Curated OER
What Can Data Tell Us?
Students analyze data they have collected themselves and by their classmates. In groups, they create data distributions to identify the highest, lowest and middle values. As a class, they discuss the concept of sample size and how it can...
Office of the New Jersey State Climatologist
Play Ball! – Or Not…Making a Decision Using Weather Data
Should the game go on or not? An engaging lesson asks small groups to make a decision using weather data. After analyzing a map, an updated forecast, and radar information, groups have to decide whether to cancel a baseball game. They...
Berkshire Museum
Camouflage!: Collecting Data and Concealing Color
Help young scholars see the important role camouflage plays in the survival of animals with a fun science lesson. Starting with an outdoor activity, children take on the role of hungry birds as they search for worms represented by...
Learning Games Lab
Water Sampling
Scientific procedures ensure valid data and valid results. Use a water sampling interactive to teach learners the procedures for collecting water samples. The interactive takes users through the process step-by-step with notes of...
Curated OER
Graphing Predator/Prey Data
Young scholars use data from the Camouflage Game (played with red and green yarn caterpillars) to create a composite bar graph to display the collected data. They interpret the data and form a conclusion based on the graphs. Teachers may...
Curated OER
Wildlife and Highway Management
Students create a research questions about animal underpasses and how animals use them. In this animals lesson plan, students use their collected data to answer their question.
Curated OER
Olympic Line Graphs
Sixth graders examine how to make line graphs. In this Olympic line graph lesson plan students make line graphs and search the given Internet sites to find data on their summer Olympic Game.
Curated OER
Are There Too Many Elk?
Young scholars study elk populations in Arizona. For this data lesson students read an article on monitoring elk populations, analyze data and make management recommendations.
Curated OER
The Game is Afoot - A Study of Sherlock Holmes
Mystery is an exciting genre for young readers to investigate. The plots are so intriguing! Here is a series of lessons featuring Sherlock Holmes stories that invite learners to enter the world of the mystery genre. Based on what...
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Nuclear Popcorn
Make your lesson on radioactive decay pop with this lab exercise. Using popcorn kernels spread over a tabletop, participants pick up all of those that point toward the back of the room, that is, those that represent decayed atoms. As the...
University of California
Seasons Lab Book
Unlock the mystery behind seasonal change with a collection of worksheets and activities. Whether they are drawing pictures of Earth's orbit around the sun or graphing the temperature and daylight hours of different locations...
Discovery Education
Sonar & Echolocation
A well-designed, comprehensive, and attractive slide show supports direct instruction on how sonar and echolocation work. Contained within the slides are links to interactive websites and instructions for using apps on a mobile device to...
Cheetah Outreach
Population Change
Your youngsters become cheetahs in search of food, water, shelter, and space in a fun physical game that does a fantastic job of representing fluctuating species population based on resources available over years.
Science 4 Inquiry
Deforestation
Young scientists observe deforestation from satellite photos and discuss the importance of forests to the global environment. They then simulate a plot of forest when farmers move into the area over the course of seven years. Finally,...
Curated OER
How Do We Solve the Problem of Wildlife on Our Roads?
Students analyze data on elk ecology and movements across the highway. In this ecology lesson, students research ways to save them from highway collisions. They write a report and present their findings in class.
Center Science Education
Plugged In To CO2
Watt is going on here? Middle schoolers are learning about energy use and carbon dioxide emissions! In the first part of this lesson, learners measure how much energy different appliances consume and calculate the amount per day. In...
Alabama Wildlife Federation
Big Fish, Little Fish
Tag, you're eaten! A lesson on predator-prey relationships uses the game freeze tag as a model. Learners become either a predator or prey and play a game of tag as the prey tries to reach areas that house food and shelter. During the...
Curated OER
A Taste of Our Classroom
Students explore their classroom tastes. In this lesson plan, students list the four tastes that the tongue can detect, map the individual areas of taste on the tongue, and demonstrate the ability to identify objects through the use of...
Curated OER
Recycling - A Job Everyone Can Do
Students research recycling effort that take place in the US. They play an online game and complete handouts using Internet research.
Discovery Education
The Everyday Science of Sports
Physical science juniors will enjoy this sensational enrichment on aerodynamics, especially if they are also sports fans! With a focus on physical features and behaviors, collaborative groups make observations on five different golf...
Curated OER
Virtual Oil Well Game
Students play an online strategy game working with a limited budget. They collect and interpret seismic data to search for oil traps, file environmental impact statements before drilling and use drill logs to determine when to start...
Curated OER
Exploration of "Pillbugs"
Fifth graders define vocabulary terms, identify the characteristics of a pillbug, and create a dichotomous key. Then they examine the pillbugs and make observations and record these observations. Finally, 5th graders observe specific...
Science 4 Inquiry
Investigating How Heat Flows
It is impossible to cool down a glass of water by adding ice. Young scientists explore heat transfer through videos, experiments, and interactive games. They quickly catch on that the water melts the ice and things aren't always as they...
Curated OER
Details, Details
Students explore statistics by participating in a personal details activity. In this data collection lesson, students identify the importance of personal information collection and how it can be used against them if collected illegally....