Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Molecules to the Max!—Teacher's Discovery Guide
Molecules to the Max! refers to a movie released in 2009 about the world of atoms and molecules. A helpful discovery guide provides five posters on science topics typically covered at the middle school level. It also explains the...
American Chemical Society
The Discovery of Fullerenes
Carbon is the most common element on earth, so the innovative discovery of a new type of carbon molecule won the 1996 Nobel Prize. In the ready-to-go lesson, scholars learn about C60 and how it has opened up the entire area of...
Curated OER
Prehistoric Discoveries
Students agree or disagree with several statements about ancient animals, then read a news article about recent prehistoric discoveries. For this earth science and current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a...
Curated OER
What Part of the Earth's Surface is Covered by Oceans?
Third graders investigate oceans. In this Earth science lesson, 3rd graders predict how much of the Earth's surface is covered by oceans. Students determine if their predictions are accurate by throwing a globe to...
Virginia Department of Education
Mineral Identification
What's the difference between a rock and a mineral? And what properties are used to identify minerals? The first installment of a five-part series on earth materials and processes prompts young scientists to identify a set of...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
What van Leeuwenhoek Saw
When van Leeuwenhoek saw cells and single-celled organisms for the first time, he knew these small things were a big deal! Share his discoveries with young learners through a narrated video, model-building activity, and scale study....
Curated OER
Earth Movers and Shakers
Students explore how the centuries-old invention of the lever led to today's applications in mobiles and crowbars. They watch a video on the lever, then utilize worksheets imbedded in this plan to guide their experiments.
Curated OER
Earth's Energy Cycle: Albedo
Students complete all of the steps in the scientific inquiry process to study Earth's energy cycle; most specifically temperature and the effects of albedo (energy reflected back from Earth's surface) on temperature.
Curated OER
Voyage of Discovery
Students develop a sense of the scale of our solar system by creating a one to ten billion scale model. They calculate the relative sizes and distances for the planets and asteroid belt using a guiding worksheet. To create the model they...
Curated OER
Your Expedition of Discovery
Students study GPS and see how it is used to determine points on the Earths surface. In this expedition lesson students use GPS to find given coordinates.
NASA
The Discovery of Jupiter Radio Waves
Lead your class on a journey to the planet Jupiter and provide them with fun facts in the process. Learners explore radio waves emitted by Jupiter to further understand how this data helps our daily lives. They conclude by discussing...
NOAA
To Explore Strange New Worlds
It's time to boldly go where your class has not gone before! The introductory instructional activity in a five-part series takes young oceanographers aboard the NOAA Ship Okeanos to begin a study of ocean exploration. The instructional...
Curated OER
The Basics: Earth Science
Students define terms and watch a segment from a film. In this scientific theory lesson students work in small groups and draft a theory that was discussed in the program.
Curated OER
Scientists Discover Giant Frog Fossil
Students examine a world map and read a news article about the discovery of a giant frog fossil. In this earth science and current event lesson, the teacher introduces an article with a discussion about continental drift and a vocabulary...
Jefferson Lab
The Periodic Table of Elements
A study of the periodic table of elements doesn't have to be elementary! Deepen understanding of the building blocks of chemistry with an interactive periodic table. At first sight, the table looks like a standard reference page, but a...
Curated OER
Discovery Science Library: The Basics Physical Science
Students examine friction and gravity. affect four sports. In this scientific discovery lesson, students examine how friction and gravity affect sports. They discuss, write, and illustrate the effect of different forces on various...
Curated OER
Student Guide: Evolution Videodisk from Videodiscovery
Students use this worksheet with the videodisk from Video discovery titled Evolution: Inquiries into Biology and Earth Science.Written because there is no computerized control program available, it is to be used with a standard videodisk...
NOAA
Journey to the Unknown
What's it like to be a deep-sea explorer? Tap into the imaginations of your fifth and sixth graders with a vivid activity, the second part of a six-part adventure. Learners close their eyes and submerge themselves in an expedition aboard...
Curated OER
Life on the Moon
Students study the physical properties of the Moon. In this life on the moon lesson students describe the ways life on the Moon would be different than on Earth.
Curated OER
Soil Layers
Ninth graders identify the different layers of soil. In this earth science lesson, 9th graders explain how limestone layers are formed. They identify the different parts of the coral colony.
Curated OER
Applied Science - Science and Math Post-Lab
Students use scientific tools. In this Applied Science lesson plan, students investigate the use of scientific tools to enhance observation and discovery. Students indicate how each tool assists scientific work.
Curated OER
The Basics:Life Science
Students explore concepts in life science using segments drawn from Discovery Channel. For this life science lesson, students participate in discussions about the food chain. Students create a poster to illustrate a predator...
Curated OER
Introduction to Natural Selection
Students develop an understanding of natural selection, specifically, how it unfolds from generation to generation. They work in small groups to perform an experiment using beans. They use a worksheet imbedded in this plan to guide their...
Curated OER
The Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM) Lesson
Introduce your class to one of the ways that technology is benefiting humanity. The Global Precipitation Measurement Mission involves the data collected by nine satellites from different countries with a united focus on studying world...