Curated OER
Rising Waters
Fourth graders rank balls by size from smallest to largest and from lightest to heaviest and then by how much they made the water rise. They then discuss why certain balls make the water rise higher than do other balls.
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Students explore water as it changes states of matter. In this physical property lesson, students use observation, measurement, and communication skills to describe changes in water as it goes from a solid to a liquid and back again.
Curated OER
Soil Scrolls
Third graders examine soil samples and explore the what happens in each layer of the subsoil. They work in cooperative groups to create a scroll that shows what takes place in each layer, and discuss why much of the activity is in the...
Curated OER
Germs and Your Body
Students study germs and ways your body fights against disease. In this germs activity students complete an activity that demonstrates where germs can get into your body.
Curated OER
Go To The Head of the Cloud
Students pretend they are water droplets traveling through the water cycle. Using their text, they discover the steps in the cycle and the different paths water can take. They write a report about their journey through the water cycle...
Curated OER
How Much Water is in That River?
Students practice measurement using the Hudson River. They calculate the discharge measurement at a location on the Hudson River using ingenuity and a topographic map.
University of Connecticut
Building Your Own Biosphere
On September 26, 1991, four women and four men entered the scientific experiment, Biosphere 2; the doors were sealed for two years in order to study the interactions of a biosphere. In the activity, scholars explore biospheres by...
Disney
Where Do Brown Bears Live?
What do brown bears in Alaska's Katmai National Park need to survive? Pupils explore the unique habitats, diet, and survival needs of this animal. They predict the consequences of removing any integral part of the bear's survival,...
Space Awareness
Investigating the Atmosphere - Air Takes Up Space
How do you know there is air? Can you see it, smell it, feel it? To begin the investigation, learners watch a video and discuss what they know about air and the atmosphere. Then, they participate in five different hands-on, inquiry-based...
Curated OER
Photosynthesis: How do plants make food?
Students study why plants are green and how water is transported in them. They examine how plants respond to different amounts of light.
Curated OER
Water Pollution, Stream Ecosystems
Young scholars participate in a series of simulated activities designed to demonstrate the interconnectedness between the environment and the organisms that live there. They explore how polluting one element of an environment affects the...
Curated OER
Water, Water Everywhere
First graders study water-its properties, its 3 states, and the way we rely on it for everyday living. They read Water, Water Everywhere, draw murals of where they have seen water and the ways they use it and eat/drink snacks that are...
Curated OER
Digital Picture Water Source Hunt
Young scholars use a technological format to illustrate their understanding of the importance of water to life. In this water lesson, students read a picture a book and discuss the need for water. Young scholars create a class chart...
Curated OER
Prairie Predator and Prey
Fifth graders brainstorm a list of animals that live on the prairie, and classify them as predators and prey. They conduct interviews where they ask the animals what they need to look out for to sustain life on the prairie.
Curated OER
Exploring and Oregon Commodity
A fun (and delicious!) instructional activity teaches measurement to your third graders. They work in small groups to first predict, then to measure the weight, circumference, and number of seeds found in a watermelon. Everyone gets to...
Curated OER
Protecting the Critical Habitat of the Manatee and the Loggerhead Turtle
First graders research Belize and its landscape and animals on the included internet sites. The students complete activities/centers across the curriculum utilizing the facts they discovered.
Curated OER
Prairie Scales and Prairie Smoothies
Sixth graders explore the animals that live on the prairie and identify differences between amphibians and reptiles and the adaptations each have made to live on the prairie.
Curated OER
The Nitrogen Cycle
The nitrogen cycle is the focus of a well-designed science lesson. In it, learners see that plants and animals produce waste products and decompose after death. Many of the waste products include nitrogen which is absobed by other...
Curated OER
The Web of Life
Learners demonstrate the interrelationships of animals and plants. For this ecology lesson, students discuss the things plants and animals need for survival and study the glacier food chain. Learners simulate the web of life by using a...
Curated OER
Crowley's Ridge: An Upland in the Lowlands
This clever lesson plan combines elements of geography, art, literature, and storytelling. Pupils take a close look at the six geographical regions of Arkansas, and pay close attention to Crowley's Ridge - which is one of the six. In...
Curated OER
What's in the Water?
Students examine how pollutants can affect ocean animals. In this pollution lesson plan, students read a story about the ocean floor, think about what would happen to the plants and animals if the ocean became dirty or polluted, and...
Curated OER
Contaminated Water
Learners review and use the steps in the scientific method to complete the experiment. In groups, they research the importance of water to plants and animals in their local area. They examine how water can become contaminated and take...
Curated OER
Dispose of Waste Properly
Students examine how to dispose of waste properly and discover how pollution affects plants and animals that live in streams. In this effects of waste instructional activity, students explore biodegradable detergents and the concept of...
Curated OER
Defining Drought
Students examine the hydrologic impacts of drought. They look at drought from a variety of prespectives. Students first focus on the scientific definition of drought, including weather patterns, water cycles, water requirements by plants...