Lesson Plans & Labs
The Science Teaching Center (STC) provides meticulously crafted lesson plans developed by scientists, which are integrated into Widener University-based, state-of-the-art laboratory settings. All our labs offer students first-hand experience to course content and provide an opportunity to explore enhanced concepts and methods employed by scientists in their Science/STEM/STEAM concentration curricula. Moreover, STC publishes online teaching resources for faculty members, encompassing templated experiments designed to ignite thinking prompts, encouraging students to pose questions that foster and stimulate problem-solving skills.
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Rat Dissection
Are you teaching human anatomy to your science class? If so, Widener University faculty and students would be more than happy to host you and your class for an exciting lab involving rat dissections to expand your students’ learning! The Rat Dissection lesson is intended for grades 6 through 8, as an extension of their learning of human anatomy. This lab has the students break into groups to dissect a rat and observe its internal organs in order to label a diagram. The rat has similar internal anatomy to the human; therefore, it makes a great model for the students to see the anatomy “come to life”. The students also get to remove the intestines to measure their length in order to compare the ratio of intestine length to body size in the rat versus that of a human. Did you know that the rat has a very long digestive tract as compared to its body length? How do you think this might compare to that of a human? We do the math in this lab! We look forward to having you and your students come dissect human anatomy in a new and fun way!
Chemistry Lessons
Properties of Matter & Physical Changes Part 1: Dry Ice
Are you teaching the properties and states of matter to your students? Do you want them to experience changes of state in a chemistry lab? Then the Chemistry faculty and students here at Widener University can host your class of 4th to 6th grade students for demonstrations on the states of matter, how particles interact in each state, and the physical changes between states using ice cubes and Dry Ice. They will learn how to make observations, describe what they observe, and draw conclusions from their observations. Your students will be melting over this demonstration on the States of Matter and how they physically change from one to another!
Properties of Matter & Physical Changes Part 2: Liquid Nitrogen
Do you want your students to experience firsthand the physical changes of matter that you are teaching them in the classroom? Well then, come to our Chemistry labs here at Widener University where our faculty and students can give some demonstrations on the states of matter, how particles interact in each state, and the physical changes between states using Liquid Nitrogen. They will learn how to make observations, describe what they observe, and draw conclusions from their observations. This is a really cool lab for your students to experience when learning about the States of Matter and how they physically change from one to another!
Chemical Changes – Volcano Reaction
Are you teaching chemical changes to your students, but don’t have the tools to demonstrate them? The Widener University Chemistry faculty and students can help with that! We can have your 4th – 6th grade students come to Widener to experience a chemistry lab in which they will learn how to make observations and determine if either a physical or a chemical change has occurred. After a teacher demonstration, the students will then go through 4 different scenarios in which they mix two solutions or substances and observe the changes that occur. The last reaction gives the students a chance to replicate a volcano reaction. The kids will be exploding with excitement to come to our chemistry labs and do some experiments.
