Curriculum sample activities

• Middle/High School Biology
• Middle/High School Chemistry
• Middle/High School Environmental Studies
• Middle/High School Physics
• Grades 3 to 5 Experiments for the Mini (NGSS-correlated)
• Project Based Learning
• Elementary School
• NGSS aligned experiment activities
• NGSS correlation summary table (PDF)

Middle/High School Biology
Experiment	Description	Labdisc Mini Junior
Do Seeds Metabolize?	Measuring carbon dioxide production in seeds before and during germination
Mammalian Diving Reflex	Decreasing the heart rate when submerged in cold water to preserve body heat.
City Microclimate	Measuring temperature and humidity in green areas and around urban areas	​
Acid Rain	Determining the pH of acid rain and understanding the effects of it
Lambert-Beer Law	Measuring percentage transmittance of solutions at different concentrations
Sweat Production	Measuring temperature and humidity changes relative to perspiration
Our Heart Rate	Measuring our heart rate at rest and after physical activity
Temperature Variation Between Night and Day	Measuring thermal oscillation and luminosity during a full day
Photosynthesis	Measuring air pressure inside an active photosynthetic system
Photosynthesis - Dissolved Oxygen	Measuring dissolved oxygen inside an active photosynthetic system
Middle/High School Chemistry
Experiment	Description	Labdisc Mini Junior
Titration	Using the technique of acid-base titration to find the concentration of a strong acid
Endo/Exothermic Reactions	Performing different measurements to examine which reactions release or consume heat.
Specific Heat	Heating different liquids to the same temperature (70 degrees celcius) and comparing their individual cooling curves.
Water Phase Changes	Analyze temperature changes in water as a result of a physical state transition
Boyle's Law	Measuring air pressure in a closed container while verifying the relationship between air pressure and volume
Liquid Conductivity	Studying the relationship between dissolved ions and the conductivity of a saline water solution
Lambert-Beer Law	Measuring percentage transmittance of solutions at different concentrations
Candle Flame	Measuring the temperature of a flame according to the “three zones model”
How Acidic are the Things we Drink?	Measuring the pH of different beverages
How Does Atmospheric Pressure Vary?	Measuring atmospheric pressure at different levels above sea level
Middle/High School Environmental Studies
Experiment	Description	Labdisc Mini Junior
Exploring our environment	14 hands-on environmental science experiments	​
Water Quality	Measuring and comparing the turbidity of different water sources and the effect on aquatic life
UV and Sunblock	Measuring and comparing the levels of ultraviolet radiation through different types of filters
Cloud Detection	Measuring infrared temperature from the environment to characterize the current weather
Greenhouse Effect	Using a greenhouse to model the effects of the atmosphere on the Earth's temperature
Liquid Conductivity	Studying the relationship between dissolved ions and the conductivity of a saline water solution
Acid Rain	Determining the pH of acid rain and understanding the effects of it
Variation of Light Intensity	Measuring the light intensity of different light sources
City Microclimate	Measuring environmental temperature and humidity in green areas and around urban areas
Photosynthesis	Measuring air pressure inside an active photosynthetic system
Photosynthesis - Dissolved Oxygen	Measuring dissolved oxygen inside an active photosynthetic system
Temperature Variation Between Night and Day	Measuring thermal oscillation and luminosity during a full day
Earth green lungs	Measuring Carbon Dioxide level in different urban areas
Middle/High School Physics
Experiment	Description	Labdisc Mini Junior
Earth's Magnetic Field	Measuring the Earth's magnetic field at a given location
Newton's Second Law	Studying the behavior of a propelled car
Elastic Pendulum	Observing changes in the elastic force excerted by a spring acting as a pendulum
Biot-Savart Law	Studying the magnetic field intensity variations around an inducting coil
Hooke's Law	Studying the elongation produced in springs
Ohm's Law	Exploring Ohm's Law in parallel and series circuits
Change in Momentum	Demonstrating the conservation of momentum
Speed of Movement	Measuring the speed of a moving object in different situations
Free Fall	Observing and analyzing the free fall motion of a bouncing ping-pong ball
Lenz Law	Verifying the Lenz Law by measuring the electric current flowing through a coil created by an external magnetic field
