Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Viral Lysis and Budding
How do some viruses spread so quickly, and why do they make us feel terrible? Answer these (and many more) questions through a simple yet impactful lessons. Pupils observe demonstrations that show the two methods viruses use to escape...
Curated OER
Evaporation
Fourth graders study the water cycle and the different processes involved, specifically evaporation. They explore the processes of evaporation through hands-on collaborative activities and relate learning to life through...
Curated OER
Eggs
Students know the following parts of an egg as the yolk, white, shell, membrane, chalaza, and air sac. They also sequence the growth of the chick in the egg. An egg is broken and students touch, smell and see it. They locate the six...
Cornell University
Atomic Bonding
Explore the connection of surface area to bonding within atoms. Learners complete lab investigations to model changing surface area with different sizes and concentrations of atoms. A flour fireball demonstration follows the labs to...
Curated OER
Window Gardens
Students use a plastic sandwich bag containing a damp paper towel taped to a window as a model system to observe the germination and early growth of radish seeds. They are challenged to pose a question about seed germination and growth...
Curated OER
Informational Reading: Electronics Are Made from Resources
In this comprehension worksheet, students read about the making of a computer: circuit boards, hard drives, monitors and plastic housings. Students then answer 3 multiples choice questions.
Curated OER
The Plastic Bag Greenhouse
Third graders observe plants and record their growth. They describe the parts of plants in detail including the roots, stems and leaves.
Curated OER
Genes and Aging
Students explore genes and the way we age. They assemble a worm collection device called a Baermann Funnel. Students collect Caenorhabditis elegans or other active nematodes from local soil samples. They observe the appearance and...
Curated OER
Determining the Age of Fossils
Students examine the concept of radioactive dating. In this radioactive dating lesson, students investigate how to determine the ages of fossils and rocks as they learn about half-life radioactive decay.
Curated OER
Meteorology (Condensation)
Second graders define condensation and evaporation. They identify and describe the steps in the water cycle. They ask questions to end the instructional activity.
Curated OER
Necessary Nitrogen
Students view a video that presents the biogeochemical cycle of nitrogen. They compare types of soils and consider how different fertilizers affect soil composition.
Curated OER
Time For A Change: Illustrated Plates
Students create illustrated plastic plate designs depicting a physical, chemical, or biological change of some kind after investigating the artwork of porcelain artist Kataro Shirayamadani.
Curated OER
Posters and People
Students create and design posters reflecting the types of litter harmful to aquatic wildlife. They explain the dangers of fishing line to aquatic wildlife, plastic bags to dolphins, and fish nets to fish. They design a poster to...
Curated OER
Flower Power
Students investigate and explain the basic needs and life processes of plants. Key concepts include: living things change as they grow and need food, water, and air to survive. The reverse of the Kansas quarter serves as inspiration.
Science Matters
Mighty Microorganisms
How can you tell if a microorganism is helpful or detrimental to an ecosystem? Learners inspect slides or pictures of microorganisms and record their observations to identify those that are beneficial or harmful. They then pretend to...
Science Matters
Crawly Composters
Get your hands dirty with an interactive lesson that showcases the process of decomposing and returning nutrients back into the soil. After building a compost pile, pupils regularly observe the ways worms help with changes to the soil...
Science Matters
Energy Flow
Budding scientists work collaboratively to reenact energy flow in a food chain. Scholars take on roles such as producer and consumer and perform tasks that symbolize energy flow in order to provide evidence of how much energy passes...
Curated OER
Population Growth
High schoolers grow duckweed, observe what happens when an organism population is allowed to grow without predation or competition, view videos about invasive species, and develop a proposal for controlling the growth of an invasive...
Curated OER
Organic and Inorganic Waste
Students conduct a scientific investigation about organic or inorganic waste. In this organic or inorganic waste lesson, students create a compost heap to determine the difference between inorganic and organic waste. Students record...
What affects Frog metamorphosis?
In this lab, students explore pollutants which affect frog metamorphosis using household pollutants (vinegar, oil, and bleach) and sponge capsules.
California Academy of Science
Composting: A Scientific Investigation: California Academy of Sciences
Garbage, recycle, compost: Does it really matter where we put our trash once we are done? By making detailed observations over seven weeks, kids will see which materials break down naturally to become a healthy part of the soil, and...
Curated OER
2nd Grade - Act. 23: Sprout Houses
Read the story "Sunflower House," by Eve Bunting with your 2nd graders to investigate the relationships between plants and animals. They will discover how living things change during their lives by creating their own sprout houses. In...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Viral DNA Integration
How do viruses hijack our cells to produce more viral particles? Junior immunologists model how viral RNA integrates into a host cell's DNA using pop beads and use interactive tools to explore a virus' genome. The teacher's guide...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Frog Dissection
Guide your learners through the process of opening up a frog. The resource provides step-by-step instructions for dissecting a frog, as well as guiding questions to answer throughout the lab.