SRI International
Performance Assessment Links in Science: Do You See What I See? (Lesson)
For this Grade Two performance task, students observe the contents of a terrarium and explain the purpose of the water, rocks and soil inside it.
University of Houston
University of Houston: Engines of Our Ingenuity: Engines of Our Imagination: Tyndall on Parallel Roads
Learn about John Tyndall's belief in the importance of observation in answering questions posed by science.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: The American Red Squirrel an Outdoor Inquiry Lesson
For this activity, young scholars are presented with red pine cones that have been partly eaten by the American Red Squirrel, a fact that is not divulged to them at this stage. After a discussion of the possibilities, the class takes a...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Ring of Investigation: What Will We Find?
For this science investigation, students will observe and catalog the living and non-living things they find within a small, circumscribed area of the schoolyard.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: What So You See?
Students practice developing their observational skills in this activity where they examine images related to the topic being studied in science. They record their observations, comment on each other's ideas, and ask investigable questions.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Rocks a Lesson in Inquiry
For this activity, young scholars sort and classify rocks in small groups, and record questions they have. The class will sort the questions into investigatory and non-investigatory questions. They will choose one to investigate, make a...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: You Are a Scientist
Learners will practice the scientific method as they observe nature and ask questions about it.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: The Art of Observation
A instructional activity in how to write accurate, critical observations that involve using the five senses and unambiguous language.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Rock Characteristics Exploration at Minnehaha Falls
An outdoor activity where students visit a local area, in this case a falls, and record observations that describe the rocky outcrops and boulders that are there. A good exercise in scientific observation.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Sharpie Marker Tie Die T Shirts
This is an exercise in scientific observation. While students are creating a tie-die design on a t-shirt, they will observe the chemical reaction taking place between the rubbing alcohol and the permanent markers, and which color spread...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: Sensory Butterfly Garden
This activity requires a small butterfly garden. In this case, the class had created one. Student explore the garden and record scientific observations made using their senses.
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: Stuff to Do: Keeping a Field Journal
Learn how to record observations about the wildlife in your community by constructing a field journal.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Cosmic Oranges
Contains plans for four 45-minute lessons that ask students to use their senses and focus their attention while writing descriptively and observing scientifically. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains...
PBS
Pbs Teachers: Scientific American: Life's Little Questions: Frozen Droplets
Investigate the use of stroboscopic disks to study actions that are too fast for the naked eye, and construct a stroboscopic viewer to demonstrate how a gated view of dripping water may produce the illusion of "frozen" motion.
American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: Stuff to Do: Draw a Monarch Butterfly
Learn how to make a scientific illustration of a monarch butterfly in several easy steps.