Website
American Museum of Natural History

What's the Big Deal About Paleontology?

For Students 6th - 12th
Paleontologists could be considered detectives of the past. A quick online lesson describes the science of paleontology and the importance of fossils. Young scientists read about how paleontologists analyze the features of fossils to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Vegetation, Precipitation, and Surface Temperature to Study Climate Zones

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Using NASA's Live Access Server, earth scientists compare the temperature, precipitation, and normalized difference vegetation index for four different locations. They use the data to identify the climate zone of each location using...
Lesson Plan
Sea World

Endangered Species

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Study different endangered species with several activities that incorporate math, science, language arts, and research strategies. A great addition to your activity on conservation or Earth Day.
Lesson Plan
AAAS

Identification and Classification of Grassland Plants

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Take learning outside and start classifying grasslands. Young ecologists observe grassland plants in order to classify them into the appropriate species by family. They note their characteristics and where they grow. A true...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossil Formation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
A fossil is worth a thousand words! Individuals craft their own amber fossil of an insect in addition to molds and casts of seashells. A third activity takes the lesson a notch higher: Learners measure stride lengths between tracks and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Recycling and Composting

For Teachers 1st - 7th
Learners set up composting sites that allow food scraps and paper to be recycled by nature. They are introduced to one aspect of recycling; composting. Students see how God recycles as the worms change garbage into something that brings...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mission to Mars

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students consider the affects of space travel on the human body. In this human physiology instructional activity, students compare how the 5 different body systems work on Earth and in Space. Students then design a product that an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Modeling the Solar System

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Young scholars build a scaled model of the solar system. In this space science instructional activity, students arrange them according to their distances from the sun. They analyze each planet's unique features such as density and...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Layer of Time

For Students 6th - 12th
Dig through the layers for a better understanding of fossils. Scholars learn that fossils form in layers of sedimentary rock. Pupils arrange virtual layers to show the fossil record of different species. Once the layers are correct, they...
Website
American Museum of Natural History

What is Marine Biology?

For Students 6th - 12th
A marine environment covers the majority of the earth but is arguably the least understood. Teach young scientists about the characteristics of oceans and ocean species using an interactive online lesson. The in-person or remote learning...
Website
American Museum of Natural History

What's the Big Deal About Water?

For Students 6th - 12th
It may seem simple, but water is one of the most unique substances on Earth. An interactive online lesson describes its properties and importance in so many different situations. Learners interact with the lesson to learn the role water...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animals of the Lost City

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Begin with a demonstration of exothermic reactions and discussion of chemosynthesis. Your aspiring oceanographers research vent communities and then craft a mural of a vent community. This is a terrific method of introducing learners to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creatasaurus

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Upper elementary children still are intrigued by dinosaurs. Here is a dinosaur lesson that is geared toward their age group! The learners consider a list of prefixes and suffixes. Using the list, they can analyze the names of their...
App
American Association for the Advancement of Science

Gravity Launch

For Students 3rd - 12th
Getting a ship into orbit isn't rocket science. Oh, wait...that's exactly what it is! Learn the basics of the concepts of thrust, launch angle, and gravitational pull in this fun and progressively challenging game.
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Solstice and Equinox Season Model

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
How can December 21 be the shortest day of the year when all days are 24 hours long? Pupils see how to build a model showing the differences between winter and summer solstices and equinoxes. Using this model, classes can then discuss...
Lesson Plan
1
1
California Academy of Science

Rapid Brainstorming: How Can We Conserve Our Water Resources?

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
Water covers around 75 percent of the earth, yet humans struggle to find enough fresh water to live. The fourth of 10 lessons focusing on Fresh Solutions requires brainstorming. Young scientists consider various problems related to fresh...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Make a Solar Sill

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers design a solar still and purify water.  For this earth process and design lesson, students observe how the heat of the sun helps to purify water. Middle schoolers analyze why this could be helpful on a desert...
Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

Renewables Workshop

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Youngsters examine resource maps to find out which states are using solar and wind power and discuss as a class various other renewable energy sources. They use a provided data table to record pros and cons to each technology, build and...
Lesson Plan
ARKive

Species Discovery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
How do you classify a newly discovered species? Learners view a presentation and complete research about biodiversity and the classification hierarchy. The lesson includes activities with dichotomous keys and work on classifying both...
Handout
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Molecules to the Max!—Teacher's Discovery Guide

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Molecules to the Max! refers to a movie released in 2009 about the world of atoms and molecules. A helpful discovery guide provides five posters on science topics typically covered at the middle school level. It also explains the...
Lesson Plan
Ocean Explorer

Architects of the Coral Reef

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Coral Reefs are the focus of a life science lesson plan. Upper graders look at how coral reefs are formed, how the animals and plants reproduce, and the variety of ways that humans benefit from coral reefs around the world. Groups of...
Lesson Plan
1
1
NOAA

Ocean Primary Production

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
A cold seep is an area on the ocean floor where hydrocarbons leak from the earth, creating entire unique biomes. Learners explore cold seeps, photosynthesis in the ocean, and its limitations due to loss of sunlight. They further explore...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Biomes Lesson 4: Mapping Arizona

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Once junior ecologists are familiar with Earth's major biomes, they hone in on Arizona's biomes. Using a website about Arizona's natural resources, learners will identify biotic communities. Beautiful maps and worksheets are provided for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dry Season and 'Green' Season in Costa Rica

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Young scholars explore the seasonal changes in Costa Rica.  In this dry season lesson students use the Internet to locate science data then generate data for precipitation. 

Other popular searches