Curated OER
Vermicomposting
First graders investigate composting. In this biology lesson, 1st graders identify ways to use garbage as fertilizer. Students examine soil and compost matter as well as the role of worms in the dirt.
Curated OER
Genetically Engineered Food: Altering the Blueprint
Students explore the genetic engineering of food. In this health lesson students explain how DNA technology can be used to produce food.
Curated OER
Butterfly Lifecycles
What a great way to present this topic! While a little difficult to follow, this lesson provides great ideas for a second grade lesson involving butterfly lifecycles. Learners make drawings of butterflies, discuss life cycles, and write...
Discovery Education
Sonar & Echolocation
A well-designed, comprehensive, and attractive slide show supports direct instruction on how sonar and echolocation work. Contained within the slides are links to interactive websites and instructions for using apps on a mobile device to...
Curated OER
WWW = World Wide Wildlife
Through video, internet research, and hands-on activities, learners conduct a study of the interdependence between animals and the habitats they live in. They conduct Internet research independently in order to complete a report on a...
Curated OER
Cereal Box Redesigns
Middle schoolers examine cereal boxes for nutrition information. In this nutrition lesson, students redesign cereal boxes to reflect their nutritional value. Middle schoolers understand that some cereals contain too high a...
Curated OER
Strategies for Successful Grade Level Cross-Content Collaboration
Strategies, ideas, and suggestions to create an effective teacher collaboration, which will enrich student learning.
Curated OER
Map Exploration
Are you looking for a terrific lesson on map activities for your second graders? Then, this resource is for you! The activities range from decoding, to fill-in-the-blank, to read-and-search. There is a website activity related to maps...
Project Noah
Writing Goes Wild
Young scientists develop their observation and writing skills as they craft and then post a detailed description of a plant or animal they have spotted and photographed.
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education
Machines
What do science and dance have in common? Simple machines, work, and force! First, children discuss machines, wheels, inclined planes, and wedges. They create inclined planes with their bodies and make up dances about wheels and wedges....
Curated OER
National Marine Sanctuaries Fish
Information is provided on Gray's Reef, Florida Keys, and Flower Garden Banks marine sanctuaries. Young marine biologists then visit the FishBase and REEF databases to collect fish species information for each location. They then...
Curated OER
Native Americans of the Chesapeake Bay: Using Primary vs. Secondary Sources
Discover the rich Native American culture that existed at the time of early European exploration into the Chesapeake region through analysis of several primary and secondary sources.
Curated OER
Narrative Writing
Binoculars are used as a metaphor for good descriptive writing. Class members first view a small picture and then an enlarged view of the same image in which the details come into focus. Next, learners examine a paragraph lacking sensory...
Curated OER
Build Your Own Cell
For this building your own cell worksheet, students identify cell vocabulary and facts, and create posters of a labeled plant cell and an animal cell. In this fill-n-the-blank and posters worksheet, students provide twenty-three answers.
Curated OER
Indoor Gardening by Building a Simple Hydroponics
Students investigate the use of hydroponic gardening on the world food supply. In this hydroponic gardening lesson, students make a garden out of a soda bottle, grow a cilantro plant, and compare hydroponics with regular gardening using...
Curated OER
The Math of Renewable Energy
Students research additional information about questions on their worksheet. In this energy activity, students develop visual aids of their proposed solution to the problem. They present their work in class.
Curated OER
Evolution
Explore the concept of evolution and cell biology; your class can work in groups to use the internet to view websites on evolution, take a quiz, and complete a lab activity.
Science Friday
Colorful Chromosomes
Everything is in the genes. Individuals observe 14 different traits of themselves. Using pipe cleaners and beads, the learners create models of a chromosome representing their traits. The class then compares and contrasts everyone's...
Curated OER
Ruminating on the Digestive System
Students compare the digestive systems of the buffalo and of the zebra, diagram their systems, and compare their lengths. In this digestive system lesson plan, students learn about their diets as well.
Virginia Department of Education
Go with the Flow
How does nature's hierarchy relate to our local human environment? Answer this question, along with others, as the class visually depicts the natural hierarchy provided by nature. Pupils discuss each piece of the pyramid and its energy...
Curated OER
Growing a Native American "Three Sisters" Garden
Students explore plant life by creating their own gardens in class. In this food growing lesson, students discuss the types of gardening methods Native Americans used in order to keep healthy. Students plant corn seeds in their school...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
The Mind of a Terrorist: A Psychosocial Perspective
What a great way to make a psychology lesson on personality development socio-politically relevant! Class members investigate causes of radicalism--specifically, becoming a terrorist. This resource includes background information, key...
Curated OER
Semipermeable Membranes and Bioaccumulation
Beginning biologists place a drop of food coloring into water of differing temperatures to observe the effect on the diffusion rate. They remove the shells from raw eggs and then experiment with osmosis over the remaining membranes....
Curated OER
Observing the Nutritional Relationships in an Ecosystem
Make learning about food webs fun and fascinating for your fifth graders.