Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Selection and Variation in the Egyptian Origami Bird

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students participate in a contrived natural selection simulation in which they build and modify simple paper airplanes. They study divergent and convergent evolution and how it is isolated in sub-populations.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Wonder What the Manduca Life Cycle Looks Like

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Learners create their own insect, build a model of it and explain its life cycle.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Aerodynamics And Me

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders design, construct, refine, and test cars that they build on the computer screen. They find the density of several objects using the techniques used to find volume. They measure various common objects to become more...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

TE Lesson: Land on the Run

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students study the causes of different types and speeds of landslides. They determine that landslides are the result of gravity, friction, and the materials involved. They examine the step engineers are taking to prevent and avoid...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WORM WATCHING

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students investigate how earthworms help build good soil. They examine the worms carefully to find the ringlike segments and swollen band at the front of the earthworm's body. Students take turns dampening the soil every day and adding...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thirstin's Groundwater Movement Activity

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Learners examine how ground water flows through different materials. In groups, they identify the different types of rocks in various aquifers. To end the lesson, they pretend to be water as others pretend to be rocks and try to make...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Polymer

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate polymers by completing 3 experiments. In this polymer lesson plan, students mix plastic with acetone, they create polyurethane foam, they make slime and build a polymer model once their polyurethane foam is set. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jitterbug

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students build a motorized toy. In this science fair project idea, students use everyday objects and an electric hobby motor to build a motorized toy that seems to dance.
Lesson Plan
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Ships to a New World

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students experiment with buoyancy as a force. In this buoyancy lesson, students access an assigned website to examine the sailing vessels that came to the New World. They work as teams to build boats out of aluminum foil to see which...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Circuit Boards

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners explore circuits.  In this electricity science lesson plan, students build a circuit board after viewing a related PowerPoint presentation. Detailed instructions are included.
Lesson Plan
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Earth Day Lesson

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students analyze Earth science by answering environmental study questions. In this Earth Day lesson, students read the book The Lorax and identify the themes within it. Students define several recycling vocabulary terms and create an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forces and Motion

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students build parachutes for chicken eggs. In this physics lesson, students describe the forces acting on a falling object. They predict which of the three parachute models they made has the best chance of keeping the egg intact after a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Does Dna Look Like?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students build DNA strands and practice base pairing rules using an interactive website in this technology-based lesson for a high school science class. This lesson includes links to the interactive website, a worksheet, and a video...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Magnets

For Teachers K
Students demonstrate the process of science by posing questions and investigating phenomena through language, methods and instruments of science as they experiment at four teacher-created stations to explain the fundamentals of magnetism.
Lesson Plan
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Sound

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore and examine the basic properties of sound. In pairs, they speak through a balloon and listen to the sound vibrations, and listen to a ticking clock or watch through a variety of materials and identify the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coal Derivatives

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students use this hands-on activity to demonstrate the production of coke, one of the most widely used raw materials derived from coal. They are also stimulated to do research into the differences in coal types and coal products.
Lesson Plan
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Experience the 5E Instructional Model with Electrical Circuits

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students build electrical circuits. In this lesson teaching pre-service teachers how to use the 5E instructional model, students use materials to explore how to create an electrical circuit.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

18th Century Microscope

For Teachers K - 12th
Young scholars examine a microscope from the 18th century. In this microscope lesson, students investigate how it works, what it was used for and how the tool has evolved through the years. Young scholars also build knowledge on how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Parts of a Tree

For Teachers K
Students create a tree model. For this parts of a tree lesson, students read A Tree is a Plant, then discuss what trees are used for. Students use various materials to build and label their own tree.
Lesson Plan
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Wedge Game

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the Carbon Mitigation Initiative by playing the Wedge Game. In this environmental science lesson plan, students discuss different strategies to reduce carbon emissions. They evaluate their strategies and rate...
Lesson Plan
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Energy Transformations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate energy transformation in the form of wind energy. They read a handout, answer questions, identify points in an energy system where transformations occur, and build a wind turbine.
Lesson Plan
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Newton Gets Me Moving

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students discuss Newton's laws of motion. The conduct motion experiments by building "Newton Rocket Cars" from assorted materials. They propel the cars with rubber bands and wooden blocks and record the distance traveled on data sheets.
Lesson Plan
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Electricity

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders experiment to find out how to light a bulb with simple materials. They make predictions if a light bulb set-up could work and gain knowledge to tell the difference between an open and closed circuit. They also figure out...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Do We Explore Strange Environments?

For Teachers K - 4th
Students identify and label the different parts of a robot, rover, or a spacecraft. They discuss and record all of the features their robot will need to accomplish its mission and be able to explain why they chose these features to...