University of Southern California
Mastering Microbes
Small but mighty! Learners explore the role of microbes in a healthy ecosystem. An engaging lesson plan asks pupils to design an aquaponics system that demonstrates that healthy microbes are necessary to maintain the ecosystem.
Cornell University
Beam Focusing Using Lenses
Explore optics using an inquiry-based experimental approach! Young scholars use a set of materials to design and build a unit capable of focusing a beam of light. They experiment with different lenses to determine the best approach to...
DiscoverE
Paper Tower
Read all about it! Challenge your class to build taller and stronger. Newspapers provide the means to build towers in a simple activity. Scholars try to build as tall a tower as possible with just two sheets of newspaper.
WolfQuest
The Return of Gray Wolves to Yellowstone National Park: Right or Wrong?
Should gray wolves be removed from Yellowstone National Park? After researching the complex relationships between the various habitats and species at Yellowstone National Park, including humans, class members take a position...
Discovery Education
Satellite Telemetry
Satellites require rockets to launch, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand them. Future engineers learn about how satellites send data to Earth and how to interpret satellite images. They see how radio waves play a role...
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension- Informational Passages "Pollution"
Practice reading comprehension through this pollution worksheet, which has learners read an informational passage on various aspects of environmental harm. Key terms are in bold, and are used on the next page in the comprehension...
Curated OER
Breathing
When learning about the respiratory system, how do learners know what is important? One way is to use a self-assessment or study like the one found here. While the formatting could use some work, the concepts are solid. Depending on your...
Wake Forest University
Authentic Activities for Connecting Mathematics to the Real World
Check out the handout from a presentation that contains a collection of high school algebra projects connecting a variety of mathematics to the real world. Activities range from simple probabilities to calculus. The activities...
Curated OER
Worms, Nature's Recyclers!
Students study what worms need to survive in different environments. They study how worm composting improves soil and reduce waste. They discuss composting techniques and present a puppet show about a worm's life.
Curated OER
Pollution Puzzles
In this crossword puzzle worksheet, students complete eleven sentences that are clues for completing the puzzle. Each of the sentences tells how pollution occurs and how people can prevent it.
Curated OER
Seeds in Flight Information Sheet
Seeds in flight are amazing things. Hand out a great information sheet for learners to read. They'll discover facts about seeds, why they spread, and examples of how different seeds get from here to there.
Curated OER
Arts Impact and Math
Third graders incorporate math into dancing. In this algebra lesson, 3rd graders identify different shapes and patterns using dance movements. They relate the different creations to polygons as they incorporate the use of stretchy bands...
Curated OER
Legend of The Lorax
Students explore ecosystems. They read or listen to Dr. Seuss' The Lorax to draw conclusions and make predictions about the environmental impact and use of resources. They write poems about real forests and the wildlife which inhabit...
Curated OER
Periodic Table of the Elements
First graders discuss, at their level, the concept of elements making up all matter. They discover the story of Dimitri Mendeleev and his discovery of the Periodic Table of the Elements. They locate and color some of the most common...
Curated OER
Dinosaurs
Second graders use the internet to find information about dinosaurs. Using the information, they complete a database with where the dinosaurs lived, diet, and where bones were found. To end the lesson, they are given criteria and review...
Curated OER
Describing a Chemical Reaction: Playing with Copper
Three experiments involving pennies help young chemists see the chemical reactions between copper and other elements. The first experiment is rhetorical (it prompts students to leave a bright penny out for a year) but the second two...
Curated OER
Tripitaka Korea
National treasures of cultural significance are always wonderful to share with learners. Expose them to the world's largest collection of woodblock text, the Tripitaka. It's a collection of 80,000 woodblocks containing the entire...
Curated OER
Butterfly Life Cycle
Focused little scientists will flitter their arms back and forth across the room with excitement as they learn the life cycle of a butterfly and how living things grow and change over time.
Curated OER
How We're Connected
Pupils take a survey in order to find out how they live in relationship to the environment. They take the time to investigate the differences between a need and a want. This is done as part of the self-assessment. Students also study how...
Curated OER
Amazon Water Cycle Role Play
Young scholars participate in a role play where they play clouds, the ocean, rain drops, and more in order to learn about the water cycle. In this water cycle lesson plan, students have discussions and learn vocabulary.
Curated OER
Imagery: Show, Don't Tell
A vampire, the beach, a bedroom, the school cafeteria. Writers are encouraged to add sensory details (sight, touch, taste, smell, sound) to bring these things to life.
Curated OER
Measuring the Effects of Gravistimulation on Plants
Learners conduct an experiment to determine if a plant's response to gravity is affected by different angles of plant orientation.
Curated OER
Composting
Using 2-liter bottles, junior ecologists create composting tubes in which they place nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials. They observe what changes occur over two weeks' time. Provide more specific direction to your class as to what...
Curated OER
Plant Explorers
Students investigate how plants take in water, nutrients, and light. They create artwork showing how plants survive in different environments.