Environmental Science Laboratory Experiments
There are a variety of activities for Environmental Science. You can find some of our more commonly requested activities below the request forms on this page, or you can view our up-to-date complete list of all activities:
Environmental Science Middle School complete list
Environmental Science High School complete list
Biology Scheduling Form for activities designated as “Biology Mobile Educator”
Biology Feedback Form for activities designated as “Biology Mobile Educator”
Chemistry/Physical Science Scheduling Form for activities designated as “Chem/Phys Mobile Educator”
Chemistry/Physical Science Feedback Form for activities designated as “Chem/Phys Mobile Educator”
New Activities for Environmental Science
Earth’s Layers Introduction or Review – using Spheros
We have large maps of the layers of the Earth available. Students modify a provided Sphero program to add different facts about the layers of the Earth, then show off their knowledge when their Sphero drives around the layers of the Earth. Contact us for suggestions / help planning a unique lesson or review session!
Earthquake Tower Challenge – K’nex
Students design, build, and test out towers on an earthquake shake table. Tower minimum size criteria, budget constraints, and specific building capacity are all imposed to give a greater challenge.
Ocean Acidification / Acid Rain
Students examine the effects of adding acid to soft freshwater, hard freshwater, and ocean water. A follow-up activity is to see how acidic ocean water dissolves shells, which can lead into discussions about the oceanic food chain and coral reefs.
Students use Vernier Motion Sensors to determine the terrain of an “ocean floor”. Activity uses the property of echosounding, and students learn to read the information that comes back to the computer. The activity concludes with a challenge for the students to describe a hidden “ocean floor”.
Review / Test prep activities
We can design fun, unique review sessions for nearly any topic using our programmable Spheros. (No prior programming experience needed.) Ask us for suggestions for your next review session!
Survival of a Sea Turtle – a Sphero Activity
This activity models a sea turtle ecosystem and the challenges sea turtles face in surviving to reproductive age (predators, environmental factors, pollution). Students drive Spheros (programmable robots) and act as the various parts of this ecosystem. (This activity does not need any prior programming experience.)
Water and Wastewater Treatment
We have three activities for this topic – to investigate factors that affect the cleaning of drinking water and “wastewater”, and a third has the students build their own “wastewater” treatment plant.
Commonly Requested Activities for Chemistry/Physical Science
Alternative Energy(Chem/Phys Mobile Educator):
Fuel cell cars: Students use solar panels to induce electrolysis of water and collect the hydrogen produced. The hydrogen is then used to run fuel cell cars. Students may also calculate the mpg for the fuel cell cars and compare that to traditional gasoline cars. (45-90 minutes; 1-2 class periods)
Commonly Requested Activities for Biology
Climate Change (Biology Mobile Educator)
CO2 levels: Students measure the air temperature inside a flask exposed to light, then introduce high levels of CO2 and re-measure the air temperature while the flask is again exposed to light. (45 minutes, can be combined with one other study in this time period)
Albedo: Students compare the air temperature change inside a flask with black gravel and another flask with white/tan gravel while exposed to light. (30 minutes)
Water vapor: Students compare the air temperature change inside a flask exposed to light, then introduce high levels of water vapor and re-measure the air temperature while exposed to light. (30 minutes)
Cloud cover: Students compare the air temperature change inside a flask exposed to light with and without “cloud” cover (white covering on one of the flasks). (30 minutes)
Solar output: Students compare the air temperature change inside a flask exposed to two different light outputs. (30 minutes)
Spheros
Spheros are paired with a Kindle Fire (provided) through the SpheroEdu app. Beginners can draw a path for the Sphero robot to follow, intermediate users can drag and drop blocks of code, and advanced users can write text programs using JavaScript. Provide your own activities, or use one of the SpheroEdu prepared modules aligned to NGSS, CCSS, and various state standards.
Contact Science In Motion staff for more information.