National Wildlife Federation
Night Friends - American Bats
Bats are a misunderstood species. Pupils learn about the characteristics of bats in a three-part lesson. They begin by examining the adaptations of different types of bats, then explore the misconceptions humans have about the species....
Curated OER
OF SUNSETS, SOULS AND SENSES: Science, Scientific Methods, Natural and Supernatural
Students explore the realm and limits of science. Engages students to give examples of topics that can be studied by science, and those that cannot. This also takes a examine descriptive terms, which reflect the true nature of modern...
Curated OER
Cell Communication
Students clarify common misconceptions about cells. They assess initial knowledge of cells and cell behavior, read and discuss an article and consider the role of cell communication in the diseases of diabetes, multiple sclerosis and...
Curated OER
A Day in a Life of an Arctic/Antarctic Animal
Pupils, through video segments, explore what types of animals live in the Arctic and Antarctica. They also clear up any misconceptions they have about penguins or polar bears.
Curated OER
Changing Cicada
Students discuss inherited traits and relate to the inherited traits in a cicada. In this cicada lesson, students follow the life cycle of the cicada and observe the changes as it grows. Students discuss the characteristics of the...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Shrink Me!
The incredibly shrinking meter—decimeters to centimeters, to millimeters, and now to nanometers! Learners may have a difficult time visualizing particles on a nanoscale. Help them see a little clearer using a well-designed lesson...
Curated OER
Cicada Invasion
Students consider how some animals, periodical cicadas, survive well in a particular environment due to the species' life cycle. They have a discussion about life cycles and how a particular species' life cycle helps it to survive....
Curated OER
Levers and Pulleys
Seventeen pages of material leave you well-prepared to carry out this lesson on levers and pulleys. Photos and diagrams make the instructions clear; resource links provide additional information. The missing aspects of this teacher's...
Curated OER
Mystery Boxes: Uncertainty and Collaboration
Young scholars manipulate boxes with unknown internal structure and contents to become familiar with the concept of uncertainty in science.
Curated OER
Half Lives
Students investigate the concept of half-life by conducting an M&M experiment. In this chemistry lesson, students differentiate nuclear fusion and fission. They present investigation findings to class.
Curated OER
Prior Knowledge Investigation-Food Webs
Students explore food webs. They identify any misconceptions of producers, consumers or decomposers and their relationship within a food web. Students draw an example of a food web for each of the examples that are given. They address...
Curated OER
DNA Extraction from Yeast Cells
Students explore DNA. They work in groups and mix prepared detergent/ salt solution, meat tenderizer solution, Fleischman's yeast and water to extract DNA from yeast. Observations are recorded.
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
The Micro and Macro World Around Us
Don't let your eyes play tricks on you ... use scale to keep your eyes in check! Young scholars observe images without scale and try to identify the structure. Then, they look at the same image with a scale bar and assess whether their...
Curated OER
Light and Starch Production in Photosynthesis
Students are given the unique opportunity to see the contrast between parts of a leaf that have photosynthesized and parts of the leaf that have not. This visual image helps students see the results of this biological process. At the...
Curated OER
Optical Illusions
Learners investigate optical illusions. In this optical illusions instructional activity, students explore perception. Learners analyze optical illusions and determine common misconceptions.
Curated OER
Friction
Students are introduced to the concept of friction. Using that information, they discover ways in which friction can be useful. They participate in different activities to see fricition in action. They complete a grid worksheet and...
Curated OER
Gravity Versus the Mighty Egg
Middle schoolers design, revise and construct a method for protecting an egg from cracking when it is dropped from a height. They work in small groups to develop their protection method and then collect and analyze data as a class when...
Curated OER
The Great Jellybean Hunt
Learners explore natural selection and its influence on the populations to fine tune traits and characteristics. The acquisition of traits developed out of need is examined through a game played in class.
Curated OER
Seashell Homes
Pupils listen to a story about seashells. They discuss shelled animals. Learners describe the function of seashell. Pupils relate the function of a seashell to their own dwelling. They differentiate between shelled animals that make...
Curated OER
The Great Fossil Find - Reconstructing the Pieces
Students go on an imaginary fossil hunt. They follow a script read by the teacher, students "find" (remove from envelope) paper "fossils" of some unknown creature. They attempt to reconstruct fossil pieces into an animal.
Curated OER
What is Coral?
Students discuss what they know about coral reefs and are introduced to the importance of preserving coral reefs. In this coral reef instructional activity, students make connections between coral ecology in the classroom and in the real...
Curated OER
Perception is Not Always Reality
Students view various types of illusions. Using one of the illusions, they try to determine how a scientist might explain them. They discover a t-illusion and use their own words to analyze them. In groups, they research a different...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Teaching the Scientific Method
Eighth graders watch a PowerPoint presentation that focuses on the scientific method including developing a hypothesis. They examine how to perform a scientific experiment using a method that maintains its validity, collect and use the...
Curated OER
Aphids and Ladybirds
Students record observations of ladybird beetles and aphids. They develop questions concerning the behavior of ladybird beetles and aphids that are testable by a classroom experimentation. Students develop an investigation.