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.
Curated OER
Learning the Blues
Students take a virtual field trip to Memphis, Tennessee in their study of the blues, its characterisitics, founding fathers, and histororical influence on modern music. They compose blues lyrics that reflect present-day attitudes and...
PHET
Planet Designer: Kelvin Climb
It's time to get those creative juices flowing! This second instructional activity in a series of five continues allowing pupils to design their own planets. It the same format as the first, but, this time, allows students to alter...
Curated OER
Stream Quality Assessment
Learners investigate many of the factors that affect water quality. They take measurements and water samples at a local stream and evaluate the health of their community's watershed. They write a report detailing their findings.
Curated OER
Mice Rule!
Students explain what biodiversity is and how adaptive features are maintained in a population. In this biodiversity lesson students complete a simple activity involving mouse populations.
Curated OER
Studying Fossils
Students compare and contrast key skeletal differences between chimpanzees and humans: brain size, teeth, hand and thumb, trunk, pelvis, lower limb, foot and big toe. They then sort and group a set of mixed "fossil bones" of chimpanzee...
Curated OER
Preying on Beans
Students act as predators searching for prey (beans) in two different settings to demonstrate the processes of adaptation and selection.
Curated OER
A Dog's Life
Students get a look into the life of dogs-from their origins and basic biology, through selective breeding, and into how dogs have become intricate parts of everyday life for many people worldwide.
Curated OER
How and Why Has the White House Changed?
Students view original design drawings of the White House and discuss ways it has been changed. They view images of the white house from specified dates and discuss the changes that were made from one to the other, as well as reasons for...
Curated OER
Discovering the Wetlands!
Learners name wetland plant and animal life. In this ecosystem lesson students go birdwatching and interpret native plants through art.
Curated OER
Is Global Warming Happening?
Students investigate the probability of global warming and the effects of global warming on the environment. They conduct Internet research and collect data, transfer the data onto an Excel spreadsheet, and create a presentation that...
Curated OER
Creating Comic Strips
Students recognize the elements needed to create a comic strip. In this comic strip instructional activity, student understand that comic strips need words and pictures. Students find differences and similarities in comic strips....
Curated OER
Bringing Facts Into Science Fiction
Students develop a setting, plot and characters for a science fiction story based on current news themes, and then individually write drafts of the story.
Curated OER
The Checks Lab
Learners, in teams, have an envelope containing a series of bank checks. A few are removed at a time, and the team attempts to construct a plausible scenario which involves those checks.
Curated OER
Electromagnetic Radiation on Trial
Students examine general properties of electromagnetic waves, identify position of each type of radiation in spectrum, discuss methods used to detect and analyze waves, and analyze relation between specific wave properties and their...
Curated OER
Mystery Boxes: Uncertainty and Collaboration
Students manipulate boxes with unknown internal structure and contents to become familiar with the concept of uncertainty in science.
Curated OER
The Wilderness Concept: Our National Parks, History and Issues
Students examine the history of the National parks. In groups, they discuss the concepts of conservation and preservation. They discuss the use of natural resources and how some are renewable and non-renewable. To end the lesson, they...
Curated OER
Jazz Talk
Students analyze the origins of jazz music by examining work songs, spirituals, blues, and gospel songs as well as works of poetry from African American artists. They create their own poems from either the narrative, dramatic, or lyric...
Curated OER
Understanding Science Vocabulary and Categorization
Young scholars analyze scientific vocabulary words. In this life science vocabulary instructional activity, students complete a worksheet using VisualThesaurus as they evaluate words related to plants and animals and how the words are...
Curated OER
Coal Mine Industrial Picture Analysis
Students observe coal mine pictures. For this US history lesson, students analyze the pictures realizing that history is shown in pictures and then write a newspaper article about life in a coal town using the pictures as...
Curated OER
Paul Conrad's Perspective on Civil Rights
Students review a political cartoon and discuss desegregation. In this cartoon analysis instructional activity, 11th graders discuss the impact of a political cartoon and its relation to a Supreme Court case. Students...
Curated OER
Bioinformatics
Students conduct a series of scientific investigation using bioinformatics. In this molecular biology lesson plan, students collect experimental data using different educational softwares. They calculate and analyze relationships using...
Curated OER
Comparing Microscopic Organisms in Fresh and Polluted Water: An Invitation To Inquiry
Pupils have the opportunity to develop and formulate ideas and explanations through the scientific standard of inquiry. They identify organisms by using an identification key for specific aquatic geographical area.
Curated OER
Discovering the Northwest Territories Through the Five Themes of Geography
Students use the Atlas of Canada to find basic geographical information about the Northwest Territories.