Curated OER
Apply Scientific Inquiry and Scientific Habits of Mind
Students review the components of the scientific inquiry method. In groups, they develop hypothesis on a variety of different topics and design an investigation or experiment to test it. They share their conclusions with the class and...
Curated OER
Careers in Science
Students learn the trends in the current job market for scientists,
find where the jobs are, the range of salaries, and the job requirements.
They discover that scientists do some very interesting things, then
write a letter of...
Curated OER
Alka-Seltzer Cannons
Fourth graders examine how to conduct a reliable scientific experiment so that the results are valid. They compare and contrast the reaction of Alka-Seltzer tables, one whole and one crushed, and time how long each takes to pop the top...
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Radiation Reassessed
Students investigate the dangers of radiation by exploring recent nuclear tragedies. In this scientific debate lesson, students define the idea of radiation "half life" and determine if low doses of radiation are truly damaging to...
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Microscopes: Is what you see, what you got?
Eighth graders identify the parts and functions of the microscope. In this biology lesson, 8th graders observe different samples under different types of microscopes. They compare and contrast the details they see.
Curated OER
Suburban Ecosystems
High schoolers conduct simple sampling of plant and insect biodiversity at ground level in two contrasting environments of their own choosing. They recognize and record different species then compare and contrast species numbers in the...
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We Are Having a Party! Part II
Second graders, in groups, participate in a four-station rotation model to solve problems. They use coins and dice for stations one, two, and three.
Curated OER
Decomposers at Work!
Students design and conduct investigations that illustrate the process of decomposition. After a lecture/demo, students simulate the process of soil composting in the classroom. They closely chart the decomposition of their soil.
Curated OER
Bioremediation
Students design and conduct investigations that illustrate the effect bioremediation has on organic matter and determine environmental applications. They, in groups, present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
Plant Biotechnology: Controlling Tissue Differentiation
Students demonstrate hormonal control of plant tissue differentiation and relate this differentiation to gene expression. They explore the effects of hormones (auxin and cytokinin) on the genes that control tissue differentiation in callus.
Curated OER
How Long? How Tall?
Seventh graders investigate the parts of the human body and examine the symmetry of body parts like arms and legs. They measure the body parts and take individual height and weight to compare the quantities. Student examine whether the...
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Educating the Community
Students research the effects of invasive and exotic plants. They create posters, webpages and books to educate the community. They present their material in different forums.
Curated OER
Field Experiments on Succession
Student develop a hypothesis regarding the effects of either mowing or fertilizer upon the diversity of plant species in a grassland ecosystem. They set up experiment field plots and measure species richness.
Curated OER
Towel Testing
Students examine how to design and implement experiments. In this paper towel experiment activity students test the strength of paper towels.
Curated OER
Introduction to the Barnegat Bay Estuary
Students research estuaries. For this estuaries lesson, students discuss the differences in a bay and an ocean. Students watch a PowerPoint of the properties of the estuaries and geography of Barnegat Bay. Students complete a worksheet...
Curated OER
Coin Shake-Up
Students discuss problem and take turns in pairs, one tossing the coins while the other guesses whether the coins land with the same side up or different sides up. They record the results of each guess as same or different.
Curated OER
Determination of Phosphates
Young scholars engage in a laboratory instructional activity in order to increase understanding of the impact of phosphates at the chemical and ecological levels. The lab exercise is completed with the goal of getting them to predict the...
Curated OER
Careers in Science
Stuents explore the current job market for scientists. They explore types of jobs, salary range and job requirements. Students write a letter of application for a particular job.
Other
U. Of Wisconsin: Formulating Statistical Questions and Collecting Data
This slideshow gives a detailed explanation of the characteristics of statistical questions and how they differ from other types of questions, the types of studies, and the methods for collecting data. It describes the case of Clever...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Collecting Data and Making Predictions
Given an experimental situation, the student will write linear functions that provide a reasonable fit to data to estimate the solutions and make predictions.
Vision Learning
Visionlearning: Data: Uncertainty, Error, and Confidence
An explanation of how errors may affect data that has been collected for experimentation. Some examples are given.
Carnegie Mellon University
Chem Collective: Ozone: A Scenario Based Activity in Kinetics
Students use kinetics to interpret raw experimental data to determine the mechanism of ozone destruction. In this pen and pencil activity, students are given data obtained from laboratory experiments to study the ozone depletion reaction.
PBS
Pbs Lesson Plan: Chances Are Talking Probability (Pdf) [Pdf]
An introductory lesson in probability for students in grades three to five. The concepts presented in this lesson are interwoven, over time, into a current unit of study. Students examine closely the "language" of probability as used in...
Vision Learning
Visionlearning: Data: Statistics in Science
An explanation of how statistics allows scientist to explore the degree of uncertainty that accompanies conclusions that are based on data collected during experimentation and research.