Curated OER
Viewing Bateria
Students use microscopes to observe E. coli bacateria on prepared slides and in a live culture. They use micro-slide viewers to observe the shapes of various bacteria and the structures within the bacterial cell. Students make an...
Curated OER
What is a Living Thing?
In this living things worksheet, students complete a graphic organizer by filling in statements describing the characteristics of living things.
Curated OER
The Flow of Energy Through a Food Chain
In this food chain worksheet, students write in the steps that show how energy flows through a food chain, from producers to consumers. This worksheet is a graphic organizer.
Curated OER
Water Quality and Temperature
Students are led through three activities to explore the effect of temperature fluctuations on the growth and survival of aquatic plants, clams, and shrimp eggs.
Curated OER
Is it Alive?
Pupils watch a demonstration using Duco glue and water and try to determine if the "monster" shown is alive. After the demonstration, they discuss what characteristics make an organism "alive". They participate in a card sorting...
Curated OER
A Tale of Two Reactors
Tenth graders role-play as members of the food chain. Sticky tables acting as polluting factors are introduced and members of different trophic levels suffer varying degrees of damage due to those pollutants.
Curated OER
Leaving Home
Students explain the importance of larval dispersal and retention to populations. They collect data on organisms and examine it.
Curated OER
Waterbasins and Watersheds
Students define water basins and watersheds, then delineate the boundaries of their local water basin/shed using maps.
Curated OER
What Are the Needs of Living Things?
In this living things worksheet, students will write down two facts about what a living thing needs to survive. Using these facts, students will draw a conclusion to how those needs are met.
Curated OER
Watershed Documentary
Students conduct research and collect data about a local watershed area. They create an iMovie showing the human and natural impacts on the creek and watershed areas.
Virginia Department of Education
The Germ Theory and Koch’s Postulates
Explore the history of cholera and its effect on society with your biology class. Young biologists will then proceed to grow their own germs, prepared from live cultures, and follow the steps of the scientific method to generate data....
Science Friday
Termite Symbiosis
What happens to the wood a termite eats? Pupils learn about the three types of symbiosis with pictures of symbiotic pairs. Afterward, they determine whether there is a symbiotic relationship with a termite by dissecting termites and...
Polar Trec
Plankton Parents
Plankton are so abundant in the ocean they outweigh all of the animals in the sea. In this three day activity, groups discuss and become familiar with plankton, capture females, and look for egg production on day three.
Curated OER
Weathering and Soil Formation
A set of 27 slides systematically shows how weathering, erosion, and deposition contribute to soil formation. Both chemical and mechanical weathering are described, as are resulting soil layers and properties. There is no longer any need...
Nuffield Foundation
Effect of Size on Uptake by Diffusion
Cell size is limited by the surface area to volume ratio, but why is this true? Scholars measure the surface area and volume of cubes before placing them into liquid. After a set amount of time, they measure the uptake by diffusion for...
American Museum of Natural History
What's This? Breathing
Crazy fact: Some animals can survive months without oxygen. An online resource describes some unique ways animals collect oxygen and even live without it for an extended time. Learners read about these special animals and use pop-up...
University of Wisconsin
Identifying Your Soil for Rain Gardens
Teach your class the descriptive characteristics of soil. Provide information about particle size and a flow chart for assessing texture. Soil scientists then analyze samples and hypothesize which would be the best type for a rain...
National Christmas Tree Association
Merry Christmas, Geraldine
If you're reading the story "Merry Christmas, Geraldine" by Holly Keller, this is a fantastic cross-curricular resource to use. Complete with activities for language arts, science, social studies, art, and math, you'll get the most out...
American Chemical Society
M&M's in Different Sugar Solutions
To conclude a mini unit on the dissolving of M&Ms® candy coating, this lesson investigates whether or not the concentration of sugar in the solvent affects the dissolving rate. Consider having older science learners write their own...
It's About Time
Energy Flow in Ecosystems
Emerging biochemists more fully understand the flow of energy in ecosystems as they explore the laws of thermodynamics and relate them to energy transfer in food chains. They also investigate heat loss from the human body and how...
Cornell University
Glued into Science—Classifying Polymers
Explore the unique characteristics of polymers. A complete activity begins with a presentation introducing polymers. Following the presentation, young scientists develop a laboratory plan for creating substances using polymers. They test...
LABScI
Circulation and Respiration: Vital Signs
What do your vital signs tell your doctor? An engaging hands-on lesson has your learners monitor their own lung capacity, blood pressure, and heart rate. They then connect the vital measures to the workings of the circulatory and...
Science Geek
Equilibrium and Le Chatelier's Principle
Time to shake up the status quo with a presentation that describes Le Chatlier's Principle and has pupils examine situations in which equilibrium is upset. Four examples show different stresses to the reaction and the resulting shift.
Olomana School
Mixtures and Solutions: Paper Chromatography Experiment
Why does some ink bleed through paper, and other ink doesn't? Practice some paper chromatography to separate the colors from a pen with an interactive experiment for middle and high schoolers. Learners use a variety of solutions to track...