Curated OER
The Behavior of Ants
Students use the steps of the Scientific Method to develop and test their own ideas through experimentation with ants.
Curated OER
The Copper Basin Problem
Students view a video about how human actions impact the environment. They design a set of experiments to address some of the problems and issues raised by the video.
Curated OER
Infectious Disease Case Study
Learners list the steps an epidemiologist takes to detect a pathogen. They role-play as scientists as they investigate the cause of the outbreak in Japan during 1996.
Curated OER
What's Down There?
Investigate the coral reefs around Mokolai Island, Hawaii by researching and writing about improving the reef ecosystem. Students map threats to the ecosystem and use the list of key words to assist in their descriptions
National Wildlife Federation
Citizen Science to the Rescue!
You don't have to be a scientist or even out of high school to contribute to scientific research. In the 12th lesson plan in the series of 21, scholars use this opportunity to add to the growing body of scientific knowledge and consider...
Field Museum
The Case of Darwin's Finches
One of the most striking pieces of evidence for Darwin's Evolution of Species was his observations of finches and how their beaks differed from island to island, depending on their primary food sources. So what would happen to the theory...
Curated OER
"Conducting a Watershed Snapshot of Blockhouse Creek"
Students examine specific skills in assessing water quality from a holistic approach. They assess the health of a local watershed and identify problems in the local watershed and suggest remediation.
Curated OER
Genetics
Trace simple genetic patterns of inheritance through a small population. Your students create a family pedigree that traces a genetic condition through several generations.
Curated OER
The Effect of Natural Selection on Genes, Traits and Individuals
Rotating through five stations, evolutionary biologists explore the question of how changes in DNA facilitate the changes in a population over time. High-quality, colorful cards of animals, skeletons, skulls, and DNA sequences can all be...
Curated OER
Studying Plant Development Through Metabolic Activity
A hands-on activity which allows young scholars to learn about cellular respiration. This lesson contains a range of investigations testing the rates of cellular respiration to demonstrate the relationship between metabolic rates of...
Curated OER
Characteristics of Living Things
Students discuss the criteria for living things with their groups. They come to a consensus on at least five or more characteristics of a living thing. They determine if the lab samples are living, non-living, or other.
Curated OER
Window Gardens
Students use a plastic sandwich bag containing a damp paper towel taped to a window as a model system to observe the germination and early growth of radish seeds. They are challenged to pose a question about seed germination and growth...
Curated OER
What's The Big Deal About Accutane?
Young scholars take on the role of epidemiologists. They investigate an "outbreak" in serious birth defects that occur in infants born to teenage girls. students discover a link between the use of the acne drug called Accutane and birth...
Curated OER
Water Quality and Watersheds: A GIS Investigation
Requiring more than one class period, this resource takes earth science learners on a journey through a watershed. Using ArcGIS Explorer, an online geographic information system, they view maps of watersheds and surrounding landscapes....
Nuffield Foundation
Monitoring the Body's Reaction to Stress
When stressed, do you prefer the fight or flight response? Scholars observe, measure, and identify the body's response to stress using a well-researched methodology. They learn about the autonomic nervous system, hormones, and more.
Science 4 Inquiry
The Ins and Outs of Photosynthesis
The most important chemical process on Earth is photosynthesis. Scholars explore the changes in the gases in our atmosphere as life on Earth developed. They create a model of photosynthesis and consider simple questions.
Teach Engineering
Heart to Heart
Begin a unit on the heart, the parts and the function of the heart, and about heart disease with a resource that includes a lecture, a PowerPoint presentation, and research information. The lesson is the first of a four-part series...
Curated OER
Understanding How Potatoes Grow
Second graders make a KWL chart and brainstorm what they need for the project of growing potatoes. They choose one potato and plant it in water or peat moss cups and choose a location in which meets the needs of the plants and make their...
Curated OER
Mitosis and Cell Division
Students discover the processes that occur during mitosis and what makes each phase different and distinct from the others as well as how each contribute to the overall process of mitosis by looking at onion root tips under a microscope.
Curated OER
The Effect of Math Anxiety on Cardiovascular Homeostasis
Using a pulse monitor, learners will measure a resting pulse, take a math test, and then measure the pulse again. They analyze the change in pulse and compare it to performance on the test. This multi-purpose lesson plan can be used in a...
Curated OER
Ecology
Learners explore, experience and experiment identifying the human impact on the environment of vegetative differences within the same biome. They assess what causes deserts, rain forests, savannahs, tundras and saguaros and how these...
Curated OER
An Arm and A Leg
Young scholars examine how the movements of bones are dependent on the interaction of pairs of muscles. They design and construct a prototype of an artificial limb using a syringe system, and determine whether water or air makes the...
Curated OER
Telling Our Own Stories
Explore online profiles and social media with your middle and high school classes. Use blogs to inspire your class to craft a well-written, thoughtful response to a prompt you give. A few example prompts are given.
Curated OER
The Marvels of Mud
Young scientists roll up their sleeves and get a little dirty in this three-day earth science investigation. Following the scientific method, children monitor the growth of algae in pond water samples in order to determine...