PRISM Library
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The Chemistry of Water
Students learn how molecular hydrogen ($\ce{H2}$) and molecular oxygen ($\ce{O2}$) combine in a chemical reaction to form water ($\ce{H2O}$), exploring molecular structure, chemical equations, and conservation of matter.
Earth's Place in the Universe - Intro
A 10-minute intro lesson using a quick model to connect the Sun-Earth-Moon system to observable patterns (day/night now; seasons, tides, phases, eclipses preview).
Heredity - Vocabulary
A robust Grade 7 genetics vocabulary reference aligned to heredity, dominant and recessive traits, genetic variation, and mutation.
Food Webs & Energy Flow
A 30 minute Grade 8 lesson on how energy enters ecosystems (mainly sunlight), how producers convert it to chemical energy, and how energy is transferred and lost as heat through a food web.
The Quadratic Formula
Students learn the quadratic formula, understand its derivation from completing the square, and apply it to solve quadratic equations. Includes guidance on when to use the formula versus other methods, interpretation of the discriminant, and real-world applications.
Heredity & Traits - Intro
A 10-minute in-class introduction to heredity. Students learn key vocabulary (gene, allele, trait), connect inheritance to variation, and practice a simple Punnett square using a fictional organism.
Understanding Severe Weather
Interactive lesson on severe weather covering winter storms and thunderstorms, including current events and guided notes assessment.
Food Web of Various Biomes
Grade 8 science learning object that defines biomes and explains how food webs (producers, consumers, decomposers, and trophic levels) differ across major terrestrial and aquatic biomes. Includes biome locations, typical organisms, and food web pathways, plus activities and assessments.
Grade 7 Quick Quiz: Heredity and Traits Review
A 5-question multiple-choice quiz on sexual vs asexual reproduction, inherited vs acquired traits, Punnett squares, inbreeding risks, and DNA packaging in the nucleus.
Environment and Lifestyle Choices on Biological Inheritance
A 30 minute Grade 7 lesson on how environment and lifestyle affect gene expression, health, and survival, and how some environmental factors can affect inheritance through mutations and epigenetic mechanisms.
What Makes You, You?
Students explore inherited and acquired traits, understand how genes carry information from parents to offspring, and discover the relationship between DNA, genes, and observable characteristics.
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
A deep dive into how energy is transferred and lost as it moves from producers to apex predators.
Moons of our Solar System: from captured rocks to ocean worlds, with a deep dive on Earth's Moon
A 30-45 minute Grade 6 lesson introducing what moons are, the moons of our Solar System, and standout moon facts, with about half the lesson focused on Earth's Moon, tides, and tidal locking.
The Changing Moon
Students learn why the Moon appears to change shape throughout the month, understand the relationship between Moon phases and tides, and explore solar and lunar eclipses.
Tilted!
Students learn that Earth's axial tilt—not distance from the Sun—causes seasons, and understand how the angle of sunlight affects temperature and daylight hours throughout the year.
Grade 6 Science Assessment
Comprehensive assessment covering NC DPI 2023 K-12 Science Standards for Grade 6
Oreo Moon Phases
Students use Oreo cookies to create physical models of moon phases. Each student is randomly assigned four of the eight lunar phases, writes the phase names on paper, then carefully removes cream from Oreo cookies to visually represent each assigned phase.
Why Charlotte Doesn't Freeze in June: Seasons & Earth's Tilt
Students watch the Generation Genius 'Causes of Seasons' video and build a mental model of how Earth's axial tilt — not its distance from the Sun — drives seasonal changes in temperature, daylight hours, and sunlight intensity across the hemispheres. The lesson connects abstract orbital mechanics to students' lived experience of seasons in Charlotte, North Carolina.