Introduce students to the scientific method -- the process that scientists use to test ideas. It involves asking a question, doing research, creating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, analyzing information and communicating results. Discuss how each step is performed with your students. Ask them to come up with a simple question that you can test in your classroom, such as, "What happens when you drop two balls on top of each other?" Create a hypothesis, which is a guess as to what will happen. Perform the experiment and repeat it several times to see if the same result occurs. Write down the results.
Atomic theory forms the basis of nuclear energy and of more complex scientific ideas, such as quantum physics. Introduce students to atomic theory by discussing the structure of atoms. Discuss the specific parts of the atom and discuss why each is important. For example, discuss the protons and electrons and how they have opposite charges. Discuss how neutrons help hold atoms together, structurally. Use a model of an atom to illustrate their general shape and construction. Touch on how atomic energy is created as well as the way atoms interact with each other.
Chemical reactions form the basis of much of chemistry. Explain how chemicals are created using combinations of elements, such as sulfur and oxygen. Discuss the symbols that represent chemical reactions, including the elemental symbols. Focus on the way the elements and compounds interact to create these reactions. Teach your students the equations that help dictate the changes in chemical reaction. Illustrate these points by using simple chemical reaction experiments. Let students pour the chemicals to give them hands-on experience with chemical reactions. Make sure they wear the proper safety equipment, such as goggles and gloves, before performing any experiments with chemicals.
Teach your students the basics of physics by focusing on Newton's Laws of Physics. These laws form the basic groundwork for all complex physics laws and theories. There are three laws: the first states that a body at rest stays at rest and bodies in motion tend to stay in motion; a body of mass undergoing acceleration moves in the direction of the force with a magnitude inversely proportional to the mass; and that for every action is there an equal but opposite reaction. Discuss these ideas and what they mean. Illustrate these ideas with lab experiments. For example, attach two balls to the ends of two different ropes. Swing one ball towards another until it hits. Point out the way the other ball moves in the opposite direction at close to equal speed. Discuss the reasons it slows, such as gravity and energy displacement.