Curated OER
There Must Be Something in the Water
Students read a New York Times article as a class and discuss how groundwater near a nuclear test site may have been contaminated. They explore how groundwater contamination can spread through aquifers by participating in a simulation.
Curated OER
Water Quality and Temperature
Pupils evaluate the effects of temperature changes on the metabolic rate of a clam. Conclusion questions are addressed which help students to process and articulate their experiences.
Curated OER
Then and Now, A Watershed in San Francisco
Young scholars compare recent and historic maps to explore landscape changes. Using photos provided, students identify prominent features on the maps. They discuss differences in landscape, human impact on watershed, and changes in...
American Chemical Society
M&M's in Different Sugar Solutions
To conclude a mini unit on the dissolving of M&Ms® candy coating, this lesson investigates whether or not the concentration of sugar in the solvent affects the dissolving rate. Consider having older science learners write their own...
Cornell University
Predicting Chemical Reactions
Prove the Law of Conservation of Mass through a lab investigation. A well-designed lesson asks groups to combine materials and monitor indicators for chemical reactions. Measuring the mass of the reactants and products allows individuals...
Thomson Delmar Learning
Art Lesson Plans
Bean shaker paintings and coffee grounds mosaics. Melted crayon drawings and raised glue art. Ten art projects for little ones are detailed in a 14-page packet.
Cornell University
The Science of Snowflakes
Who can grow the best crystals? Challenge class members to develop strategies for enhancing growth in the crystals. Through a lab investigation, learners study the properties of crystals and test the effectiveness of different...
K5 Learning
Changes
You can't unring a bell, but can you unmelt an ice cube? Readers consider reversible and irreversible changes with a short informational reading passage and accompanying comprehension questions.
DiscoverE
Squishy Circuits
Make electricity flow through Play-Doh. Individuals create animals or other creatures using Play-Doh. The engineering aspect? Eyes that light up and Play-Doh that conducts electricity.
Quia
Charlotte’s Web Lesson Plan
Make your classroom into a place of kindness and compassion with E.B White's Charlotte's Web. The first four pages of the lesson plan guide you through several steps and projects, including discussions on Charlotte and Wilbur's...
NOAA
Currents
Learn how ocean currents are vital to humans and marine life. The eighth installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program, focuses on ocean currents and how they affect global climate. The...
Michigan State University
Create an Animal
Think beyond the animals and habitats we've already discovered and allow scholars to dream up their very own habitat and an animal that lives there. Class members present the new habitat and animal on a poster alongside an...
Science Geek
Reaction Types
This is one way to get a reaction from your classes! The lesson presents the different reaction types with an explanation, chemical equation model, and examples. The slides include decomposition, single replacement, double replacement,...
Colorado State University
Why Do Raindrops Sometimes Land Gently and Sometimes with a Splat?
A mouse can fall from large heights without injury! Air resistance is a large influence on small falling objects. In an exploratory lesson, young scholars build a raindrop bottle to compare the falling rate of different-sized objects.
LABScI
Acids and Bases: Cabbage Juice pH Indicator
Explore the range of pH using an assortment of household liquids. Scholars create their own pH indicators from cabbage and determine the pH of several liquids. To further their exploration, individuals use the same liquids to create...
It's About Time
Properties of Matter
Never trust an atom; they make up everything! Young chemists make modeling dough and add another ingredient to change the properties. Scholars then compare the properties of emulsion to composite materials. A reading passage and analysis...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Biology Reference Sheet
First year life science or biology pupils will appreciate this all-inclusive reference page. It provides a diagram of both a plant and an animal cell, the metric system prefixes, classification levels, definitions for cell processes, the...
NASA
Observing Monsoon Weather Patterns with TRMM Data
Follow a fabulous slide show on how monsoons form and how satellite technology is being used to observe the phenomena, explaining why they occur. Afterward, visit the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) website to access actual...
Curated OER
Relative Age Dating
Modeling dough and paper cutouts in science class? Learn about how relative age dating concepts, like the Law of Superposition and cross-cutting relationships, can be used to describe the formation of sedimentary layers.
Center for Learning in Action
Investigating Physical and Chemical Changes
Super scientists visit ten stations to predict, observe, and draw conclusions about the physical and chemical changes that occur when different states of matter—liquid, solid, and gas—are placed under a variety of conditions. To...
Science Matters
Ring of Fire
Over a period of 35 years, earthquakes and volcanoes combined only accounted for 1.5 percent of the deaths from natural disasters in the United States. The 15th lesson in a 20-part series connects the locations of earthquakes and...
DiscoverE
Puff Mobiles
You've probably heard of solar-powered cars, but what about wind-powered cars? Scholars build cars that can travel at least six feet. They can only use their breath to move the car—so, obviously, a sail might be a good feature for the...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Historical Climate Cycles
Scientists use ice core samples to obtain temperatures of the earth from 400,000 years ago! The third of five lessons instructs pupils to interpret historical climate data to see changes over time. In part I, participants interpret...
August House
The Magic Pot
The Magic Pot by Patricia Coombs is the theme of this multidisciplinary lesson plan. Early readers first take part in a read aloud and grand conversation about the story's details. Then, they get to work practicing their skills in...