Boyle's Law	Measuring air pressure in a closed container while verifying the relations between air pressure and volume
Sound Waves	Recording sound waves and sound wave interference
Variation of Light Intensity	Measuring the light intensity of different light sources
Friction	Investigating static and kinetic friction of a body on different surfaces
Grades 3-5 experiments for the Mini (NGSS-correlated)
Experiment	Description	Labdisc Mini Junior
Air Pressure	Measure the air pressure inside a plastic bottle
All Charged Up	Compare the voltage and current output of different sized batteries
Conductors and Insulators	Measure the amount of electrical current flowing through different types of circuits
Coping with a Warm Environment	Measure environmental temperature and humidity
Feel the Beat	Record heart rate before and after exercise using an ear clip sensor
Make Your Own Battery	Measure the electricity produced by four different types of home-made batteries
Right on Target	Record heart rate before and after exercise using an ear clip sensor
Sources of Heat other than Sunlight	Measure heat created by mechanical and electrical sources
Temperatures Around Us	Measure environmental temperatures from a variety of locations around the school
The Sun's Effects	Measure the temperatures of a 10 different locations around the school yard
Weather and Climate	Measure daily weather conditions including temperature, humidity, air pressure and precipitation
What's the Weather Like Today?	Measure daily weather conditions including temperature, humidity, air pressure and precipitation
What's the pHuss	Measure the pH of a variety of substances
A Walk in the Park	Measure ambient temperature and humidity to see how the presence of "green space" affects these parameters
Project based learning
Experiment	Description	Labdisc Mini Junior
Project GLOBE	Build a student weather station at your school and use the Labdisc to collect ongoing data about the weather conditions in your area.
Project Nest Box	Collect data on light, humidity and sound as well as temperature both inside and outside nesting boxes to find out what features make a birdhouse ideal.
Turn-Down the Noise	Measure the impact of noise pollution in your community and share this information with community leaders to help make their school and community a better and healthier place.
What's It Like Out There	Include a Labdisc GenSci or Labdisc Enviro as part of the payload of a high-altitude near-space weather balloon to record temperature, air pressure, sound and GPS location during the high-altitude weather balloons ascent and descent.
Elementary School
Experiment	Description	Labdisc Mini Junior
Light Absorbance	Check and compare the light absorbance of different pairs of sunglasses
Our Heart Rate	Recording heart rate before and after excercise
A Walk in the Park	Recording temperature changes at a city’s busy intersection and in a nearby park or garden
Night and Day	Examine temperature and light changes over a full day
How Loud is Sound?	Measure the decay of sound level over distance
The Temperature Around Us	Recording the temperature of different substances
What is Distance?	Examine the relationship between speed time and distance and explore graphs of distance versus time
NGSS aligned experiment activities
Experiment	Description	Labdisc Mini Junior
Acid Rain	Investigate the effect of acid rain forerunner on water acidity
Altitude and Air Pressure	Measuring atmospheric pressure at different altitudes above sea levelr
Boyles Law	Measuring air pressure in a closed container
Candle Flame	Measuring the temperature of a flame in three different zones
City Micro Climate	Comparing GPS, temperature and humidity readings in a city park and busy road
Day and Night	Measuring thermal oscillation and luminosity during a full day
Free Fall	Observing and analyzing the free fall motion of a bouncing ping-pong ball
Greenhouse Effect	Measuring temperature inside and outside a greenhouse
Lambert-Beer law	Measuring percentage transmittance of solutions at different concentrations
Lenz Law	Verifying the Lenz Law by measuring the electric current flowing through a coil created by an external magnetic field
Light intensity	Measuring the light intensity of different light sources
Liquid conductivity	Measuring conductivity in saline water solutions
Our heart rate	Measuring our heart rate at rest and after physical exercise
Photosynthesis	Measuring air pressure inside an active photosynthetic system
Sound Waves	Recording sound waves and sound wave interference
Sweat Production	Measurement temperature and humidity changes relative to perspiration
What Do We Drink	Measuring the pH of common drinks