Sixth Grade Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 59)

A Candle Seesaw Balancing Act

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

26 reviews

Do you love playing on a seesaw? Why is it that depending on where you sit on the beam, and the weight of the person on the other side, you either fly up into the air or fall down to the ground? And why is it so difficult to perfectly balance the seesaw? It can all be explained with physics! In this activity, you will investigate the balancing forces of a seesaw—with a seesaw made of candles! Read more

A Magnifying Discovery

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

7 reviews

Have you ever looked through a magnifying lens? Why does an object look different when you look at it through the magnifying lens? Even though the object appears to get larger or smaller, it really stays the same size. Each lens has its own unique power of magnification; how powerful is your lens? Read more

A Sweet Earthquake Shake on Landfill

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

8 reviews

Have you ever thought about what type of ground buildings are constructed on? Rock, gravel, sand, soil and many others—there are lots of different types of "ground." And this issue becomes especially important in areas that are likely to get earthquakes. In this activity you will build a sweet building on a homemade shake table and find out how an earthquake impacts buildings constructed on landfill. How will your structure perform in a pretend earthquake? Read more

A Toxic Test: Can Plants Be Genetically Resistant to Heavy Metals?

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Have you ever wondered why a plant that grows well in one environment may not survive in a different environment? For example, plants that grow well in a wet jungle would probably not do so well in a dry desert, lacking enough water. This is because plants have adapted to their specific environment. Some plants have even adapted to tolerate chemicals that would usually be toxic, such as various heavy metals. In this plant biology science project, you will investigate whether different varieties… Read more

Aerodynamics of a Football

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

How much difference does the spiraling motion of a well-thrown football make on the distance of the throw (compared to wobbling, or end-over-end motion of the ball)? Think of a way to reproducibly produce the desired ball motion and launch it with a constant force to find out. (For more information on the physics, see Gay, 2004.) Read more

Aerodynamics of Air Hockey

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

If you have an air hockey table, you know that the puck floats on a thin cushion of air when the table is turned on. With little friction, the puck can travel very fast. How much lift force is created by the air? Add small amounts of weight to the puck and see when it no longer floats to measure the lift force. How many air holes (on average) support the puck? How much force is generated by each air hole? Will a puck with a larger surface area, supported by more air holes (on average),… Read more

Algae String Chemistry and Design

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

1

2

3

4

5

1 review

These lessons use open-ended exploration to introduce students to biopolymers and the chemistry behind cross-linking. Students will draw inspiration from biology and use authentic scientific practices to design and create colorful string creations from a natural polymer, alginate. Learning Objectives Students will: Engage in authentic science practices through open-ended exploration. Create a string using polymers harvested from living algae. Manipulate the properties of a… Read more

Alternative Sources for Paper Fiber

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

If you're interested in arts and crafts, you might like this project. It uses several alternative, renewable sources of fiber to make paper, and compares the resulting papers for strength and writing quality. Read more

Antioxidants

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Antioxidants have become very popular in the news lately for their potential health and anti-aging properties. Antioxidants work by preventing oxidation reactions that produce free-radicals which can cause harm to the body. Try testing different vitamins for antioxidant activity. How do vitamins A, B, C, and E compare? Do some vitamins have more antioxidant activity than others? What are some other sources of antioxidants? Try testing extracts from proposed sources of antioxidants like coffee,… Read more

Apple Genetics: A Tasty Phenomena

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

1

2

3

4

5

6 reviews

Using the context of apples, students will apply their knowledge of heredity and genetics to distinguish between sexual and asexual reproduction as they explain how new varieties of apples are developed and then propagated to meet consumer demand for a tasty, uniform, consistent product. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals' probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
MS-LS4-5. Gather and synthesize information about technologies that have changed the way humans influence the inheritance of desired traits in organisms.

Sixth Grade Projects, Lessons, Activities (1,096 results)

Explore Our Science Videos