National Geographic
Measuring Elevation Past and Present
After viewing a short video about a climb up Mount Everest, high schoolers read about triangulation for measuring distant elevations. Have your class work in groups to construct an inclinometer and then use it to measure the height of...
Carnegie Mellon University
Battery Workshop
Introduce your class to the workings and parts of a battery-operated circuit. Pairs of pupils use lemons to make batteries and measure voltage and current with a multimeter. An accompanying worksheet is used for recording values and...
Curated OER
Conserving Electric Energy
Another fantastic lesson on energy is presented by the American Coal Foundation. This one focuses on electricity; how it is produced, how it is delivered, and how it is used. Some excellent handouts are embedded in this fine plan which...
Curated OER
Mapping the Village
Learners measure, weigh, and document the amount of trash and garbage generated by the school for one day. They brainstorm solutions for trash in the area and assist with the school-wide recycle program.
Curated OER
Can You Walk a Mile With My Foot?
Pupils engage in a lesson plan that is concerned with the measurement of a foot as a customary unit. They take part in a series of activities to help them acquire skills of using a foot to compare other units of measurement. The teacher...
Curated OER
Math in the Wetlands Field Trip
Get your class out in the environment for hands on math activities. In this wetlands lesson, learners transplant native plants, calculate how much soil is needed, and perform math activities based on this experience. They then make...
Curated OER
Wind, What Causes It?
Students explore what causes wind, why wind behaves as it does, early cultural beliefs about wind, high and low pressure systems, basic fluid dynamics, units of measurement for wind, and how lift is caused; students create and fly kites.
Curated OER
Don't Flip Out Over the Metric System
Students identify the most appropriate metric prefix to use. They describe the usefulness of a system based on tens. Students compare the metric system to the American system of measurement. They develop a metric flip book to use a...
Curated OER
Learning From Leaves: A Look at Leaf Size
Students measure and analyze leaves from various environments. They discuss the environments, and make inferences about environmental variables that could have contributed to the differences in leaf size and texture.
Curated OER
Cotton Seed Planting
Learners using scientific inquiry will observe and record in daily journals their findings on cotton seeds. They measure, graph, and then communicate their discoveries about plants to each other.
Curated OER
the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability And Change
Students analyze the consequences of changing variables on a system. Changes in a model are measured and recorded and conclusions drawn based on the data provided in this six lessons unit.
Curated OER
Using Solar Energy
Students experiment to determine the effect of solar energy on the temperature of water. In this renewable resources lesson, students measure the temperature of water in a flask that is exposed to sunlight. They relate their results to...
American Chemical Society
Chemical Reactions and Engineering Design
Construction leads to habitat loss and local wildlife suffers. Scholars must build a reptile egg incubation device that meets many constraints. Various experiments help them discover the chemical reaction needed to reach the proper...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Campaign
The I-STOP law was designed to regulate the distribution and tracking of prescription drugs. After reading an article about its signing and implementation, middle and high schoolers work together to come up with their own ideas for an...
Curated OER
Cookie Mining
Students simulate coal mining with chocolate chip cookies and toothpicks. They investigate the costs associated with mining coal.
Curated OER
Goal Setting
Students understand how they can incorporate dietary guidelines in their daily life. In this investigative instructional activity students set dietary goals and incorporate an activity to learn how to create a new seed variety while...
Curated OER
The West the Railroads made
Students investigate the effects of time and distance for the creation of a successful railroad. In this railroad instructional activity, students recognize the railroad's need for an exact time schedule was the cause for the creation...
Curated OER
What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Light
Students conduct an experiment to evaluate whether plants need light to survive and grow. They observe and gather data about plant responses to different growth regimes, analyze the data, and make conclusions about basic plant needs.
Curated OER
What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Air
Young scholars conduct an experiment to determine whether plants need air in order to survive and grow. They discuss natural resources, analyze slides, and observe and record data from the experiment.
Curated OER
Lesson 5: Designing an Experiment
The intent of this instructional activity is to introduce young scientists to the steps of the scientific method. To this end, they consider the question, "Which brand of battery lasts longest?" In this case, the experiment is carried...
Curated OER
Piece Like a River
Students investigate water formations by creating a puzzle. In this water properties instructional activity, students create a giant river puzzle by drawing on large butcher paper as a class, then dividing the image up into many...
Curated OER
Learning From Leaves: Adaptation Scavenger Hunt
Students participate in an adaptation scavenger hunt at. They obtain various plant specimens, and sort the plants based on whether they came from a desert, tropical rainforest, or wetlands.
Curated OER
Energy Audit
Students examine the level of energy usage on a local and national level. Using the internet, they discover ways to conserve energy every day and how over-consumption of energy negatively affects the environment. In groups, they...
Curated OER
Acid Rain
Middle schoolers identify the causes and effects of acid rain. Using the internet, they research pollution sources in their local area and by collecting rain samples and testing the pH. In groups, they develop their own plan urging...