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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

What's on a Penny?

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
As a lesson on scientific observation, have your class investigate the features of a penny and a nickel. Working in pairs, they practice writing detailed descriptions using their senses and a ruler to gather information. This is an...
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Lesson Plan
Berkshire Museum

Nature Journaling: Experience the Outdoors Through Writing and Drawing

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Step into the great outdoors and develop young scientists' skills of observation with a nature journaling instructional activity. Given a specific focus or goal, children practice making and recording observations of nature through...
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Lesson Plan
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Berkshire Museum

Adopt a Schoolyard Tree

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Help young scientists connect with nature and learn about trees with a fun life science lesson. Heading out into the school yard, children choose a tree to adopt, taking measurements, writing descriptions, and drawing sketches of it in...
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Lesson Plan
Berkshire Museum

Backyard Rocks

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
You don't have to travel far to learn about rocks, just step outside, pick up a stone, and begin investigating. After taking a class walk around the school grounds collecting rocks, young scientists practice their skills of observation...
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Lesson Plan
Omaha Zoo

I Like to Move It

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
What do lemurs do best? They move! Lemurs like to jump, run, hop, and climb and it's your class's job to document seven fun lemur behaviors. The class starts by discussing why lemurs are considered primates, and then they isolate seven...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A'planting We will Go

For Teachers K - 1st
Germination is an amazing process that results in amazing things. The book The Tiny Seed is the inspiration for a set of activities that will help build early literacy, observation, language, and writing skills. The class observes how...
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Lesson Plan
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Baylor College

They're Everywhere: Bacteria

For Teachers K - 5th
Totally gross out your class with the eighth lesson in this series on food science. Explore the microscopic world of bacteria by taking swabs of different classroom objects and growing colonies in petri dishes. An engaging activity that...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Planting We Will Go

For Teachers K - 2nd
Even the youngest kids can make scientific comparisons using collected data. They read The Tiny Seed, then discuss the essential nutrients and elements needed for a seed to grow into a blooming plant. They plant seeds and track their...
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PPT
Primary Resources

What Plants Need to Grow

For Teachers K - 2nd
What do seeds need in order to grow into plants? This presentation follows what happened every four days during a seed growth and observation study. Images compare how well two sets of seeds did under specific circumstances. Use this to...
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PPT
Curated OER

Mentos Geyser! What's the Fizz Factor?

For Teachers 5th - 6th
What is it that makes Mentos candy and cola such an explosive combination? Find out through scientific inquiry and experimentation. This presentation walks learners through the scientific process and allows them to speculate whether it...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Name that animal

For Students K - 2nd
A great way to classify organisms, is by counting the number of legs it has or how it moves. Little ones count the legs on five different creatures, then match the leg count to the proper animal name. Tip: Have them come up with other...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Living it up with plants

For Students K - 4th
Have kids in grades K-2 discuss how they know a tree is alive. The worksheet provides simplistic background information and an observation check list. They check off the ways that they can tell an oak tree is a living thing. Note: The...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nearsightedness

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Examine the processes scientists go through to develop their conclusions. Using the internet, research the problem of nearsightedness and identify anyone they know with the condition. Discover the debate in the science world on this...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Environmental Studies: The Environment Rocks!

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Rock exploration, so exciting! After reading the book Everybody Needs a Rock, the class makes sandwiches to better understand that the Earth is made in layers. They then use a description of the 3 types of rock to conduct an observation...
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PPT
Curated OER

Gravity: What is it?

For Teachers 5th - 6th
What is gravity and how do you explain it? Use this presentation to guide an inquiry-based lesson centered on understanding gravity through hands-on experience. Each slide provides a definition, example, or activity for students to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introductory Module

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders examine the non-standard method of measurement and compare it to the metric system of measurement. In this introductory module lesson, 3rd graders discover the scientific observation. Students also develop communication...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meeting an Earthworm

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners inspect the anatomy of earthworms. In this earthworm lesson, students participate in a hands-on experiment as they analyze the structure of earthworms. Learners demonstrate mastery through differentiated products. Lesson...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Monk Seal Research Expedition

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students study data. In this seal research lesson, students act as scientific researchers observing Monk seals in their habitat. They work in small groups to record data from a video and when through they share a piece of information...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Growing A Coral Skeleton

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research the growth of coral. In this coral polyps lesson, students simulate the growth of coral by using available materials to grow crystals. Students record observations in a scientific journal.
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Interactive
Curated OER

Mystery Bird Challenge

For Students 4th - 5th
In this mystery bird challenge learning exercise, students use geographic information, feeding habits and a picture to identify a bird, with numerous links to web resources for help.
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Interactive
Curated OER

Milk and Monarch Butterfly Mania Journal Entry

For Students 7th - 8th
For this milk and monarch butterfly mania journal entry worksheet, students write a scientific journal entry about the milkweed plant, using the information from another linked website.  This worksheet includes many links to other web...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learn about snails and then race them!

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young scholars examine snails and make observations about where their eyes are located, how they eat, and how they move. For this snails lesson, students discover information about snails by observing them. Young scholars use magnifying...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cut Ice Cubes in Half Like Magic

For Teachers K - 1st
Learners explore the process of melting or cutting ice. In this scientific observation lesson, students discover that the pressure from two weights will pull a string through an ice cube by melting the ice directly under the line of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Importance of Observation

For Teachers 1st
First graders practice observing items in small areas. In this scientific observation lesson, 1st graders complete a worksheet that shows a child looking at a small patch of grass. They make a list of items that the child sees. They...