonics.

This video segment adapted from NOVA uses animation to show the relationship between the movement of a tectonic plate and whether volcanoes on the Hawaiian Islands are active or dormant.

This is an activity on polymers and plastics to expand our study of physical/chemical properties and changes.

This inquiry activity is designed to have students measure when a mood object (pencil or straw that changes color with temperature) changes color. They can than report on their precision, accuracy, margin of error, degree of uncertainty, and level of confidence in their answer.

In this lab students will make qualitative observations of flame color, a property of metals, to identify unknown metals in salt compounds.

In this interactive periodic table from the NOVA Web site, find out the role of various elements in making fireworks.

In this interactive periodic table from the NOVA Web site, find out the role of various elements in making fireworks.

This is an guided inquiry lab activity in which the student will design and carry out a qualitative analysis scheme for the separation and identification of metal cations from an unknown sample.

This is an outline for how one could incorporate quantum mechanics into atomic structure. Students really seem to get hooked on it and it makes atomic structure way more interesting to teach.

How does energy flow in and out of our atmosphere? Explore how solar and infrared radiation enters and exits the atmosphere with an interactive model. Control the amounts of carbon dioxide and clouds present in the model and learn how these factors can influence global temperature. Record results using snapshots of the model in the virtual lab notebook where you can annotate your observations.