Science

Students will test their problem-solving skills in this NASA Pipeline Challenge. In this activity, students will work in groups of ten to test their ability to use communication positively to contribute collaboratively to a team goal. Give each participant one short length of half pipe and challenge the group to deliver a ball down the pipeline from the starting point to the finish line. A successful pipeline team-building activity requires participating groups to exercise excellent communication, creativity, and teamwork. This activity can be used as a culminating lesson to assess students’ understanding of the relationship between the speed of an object to the energy of that object or as a team-building exercise. 

This learning activity was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS) Resource Development Project, in partnership with Dothan City Schools.

The students will analyze the heart rate data they recorded during exercises to compare and contrast aerobic and anaerobic exercises. They will create a double bar graph to visually represent the data. The students will reflect on their performance of the exercises. Finally, they will develop an appropriate workout plan with balanced aerobic and anaerobic exercises.

This learning activity was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS) Resource Development Project, in partnership with Dothan City Schools.

The students will participate in aerobic and anaerobic exercises. They will record their heart rates before and after the exercises and record the data. They will evaluate their body’s responses to the exercises and analyze the differences in how they feel in each round. The students will be able to easily explain why they would categorize the exercises into aerobic or anaerobic types and explain how the exercise affected their cardiovascular system.

This learning activity was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS) Resource Development Project, in partnership with Dothan City Schools.

Students will demonstrate their knowledge of aerobic and anaerobic exercises by completing a two-question pre-test. After the pre-test, the teacher will discuss the answers provided by the students and the main differences between the two types. A graphic organizer such as a Venn Diagram or a T-chart could be used to accommodate visual learners. By the end of the introduction, the students should understand that aerobic exercise uses oxygen and increases the heart rate and anaerobic exercise doesn’t use oxygen and is high intensity, but that both types are important in how the heart performs and strengthens the body. This learning activity was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS) Resource Development Project, in partnership with Dothan City Schools.

Students will work in collaborative groups to collect and evaluate data on different household materials based on their physical properties, such as strength, flexibility, hardness, texture, and absorbency. After students identify the physical properties of each material, they will identify potential appropriate uses for the material. Students will record their scientific findings and share them with their classmates.

This learning activity was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS) Resource Development Project, in partnership with Dothan City Schools.

In this activity, students will be placed in groups with each group being assigned to test a different variable related to plant growth. Students will carry out an investigation using one variable at a time (water, light, soil, or air), to determine the growth needs of plants. At the conclusion of the activity, students will be able to identify things that a plant requires to grow.

This learning activity was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS) Resource Development Project, in partnership with Dothan City Schools.

The Bird Beak Lab will provide students with a hands-on discovery experience into how bird beaks are adapted based on their diet. This activity is run in station format, and groups will rotate between each of the five stations. At each station, students will use tools meant to represent the different styles of bird beaks: tweezers, pliers, eye dropper, spoon, and strainer. As students rotate, they will encounter different food items to eat: nectar, sunflower seeds, plants, fish, bugs, and worms. The challenge of this activity is to identify which beak style works best for which food source. 

This activity was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS) Resource Development Project, in partnership with Dothan City Schools.

In this activity, students will work in groups of four to complete a thermometer investigation using the Scientific Method. Throughout this detailed inquiry, students will learn the components that make up a thermometer, along with the units of measurement (Fahrenheit and Celsius). In the first part of the activity, students will use the thermometer to measure three different temperatures of water (room temperature, warm, and cold). The goal of this portion of the activity is for students to see the thermal energy of the water expand or contract the mercury within the thermometer. The second part of the activity will lead students to determine whether food coloring travels faster through warm or cold water. The teacher will put one drop of food coloring in both the warm and cold cups, and students will observe which cup the food coloring disperses/dissolves the fastest. This section is included to explain how molecules move faster in warm water and slower in cold water. 

This learning activity was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS) Resource Development Project, in partnership with Dothan City Schools.

In the Soundwave Art activity, students will work independently to create a digital piece of artwork that displays their first and last names in a soundwave format. Students will follow a step-by-step guide to navigate an audio editor website. On this website, they will use a digital device or laptop with microphone capabilities to record their first and last name. The audio editor website will display their name in a soundwave format. Students will then copy the soundwave art into word processing software, where they can customize the color and formatting of the soundwave art, and add labels to show their understanding of wavelength, amplitude, and frequency. 

This learning activity was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science (GEMS) Resource Development Project, in partnership with Dothan City Schools.