Third graders investigate how and why scientists use classification. They discuss classification strategies using animals, and as a class fill in a flowchart with their responses. Next, in small groups they cut out a variety of shapes...

It's alive, but what is it? Protists share similarities with plants, animals, and fungi without being classified as any of those three. Learn more about protists and the kingdom fungi with a short presentation. It describes the parts of...

Learners practice skills used in scientific investigation while studying the three main types of galaxies. Students identify Earth as part of Milky Way galaxy, the parts of galaxies, and the types of galaxies, as well as classify...

Your older elementary students investigate electromagnetic energy and the electromagnetic spectrum. They will observe 7 items represented in the electromagnetic spectrum and make a poster of all the things the items have in common. After...

Third graders listen to a talk on phase transitions and view three demonstrations. In this phases of matter lesson plan, 3rd graders complete a worksheet as they listen about phase transitions. They move through three demonstrations of...

So, this is not technically a worksheet, but rather a chapter of reading material, pictures, and diagrams introducing young biologists to the cell. Cell theory, diversity, size, and shape are described. The internal organization and...

Young learners listen to a read aloud of Gail Gibbons book, Apples and the story A Red House With No Windows and No Doors. They compare characteristics of a number of kinds of apples, graph them and create a apple print picture. Learners...

Ready for a change? Give a comprehensive collection of metamorphic materials a try! With the assortment of printables and lab activities, you won't be under pressure to keep things lively. The unit culminates by having...

Students, after exploring and analyzing diagrammatic and taxonomic keys and their association to marine sciences, identify and classify objects and organisms based on visual attributes/characteristics. They research and create their own...

Students are introduced to the various states of matter. After watching a video, they discover how to compare the three states using its shape and volume. In groups, they participate in an experiment with solids, liquids and gases and...

Students explore fruits and vegetables. In this fruits and vegetables lesson, students study traits of various fruits, vegetables and seeds. Students rename fruits, vegetables and seeds.

Test your learners' sensory awareness with three hands-on activities that ask pupils to use their other senses to identify and describe everyday objects hidden from sight.  

How diverse is the rainforest? How much more diverse is a rain forest than a temperate forest? Explore these focus questions in a lesson that explores the plants, animals, and insects in forests. After listening to a reading...

Geology beginners examine three different rock samples and determine their origin by their characteristics. By making and recording observations, they become familiar with features of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock types....

Pupils collect rocks, identify them, classify them, investigate their properties, and more. In this rocks lesson plan, students also experiment with soil and erosion and weather.

Students observe leaves. In this plant biology instructional activity, students examine leaves and classify them according to size, shape, and color. Students learn more about the leaves by visiting suggested websites.

Pine needles are actually modified leaves. In the 16th installment of 20, young scientists explore plants. Through an analysis of leaves — shape, veins, and edges — pupils see how to classify plants based on structural features.

Dive into the world of plankton. The 17th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program introduces different types of plankton. Young scientists then use what they have learned to classify...

Crystal comes from a Greek word meaning ice. Activity eight in a series of 36 has class members analyzing amorphous and crystalline solids and further classifying them based on their forces. They then explore solids, learning about unit...

Host an exciting lab in which learners burn fruit rinds to better understand hydrocarbons. A reading passage and analysis questions wrap up the lesson. 

Students explore a variety of animals that live on our planet. The shapes, sizes, colors, movements, and coverings of the animals are observed. The similarities and differences in the animals are grouped according to common traits.

Students identify, sort, and classify mineral samples that make up a common rock.

Students will use water, cornstarch, eggs, and more to explore the different states of matter. They will make observations of an unknown substance called "Oobleck" and test its liquid and solid properties. This would be a great lesson to...

Students classify galaxies by their shape using the Hubble Tuning Fork Diagram.