Curated OER
Balance Activities
Students, through group and individual activities, study and experiment with the concept of balance. They attempt balancing tasks at different levels of difficulty and in different body positions. They work to improve their balance.
Curated OER
Baggie Science
Students work in groups and observe chemical reactions inside zip-lock bags. They use all of their senses, except taste, to observe the reactions.
Curated OER
Activity #5 'Empty' Bag?
Students review that air is a form of matter. They investigate how air takes up space. Pupils comprehend that they cannot see air, it takes up space and has mass, therefore it is a form of matter. Students investigate how to show that...
Curated OER
Water Quality: Water Filtration
Students build a water filtration system. In this water quality lesson plan, students work in groups to construct water filtration units that can purify contaminated water. This lesson plan is part of a larger unit on water quality.
Curated OER
Heat and Matter
Students explore liquids and solids by conducting in class experiments. In this matter instructional activity, students define the properties of matter and how heat can change those properties. Students experiment with heating objects...
Curated OER
Who am I and Why?
Students make comparisons about themselves and others, which are real and meaningful. They study some basic concepts in the area of genetics and do a complimentary series of experiments, or explorations that illustrate these concepts
Curated OER
À Votre Sant?: A French-Language Unit on Nutrition
Students discover the basic nutritional information for different foods. In this nutrition lesson students classify items, identify what a balanced diet is and determine what recipes are healthy.
Curated OER
Air Pressure
Learners participate in a series of demonstrations about Bernoulli's principle. They explain how air pressure varies with air speed. They write a detailed lab report about the activity. This is a great way to explore this concept.
Cornell University
Bridge Building
Bridge the gaps in your knowledge of bridges. Individuals learn about bridge types by building models. The activity introduces beam bridges, arch bridges, truss bridges, and suspension bridges.
Science 4 Inquiry
The Ups and Downs of Populations
Life has its ups and downs ... especially if you're an animal! Biology scholars engage in a population study through an inquiry-based lesson. Pupils work together to explore the factors that affect deer populations, then examine the...
University of Colorado
Patterns and Fingerprints
Human fingerprint patterns are the result of layers of skin growing at different paces, thus causing the layers to pull on each other forming ridges. Here, groups of learners see how patterns and fingerprints assist scientists in a...
Code.org
Minecraft Hour of Code
Devote an hour to computer coding ... it's time well spent! The activity has young computer scientists write code to solve puzzles in the Minecraft game. They learn how to apply block codes and repeat loops.
Science 4 Inquiry
Snakes in the Everglades
The Burmese python is on the loose ... and he's hungry! Illustrate the differences between causative and correlative relationships through an inquiry lesson. Pupils examine several sources of information to determine if there is a...
Curated OER
The Cloud Case
Students discover how clouds form and how air pressure and air temperature affect their formation. The lesson is delivered in the story of Mike Breezy, Air Detective, who tries to solve The Cloud Case.
Beyond Benign
Product Test
It's the moment of truth. Previous lessons in the 24-part series had scholars design and develop shampoo formulas using chemical concepts. The 18th lesson asks them to test the function of their shampoos. To do this, they calculate the...
Curated OER
How About a Classroom Epidemic?
Have individuals wash their hands with soap and water, give one of them a yeast-covered piece of candy, and then have him shake hands with the person next to him. Handshakes continue down the line until everyone in the class has had...
EduGAINs
Form and Function
Will that structure survive the force? The differentiated lesson allows pairs to choose the structure they would like to construct and the building materials they wish to use. Individuals record their findings in...
Curated OER
Classroom Archaeology
Students, in groups, receive a box of artifacts. They record their findings and discuss what the items would have been used for. They come together at the end of the lesson to share their findings.
Nuffield Foundation
Microscale Investigations of Catalase Activity in Plant Extracts
Use indirect measurements to monitor metabolic activity in plant cells. Scholars understand that cells with a higher metabolic rate have a higher concentration of catalase enzyme. They use this information to compare metabolic rates of...
Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist
Play Ball! – Or Not…Making a Decision Using Weather Data
Should the game go on or not? An engaging lesson plan asks small groups to make a decision using weather data. After analyzing a map, an updated forecast, and radar information, groups have to decide whether to cancel a baseball game....
Cornell University
Exploring Rocks and Minerals
Investigate the properties of rocks and minerals through a rockin' hands-on activity. Learners test rocks for various properties and, using a guide, attempt to identify different samples. They use various properties including hardness,...
University of Colorado
Can Photosynthesis Occur at Saturn?
In the 19th activity of 22, learners determine if distance from a light source affects photosynthesis. Participants capture oxygen in straws and find that the amount of water the gas displaces is proportional to the rate of photosynthesis.
NOAA
Journey to the Unknown
What's it like to be a deep-sea explorer? Tap into the imaginations of your fifth and sixth graders with a vivid lesson, the second part of a six-part adventure. Learners close their eyes and submerge themselves in an expedition aboard...
Cornell University
Discovering Enzymes
Explore the function of enzymes through a series of lab investigations. Learners use household enzymes such as hydrogen peroxide to model the role of enzymes. The enzymes break down proteins with and without a catalyst.