Curated OER
"N.A.S.A." Tower Structures Lesson Plan
Young scholars, who are talented and gifted, create tower structure according to the given specifications that is able to support a tennis ball for 75 seconds but costs the least to build. They each design a tower in their journal but...
Curated OER
Genes at Work
Students explore and discuss genetics stories and answer questions about genetic outcomes of offspring. In this genetics lesson, students read genetics stories on a web site. Students use a chart to answer questions regarding the...
Curated OER
The West the Railroads made
Young scholars investigate the effects of time and distance for the creation of a successful railroad. In this railroad lesson, students recognize the railroad's need for an exact time schedule was the cause for the creation of...
Curated OER
Capturing Light: The Science of Photography
Students explore light, and how it travels in straight path, recognize that light-sensitive chemical processes can be used to create images using light as catalyst, discover that light can be refracted by convex lens to focus camera,...
Curated OER
Texture With Chemical Reactions
Students explore the use of different textures in watercolor paintings in this late-elementary lesson. Emphasis is placed upon the art element of texture using the science of chemical reaction. The lesson includes one possible extension.
Curated OER
Evaporation Introductory Lesson
Fourth graders examine the concepts of evaporation and the water cycle. They describe the relationship between heat energy, evaporation and condensation of water on Earth and identify the sun as the source of energy that evaporates...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Scale Models
With instructions to adapt the activities for any grade K-12, any teacher can incorporate the concept of scale into the classroom with a simple, yet effective lesson.
K5 Learning
The Astronomy Project
A passage about an astronomy lesson may leave readers starstruck. Fifth graders read about a class's exploration into the makeup of the galaxy and its constellations before answering six questions about the terms and vocabulary...
Judicial Branch of California
Defining Civic Duty and Participation
A lesson, geared toward older elementary scholars, combines art with social studies to explain the purpose of civic duty and how to encourage others in the community to participate. Academics create advertising campaigns to promote civic...
Curated OER
Fable Writing - Interdisciplinary Approach to Social Sciences
Before writing their own fables, class members select an animal or insect to use in their story and research its character, habits, movements, etc. After reading a wide variety of fables and identifying the elements of a fable, writers...
Curated OER
Top Quark Lab
Students find the mass of the top quark. For this physics lesson, students create a vector diagram from a given set of data. They discuss their calculations and findings in class.
Curated OER
Ask a NASA Engineer
Students develop questions to ask a NASA engineer to email them. After emailing the quesitons to the volunteer, the answers are sent to the class via the same method. To end the lesson, they formulate more questions and repeat the process.
Curated OER
Solar Car Races: Build and retrofit for speed
If you have solar car kits for your junior high schoolers, they can experiment with photovoltaic cell angle, light intensity, and aerodynamic design to discover what makes their car move more quickly. This is a classic activity to use...
Curated OER
Marine Habitats of Galveston Island
Four lessons introduce elementary ecologists to salt marsh and sandy beach habitats. In the first lesson, they place shells and other materials in vinegar to determine if they contain calcium carbonate. In the second lesson, they read a...
Curated OER
Buoyant Behavior
Combine science and literature with this instructional activity on buoyancy. Read There's an Ant in Anthony by Bernard Most to examine words containing the letters a, n, and t. Then introduce your class to the word "buoyant."...
Curated OER
The Water Cycle: States of Water
Elementary schoolers explore states of matter by concentrating on the ways in which water moves between its solid, liquid, and gaseous states in a variety of Earth environments. Learners interpret these movements through dance. The...
Curated OER
Centripetal Force
In order to investigate cetntripetal force and angular momentum, youngsters compare the motion of erasers hung from a string. It is not clear what type of Amish toy is needed in the warm up activity, so you may not be able to use it. The...
Curated OER
The Shadow Knows - Creating Shadows
Young learners recognize a shadow and witness how shadows occur when light is blocked. They access streamed video, standard video, and websites in order to engage in their study of how light is naturally blocked to create shadows. An...
Curated OER
To Group of Not to Group - That is the Question!
Upper elementary and middle schoolers use their observation skills to group different kinds of candy by similar characteristics. They debate whether or not we should classify objects. Finally, they learn that biologists have developed a...
Curated OER
Bones
Fifth graders observe real bones and models to learn about the structure and function of the skeletal system. In this skeletal system lesson, 5th graders manipulate objects and models of bones. They handle real bones and determine the...
Curated OER
1880s Agricultural Nation: Foods and Families on the Move
Students complete activities to learn about the agriculture during the 1880s. In this agricultural history lesson plan, students discuss the brainstorm questions about their neighborhood and its agricultural history. Students research to...
Curated OER
The Heart of the Matter
Upper elementary pupils learn about the blood transportation system and anatomy of the human heart. They fill in an outline of the human heart (not included) focusing on the flow of blood to and from the heart. Using stethoscopes,...
Curated OER
Urban Heat Islands: An Introduction to Energy Transfer and Transformation
Elementary school physical scientists explore kinetic mechanical energy by dropping a golf ball on different surfaces. They discuss how human made materials might react to light differently from nature made materials. This lesson plan...
Curated OER
Biology of Bats
Your class will love exploring animal conservation through this instructional activity on bats. Learners discuss the importance of bats in the ecosystem and talk about the different types and their characteristics. As a follow up, a...