Curated OER
Our Savage Planet in the News
Students research volcanoes, storms, atmospheric conditions, etc., find information and collect facts, create a simulation of a science news broadcast, watch a video clip of an avalanche, and create an artistic rendering of one naturally...
Curated OER
Spectral Surprise
Students create spectral colors. In this hands-on science lesson, students examine the electromagnetic spectrum as they follow steps to create a model that separates and displays light.
Curated OER
Density and Mass
Learners experiment to find which liquids are more dense. In this density and mass lesson, students predict and then test objects to observe and measure their density. learners observe which items sink and float. Students complete...
Curated OER
What happens to water before we use it?
Students examine how water is treated prior to becoming available for human consumption. In this water treatment instructional activity, students conduct an experiment in which they filter water. Students formulate a hypothesis, test,...
Curated OER
Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources: Mining in B.C.
Students explore energy by categorizing rocks. In this British Columbia geology lesson, students define many different vocabulary terms associated with mining such as sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. Students utilize sample rock...
Curated OER
Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation with Simple Machines
First graders engage in a lesson that is about Newton's Laws Of Gravitation while conducting research in order to perform an information search. They sing a song about the Law of Gravitation and play a game of Ring Around The Rosie. Then...
Curated OER
Animal Coverings
Students compare and contrast the types of coverings found on animals. They identify a wide variety of animals in a museum room. They classify animals based on their coverings as well.
Curated OER
Evaporation
Students study the evaporation stage of the water cycle. In this water cycle lesson, students participate in an experiment to study the process of evaporation that uses jars and water. Students complete an observation worksheet for...
Curated OER
Celestial Motions
Ninth graders complete a unit of lessons on the history of our knowledge of celestial objects. They conduct Internet research, plot the motion of a planet, construct a model of the sun's apparent motions, and create diagrams of the solar...
Curated OER
Lesson: Sand and Water
Pupils review background information about water tension and adhesive forces on sand. In this sand science lesson, students visit a beach and have a sand building competition near water and away from it. Pupils discuss water tension and...
Curated OER
Living With the Heat: The Ring of Fire
Students investigate the planet Earth's infamous ring of fire and the life that thrives from it. In this ocean environment lesson, students investigate hydrothermal vents and how organisms thrive off their heat. Students...
Curated OER
All I Want for Christmas is a Nice, Clean Earth
Learners observe properties of items, determine time it takes for organic/inorganic items to decompose, identify differences/similarities between decomposition, identify practical uses in litter/garbage control, & establish reasons...
Curated OER
Mother Earth - Father Sky
Third graders research and write about Cyrus Dillan. They explain one of Dillan's sculptures. Students locate six constellations and two planets. They research and write about the daily life of the Pawnee.
University of Colorado
The Moons of Jupiter
Middle schoolers analyze given data on density and diameter of objects in space by graphing the data and then discussing their findings. This ninth installment of a 22-part series emphasizes the Galilean moons as compared to other...
NASA
Analyzing Tiny Samples Using a Search for the Beginning Mass Spectrometry
Teach the basics of mass spectrometry with a hands-on lesson. The fourth in a series of six lessons explores how mass spectrometry measures the ionic composition of an element. Learners then compare and contrast relative abundance and...
University of Colorado
Can Photosynthesis Occur at Saturn?
In the 19th activity of 22, learners determine if distance from a light source affects photosynthesis. Participants capture oxygen in straws and find that the amount of water the gas displaces is proportional to the rate of photosynthesis.
Curated OER
Amounts of Dissolved Oxygen in Various Bodies of Water
Students test water to determine the dissolved oxygen content while displaying the proper use of testing instruments while visiting water testing sites. They determine if the amount of dissolved oxygen is appropriate for the tested...
PHET
Mapping the Field of a Dipole Magnet
High school scientists build their own magnetometer and use it to map the field surrounding a bar magnet. Excellent background resources is included, as well as a diagram of how to build the magnetometer.
University of Colorado
Looking Inside Planets
Researchers use scientific data to understand what is inside each of the planets. The first in a series of six, this lesson builds off of that concept by having pupils use a data table to create their own scale models of the interiors of...
University of Colorado
Looking Inside Planets
All of the gas giant's atmospheres consist of hydrogen and helium, the same gases that make up all stars. The third in a series of 22, the activity challenges pupils to make scale models of the interiors of planets in order to...
Curated OER
Properties of Fresh and Sea Water
Students work with three stations to demonstrate the properties of water. They explore water's boiling point, freezing point, and its ability to store heat.
NASA
Mystery Planet
What can one learn about a planet based on a small surface sample? Learners will explore artifacts from a mystery planet and see what they can determine about the planet based on the evidence in front of them.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Climate and Forest Ecosystem Services
Forests, through sequestration, capture excess carbon dioxide in our atmosphere and store it, aiding in climate change. The third installment in a four-part series on how climate impacts forests explores carbon sequestration....
Curated OER
Does Humidity Affect Cloud Formation?
Students use S'COOL data to identify factors that affect cloud formation. They find a data set using the S'COOL database , and use Excel to manipulate the data. Student isolate relevant data, create meaningful graphs from a spreadsheet,...