Lab Station Activities
Teaching science is really hard sometimes. There’s so much content to get through plus, your students need to perform labs. Materials are expensive, labs take forever to set up and take down plus there’s the marking. There’s also the problem of inconsistent results and tedious procedures. My Science Lab Station Activities are meant to get your students out of their seats and engaged in the content. Each not only offers a unique opportunity to test your students’ knowledge (provide an opinion, answer questions based on a video or reading, draw, etc.), but also provides a fantastic learning opportunity where your kids will learn through assessment. There is almost no prep for you. Simply print the cards, lay them out around the room and you’re all set. An answer key is also provided where applicable.
Here are my available lab station activities. Click on any one to read a complete description and see what others have said.
General Science:
• The Scientific Method and Science Skills
• The Different Types of Clouds
Physics:
• Newton’s Three Laws of Motion
• Kinetic and Gravitational Potential Energy
• Current Electricity and Circuit Diagrams
• Static Electricity
• Light Optics and the Production of Light
• Sound, Sound Energy and Speed
• One and Two-Dimensional Motion
• Uniform Acceleration
• How Planes Fly
• Refraction
• Friction
• Energy and Its Forms
• Density and Buoyancy
• Electricity Production
• Calculating Average Speed, Velocity, and Displacement
Biology:
• Cell and the Cell Theory
• The Human Digestive System
• The Circulatory System
• The Human Respiratory System
• Mitosis and the Cell Cycle
• Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis
• Photosynthesis
• Cancer: Cell Division Gone Wrong – Volume I
• Cancer: Cell Division Gone Wrong – Volume II
• Cell Membrane and Transport
• Hearing and the Human Ear
• The Human Eye
• Genetic Material: DNA and RNA
• The Nervous System
• Energy Flow In Ecosystems
• DNA Manipulation and GMOs
• Transcription and Translation
• Cellular Respiration
• Thermoregulation
• Proteins and Nucleic Acids
• Mutations
• Meiosis
Ecology and the Environment:
• Ecosystems
• The Classification of Living Things
• Biodiversity and Invasive Species
• The Carbon and Water Cycle
• Climate Change
• Photosynthesis
• Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis
• Ecological Succession
• Plant Sexual and Asexual Reproduction
• Earth’s Seasons
• Interactions Within Ecosystems
• Physical and Behavioral Adaptations
Space Science:
• The Life and Death of Stars
• The Moon and its Phases
• Life In Space
• Our Solar System
• Solar and Lunar Eclipse
• Earth’s Seasons
• Asteroids, Comets and Meteors
Chemistry:
• Atomic Model, Notation and Atoms
• Chemical Reactions and Balancing Equations
• Molecular and Ionic Compounds
• Physical and Chemical Properties & Changes
• Acids, Bases, and Neutralization Reactions
• The Periodic Table
• Single and Double Displacement Reactions
• Balancing Chemical Equations
• Synthesis, Decomposition and Combustion Reactions
• Atomic Theory, Atomic Structure and Isotopes
• Types of Bonds and Intermolecular Forces
• The Mole/Avogadro’s Number
• Density and Buoyancy
• The Particle Theory and the Classification of Matter
How do the Lab Stations work? Each station is specially designed to be a unique complement to the material while at the same time, provide a valuable learning experience. Below is an overview of how each station works. In your activity, each will be tailored to the specific content.
Station 1: Get Hands-On – using their creative skills, students are required to draw or build.
Station 2: Research – using a classroom computer or their own device, students must research a specific question/issue surrounding the topic.
Station 3: Explain yourself – students write down an opinion to a question in paragraph form.
Station 4: Rest Station – students can use this time to catch up on work they didn’t have time to complete at a previous station or prepare themselves for an upcoming one.
Station 5 – Applicability reading – students read a short passage from an article, website, etc. which directly connects the classroom content to a real life application.
Station 6: Test your knowledge – students answer 5 multiple choice questions then provide a written explanation for how/why they came to their conclusions.
Station 7: Learn from the expert – using a classroom computer or their own device, students must watch a short video clip and answer the associated questions. They may stop, rewind and restart as often as they like during the time frame.
Station 8 – Rest Station.
Station 9: Become the question master – Students must create 2 multiple-choice questions, 2 true/false questions and 1 short answer question. Students must also supply the answers.
These station cards are meant to be used as a lab activity but can also be utilized in a review task before a test or a quiz. Used either way, your students will love it! I know mine do and I’m telling you from first-hand experience as I’ve used this activity in my own class.