Sample science lesson plans
Free, standards-aligned high school science lessons — biology, chemistry, physics, and AP. Each one is a full, ready-to-teach plan. Make a free account to unlock the printable worksheet, slides, and unit test for any lesson.
Reading the Periodic Table: Valence Electrons & Periodic Trends
Students will use the periodic table as a model to predict and justify the relative atomic radius, ionization energy, electronegativity, and reactivity of elements based on patter…
Read the full lesson →Designing a Fair Test: Density of Saltwater Solutions
Students will design and conduct a controlled experiment to determine how salt concentration affects the density of water, correctly identify independent, dependent, and controlle…
Read the full lesson →Designing Controlled Experiments: The Mystery Powder Investigation
Students will design and conduct a controlled experiment to identify an unknown white powder, correctly distinguishing independent, dependent, and controlled variables, and evalua…
Read the full lesson →Designing Real Experiments: Variables, Controls, and Honest Conclusions
Students will design a controlled experiment, distinguish independent/dependent/controlled variables, collect and analyze qualitative and quantitative data, identify sources of er…
Read the full lesson →Designing a Controlled Experiment: Alka-Seltzer Reaction Rate
Students will design and conduct a controlled experiment investigating one factor that affects the rate of an Alka-Seltzer reaction, correctly identifying independent, dependent,…
Read the full lesson →Rutherford's Gold Foil — Inferring the Nucleus from Deflection Data
Students will model Rutherford's gold-foil experiment by rolling marbles at hidden targets, then use their deflection data to explain how experimental evidence forced the shift fr…
Read the full lesson →Ionic vs Covalent Bonding: Predicting Bond Type from Electronegativity
Students will distinguish ionic from covalent bonds by calculating electronegativity differences between two elements, classifying the bond as nonpolar covalent, polar covalent, o…
Read the full lesson →Subatomic Particles, Ions, and Isotopes: Why Atomic Masses Aren't Whole Numbers
Students will identify the location, charge, and relative mass of protons, neutrons, and electrons; distinguish atoms from ions and isotopes; and calculate weighted average atomic…
Read the full lesson →How We Learned What an Atom Looks Like: Five Models, Five Experiments
Students will describe the development of the atomic model from Dalton to Schrödinger and explain how specific experimental evidence (cathode rays, gold-foil scattering, hydrogen…
Read the full lesson →How We Learned What an Atom Looks Like: 200 Years of Atomic Models
Students will describe the development of atomic models from Dalton to Schrödinger by matching each scientist to the experiment they performed and explaining how the experimental…
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