Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Global Warming: Life in a Greenhouse

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the evidence that scientists have used to support the existence of global warming and the greenhouse effect. How the concepts have been developed and evaluated form the focus of this lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mr. and Miss Big Feet

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders experiment with gravitational force. In this physical science lesson plan, 3rd graders send matchbox cars off a ramp while changing the amount of weight attached to the car. Students record their data and discuss the results.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mystery Minerals

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students minerals and how they form. They investigate the classification of minerals according to physical properties. Students watch a video about mineral characteristics. In groups, students participate in hands-on activities and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering the Wetlands!

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students name wetland plant and animal life.  In this ecosystem lesson students go birdwatching and interpret native plants through art. 
Lesson Plan
Teach Engineering

Life Cycles

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Breathe some life into product design. Pupils learn about the stages of product creation, use, and disposal—sometimes called a cradle-to-grave assessment. They see how this cycle relates to the life cycle of organisms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Photovoltaics and Solar Energy

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students experiment with photovoltaic cells and determine the energy use of their appliances. In this renewable energy lesson, students calculate the energy emitted by a photovoltaic cell through an inquiry-based lab. They keep track of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dust in the Wind; Chemicals in the Water

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore mechanical and chemical weathering at stations. They articulate some mechanisms of chemical and mechanical weathering through exploration in a lab. Students stations describe how chemical weathering differs from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scientific Inquiry

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners create a poster. In this recycling lesson, students discuss pollution and the ways humans negatively affect the environment. Learners describe examples of litter or pollution they have experienced. Students collect litter from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Improving the Building Envelope System

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explain the different heat transfer mechanisms and how they influence the building envelope. They develop ways in which the building envelope can be improved and test hypotheses about building envelope designs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Improving the HVAC System

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students describe the components of an HVAC system and determine which factors influence how efficient the system can be. They work together to develop hypotheses about the systems and their cost effectiveness and efficiency.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tornadoes

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the characteristics of a tornado. They practice using new vocabulary and participate in a question and answer session. They use the internet to gather more specific information.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Envelope System: A Partial Solution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Studnet identify examples of conduction, convection and radiation. They develop an example of a building envelope. They also describe how heat transfer mechanisms can affect home energy costs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dig Into Ireland

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore environments and wildlife of Ireland to find out how they were formed, and how they helped form Irish culture. Students research online to determine connections between present elements in Irish culture and wildlife and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Energy Motion in the Ocean

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the wave energy that is generated and transferred in the ocean. Through the use video and the Internet, students explore the aspects of a wave and how its energy affects the ecology of the seashore.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Food Chains & Food Webs

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders examine how energy is lost through different trophic levels.  In this trophism lesson students construct a food web and view a video. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Solar System: Go Green with the Sun!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders learn how to use solar power.  In this sun, technology and energy lesson, 3rd graders learn how the solar power from the sun can give off energy, learn about solar panels, discuss their uses and benefits, and design a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Cycle Activity

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Learners build a model and observe the cycle of evaporation and condensation that occurs in the water cycle. They see how the water cycle works, such as water condensing on the side of the jar and drops precipitating into rain that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Volcano! Is That a Volcano on Your Plate?

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students investigate where volcanos come from. For this volcano lesson, students watch videos do Internet research and participate in experiments to discover the cause of volcanos.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wonder Underground

For Teachers K - 3rd
Learners classify and record objects they find "underground." In this observation lesson plan, students dig into bins filled with soil and encounter various objects such as bark, twigs, etc. Learners classify their findings.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simulating the Greenhouse Effect in a Terrarium

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students identify what factors effect global warming and how the greenhouse effect occurs.  For this environmental lesson students view videos then complete an experiment using a terrarium to observe greenhouse gas.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Are We Falling Apart? Exploding Volcanoes

For Teachers 5th - Higher Ed
Pupils explore how volcanoes are formed, list the parts and characteristics of volcanoes, state the differences in various types of lava, and analyze the volume of ejecta from a volcano.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water & Ice

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners investigate the properties of water. In this states of water lesson, students explore how water goes from liquid to solid and back to liquid again. Learners use measurement, observation, and communication to describe the change.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oxidation and Salt

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the reaction on iron in water, air, and sodium chloride. They create a situation that shows this process and gives them the opportunity to hypothesize what, why, and how. They keep records and do an oral and written ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Heat Escape

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students observe a demonstration on the role of thermal conductivity in heat transfer.  In this thermal conductivity lesson, students design and conduct an experiment to compare the thermal conductivity of four substances....