March 22nd, 2023

Middle School Resource: Balloon Blow-up by Exploratorium

balloon experiment

Middle School Resource

Balloon Blow-up by Exploratorium

In this experiment:

  • Pour about an inch of liquid–half vinegar, half water–into the bottle.
  • Use the funnel to fill the ballon half full of baking soda. (If you don’t have a funnel, you can use a straw to load the balloon.
  • Stick the straw into the baking soda, and put your finger over the top of the straw. Lift the straw out, put it into the balloon, and blow or tap gently.)
  • Stretch the open end of the balloon over the neck of the bottle. Make sure it’s on tight! Let the heavy end of the balloon dangle, so no baking soda goes in the bottle.
  • Hold onto the ballon at the bottle neck, and pick up the heavy part of the balloon so that all the baking soda falls into the vinegar at the bottom of the bottle.
  • Wow! Hear the fizz? There are thousands of bubbles! And look at what’s happening to the ballon…

Related NY State Academic Standards: S.5.PS.1.2, S.MS.PS.1.2, MST4.E.PS3.2, and more!

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March 15th, 2023

Middle School Resource: Protractor by Math Open Reference

Middle School Resource

Protractor by Math Open Reference

This web page allows students to learn about protractors and how they are mathematically used.

Related NY State Academic Standards: 4.MD.5.a, 4.MD.5.b, 4.MD.6, and more!

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March 8th, 2023

Middle School Resource: Classroom Idea: Graphing Temperatures

Temperature

Middle School Resource

Classroom Idea: Graphing Temperatures

In this activity:

Thermometers placed outdoors on the north, south, east, and west walls of the building and also inside the building can be used to collect temperatures at different times of the day for several days. Students could be asked to choose a graph to display their recorded data. Topics for discussion include: comparisons of the warmest and coolest parts of the day, the warmest and coolest locations inside and outside, and reasons for these temperature differences.

Related NY State Academic Standards: 3.MD.3, 6.SP.1, MST3.3.S.2, and more!

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March 1st, 2023

Middle School Resource: Collected Works of Saint Patrick by Books Should Be Free

St. Patrick

Middle School Resource

Collected Works of Saint Patrick by Books Should Be Free

This resource allows users to freely download Saint Patrick’s Collected Works of Saint Patrick as an audio book in mp3, iPod, or iTunes format.

Related NY State Academic Standards: SL.9-10.2, SL.9-10.5, SL.11-12.2, and more!

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February 22nd, 2023

Middle School Resource: Women in Business

Business women

Middle School Resource

Women in Business

Objectives:

  • Students will gain an awareness of different occupations and changing male/female roles.
  • Students will gain an awareness of how different occupations and gender roles affect the way they perceive and deal with others in the workplace.

Related NY State Academic Standards: CDOS.I.1.1.B, CDOS.I.1.1.D, CDOS.I.1.1.E, and more!

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February 15th, 2023

Middle School Resource: Eating & Exercise by PhET

Woman exercising on a bike

Middle School Resource

Eating & Exercise by PhET

This simulation will allow students to view relationships between the calories in the foods they eat, and the amount of exercise needed to burn the calories off. It also helps them explore the relationship between calories and weight, and helps explore issues like these by selecting a diet and exercise program.

Using this simulation, students will:

  • Recognize the connection between food and calories.
  • Understand the relationship between calorie intake and weight.
  • Learn about balancing diet with exercise to manage weight.

Related NY State Academic Standards: HPF.FC.I.1.1.A and HPF.FC.C.1.1.A!

Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!

February 8th, 2023

Middle School Resource: American Presidents – Life Portraits

Middle School Resource

American Presidents – Life Portraits

This website contains a complete video archive of all of C-SPAN’s American Presidents: Life Portraits programming, providing an in-depth look at each of the presidents, their lives, families and administrations. The videos last two to three hours long and the most recent one created was about Bill Clinton.

On this site, students will find:

  • Biographical facts
  • Key events of each presidency
  • Presidential places
  • Reference material

Related NY State Academic Standards: SS.4.4.a.1, SS.5.6.a.1, SS.7.5.b.1, and more!

Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!

February 1st, 2023

Middle School Resource: Respiration Stations by Kinetic City

Middle School Resource

Respiration Stations by Kinetic City

How do you think oxygen gets from the air into the parts of your body that need it? How many steps do you think it takes? In this activity, students will trace the path oxygen takes from breathing to running, jumping, lifting, or anything else they need to do!

Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!

January 25th, 2023

Middle School Resource: Becoming Barack Obama by History.com

Middle School Resource

Becoming Barack Obama by History.com

This video, from History.com’s archives, focuses on how Barack Obama’s childhood helped to make him who he is today.

Related NY State Academic Standards: SS.5.6.a.1, SS.7.5.b.1, SS.8.9.a.3, and more!

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January 18th, 2023

Middle School Resource: Circles of Magnetism I by Exploratorium

Middle School Resource

Circles of Magnetism I by Exploratorium

In this experiment, you’ll learn that compass needles are little magnets that are free to rotate. Compasses allow us to observe the direction of a magnetic field. Normally, they respond to the earth’s magnetic field, orienting themselves parallel to magnetic field lines. If we create a magnetic field that is stronger than the field of the earth – for example, by using electric currents – a compass needle will orient itself parallel to the new field.

Related NY State Academic Standards: S.MS.PS.2.2, S.MS.LS.2.3, MST4.I.PS4.4, and more!

Be sure to check out our Educational Resources, featuring thousands of activities, lesson plans, constructed-response questions, rubrics, teacher resources, multimedia, and more!