US Apple Association
Apples: A Class Act! (Grades Pre-K–3)
Discover the nutritional wonders of apples and get to know Johnny Appleseed with a plethora of learning experiences that cover subjects math, history, English language arts, health, and arts and crafts. Activities include an apple...
US Environmental Protection Agency
Aquifer in a Cup
Young scientists create their very own aquifers in this science lesson on ground water. After learning about how some people get their drinking water from underground wells, young learners use sand, modeling clay, and aquarium rocks to...
Virginia Department of Education
A Crystal Lab
Young chemists grow ionic crystals, metallic crystals, and supersaturated crystals in three different lab experiments. Observing these under a microscope allows pupils to compare the various structures.
Curated OER
Create a Cloud in a Bottle
Meteorology or earth science classes reach for the sky with this lesson plan! You will need to purchase a Fizz Keeper® device and temperature strip for each lab group if you want them to perform this as an activity rather than you doing...
Lerner Publishing
Teaching Habitats
What makes up a habitat? Use this resource to engage first graders in the exploration of desert, wetland, forest, and ocean habitats. Youngsters classify plants and animals into the four distinct habitats through drawings and cutting and...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Making a PV Cell
Rise and shine! Class members collaborate to construct a photovoltaic solar cell with two semiconductor layers, as guided by this fabulous lab sheet. They test its output with an ammeter or galvanometer.
Curated OER
Bringing Water to a Village in Lesotho
Students research water in Lesotho. In this water lesson, students watch videos showing how water comes to Lesotho Africa, they will compare this to how water is acquired in the US. Students will then create a mobile showing the...
Baylor College
Needs of Plants
What better way to learn about plant life than by creating a class garden? Young botanists start with a brief discussion about radishes before planting seeds and watching them grow. To determine the importance of water,...
Center for Precollegiate Education and Training
Buoyancy Boats
What did the sea say to the boat? Nothing, it just waved. An inquiry-based instructional activity starts with a simple concept on the Archimedes Principle and challenges pupils to make something out of clay that floats....
Curated OER
Moo-Velous Butter!
Third graders investigate how temperature and motion (energy) create a chemical change that turns cream ( a liquid) into butter (a solid). They create a class pictograph of their favorite mils choices (white, chocolate, or strawberry)...
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Gravity Launch
Getting a ship into orbit isn't rocket science. Oh, wait...that's exactly what it is! Learn the basics of the concepts of thrust, launch angle, and gravitational pull in this fun and progressively challenging game.
Cornell University
Building a Compound Light Microscope
What better way to learn how to use a microscope than building your own? A lab investigation has scholars use lenses from magnifying glasses and sheets of cork to design their own compound microscopes. They calculate focal length...
Lerner Publishing
Living or Nonliving
It's alive! Or is it? Through a series of shared readings, whole class activities, and independent exercises children explore the difference between living and non-living things, creating a pair of printable books...
Curated OER
Papier-Mâché Globe
Paper mache projects are great for using up paper from the recycle bin. Give your class the chance to create a three-dimensional globe out of paper mache. They'll work to make their globes as accurate as possible, adding proper colors...
Serendip
Using Models to Understand Photosynthesis
Is your class in the dark about photosynthesis? Shed some sunlight on an important biological process with a thoughtful activity. After answering questions to help determine their level of knowledge, learners work with chemical equations...
Curated OER
Why Does the Cocoa Tree Need a Tropical Rainforest to Grow?
Fourth graders explore the requirements a cocoa plant needs to survive. They research where chocolate comes from and how humans can affect the growth of cocoa trees. Students create a 3-D model of a cocoa tree and compare and contrast...
PBS
A Little Recycling Goes A Long Way
Every time you purchase something from the store, it goes into a bag, but what happens to the bag? This lesson encourages your learners to think about what happens to those plastic and paper bags and their effect on the environment. Use...
Channel Islands Film
Dark Water: Lesson Plan 2 - Grade 3
A discussion of bioluminescence launches an investigation of animal adaptations. After re-watching the opening minutes of Dark Water, class members listen to a reading of What Do You Do with a Tail Like This, and then create a new...
DiscoverE
Pilot a Balloon
Balloons will go where you want them to. Young pilots first add paper clips to a balloon to make it neutrally buoyant. They then use cardboard to steer the balloon in different directions, taking air pressure into account.
Science 4 Inquiry
Eukaryotic Cells: The Factories of Life
Eukaryotes include humans, animals, and plants. Scholars learn about the parts of eukaryotic cells. They design models of a store and match the correct function of each part to the function of a part of the cell. They review their...
Discovery Education
The Time of Our Life
Mammals are some of the newest organisms to appear on Earth. Young scholars complete an activity that results in a timeline showing the appearance of different types of living organisms. Provided with a list that spans from prokaryotes...
Columbus City Schools
Constructive and Destructive Geologic Processes
Show the class the world as they've never seen it before—from way above! Learners try to unravel the mysteries presented by rich satellite imagery, learn to interpret topographic maps, and study erosion by constructing their very...
Curated OER
Lemon Batteries Revised
Fifth graders investigate how chemical energy in food and batteries is potential or stored energy. They discuss how batteries function, and create a class list of different forms of energy. Students then create a lemon battery that...
Virginia Department of Education
The Law of Conservation of Matter
The Law of Conservation of Matter can be complex for young scientists to fully grasp. Use this experiment to help simplify the process as pupils perform two experiments to determine mass: one that melts a substance and the other that...