Curated OER
What Living Things Need
Learners apply the process of scientific inquiry to explore how living things are dependent on one another for survival. They match animals with their generalized food source. Students predict what happens to the organisms when their...
Curated OER
What Do Parts Do?
Learners review the components of the scientific inquiry method. In groups, they identify and describe the components and functions of all of the parts of a plant. Using a diagram, they label the parts of the plant chosen and share...
Curated OER
Scientific Inquiry
Young scholars investigate the general geology, biology, and chemistry of Seneca Lake. They study how to use scientific instruments on the research vessel. They explain how the data they gather will be used by scientists and develop a...
Curated OER
Volcano Research Project
Eighth graders research about different types of volcanoes. In this earth science lesson, 8th graders create PowerPoint presentation on the information gathered. They share findings with the class.
Foundation for Water & Energy Education
How Can a Dam Affect a River? Activity B
Second in a pair of activities, young ecologists continue to examine the food pyramid of a freshwater ecosystem. They take a look at the food pyramid drawn in Activity A and consider what would happen if a reservoir was created on the...
Curated OER
Plants and Animals: Alike and Not Alike
After reading an informative paragraph that outlines some of the differences between plants and animals, fifth graders attempt to correctly categorize 12 words in a word bank. They must put them in the plant, or animal category. This...
Curated OER
Introduction And Brief History of Materials Science
Students develop an understanding of the concept of matter. They l participate actively in the bubble raft experiment as described on the Center for Thermal Spray Research's website. They demonstrate dislocations and grain...
Curated OER
Bird Buffet
Fifth graders investigate how birds use their beaks. In this agriculture lesson, 5th graders use tools to simulate how birds gather food with their beaks. They then draw conclusions about certain types of beaks and what types of food a...
NOAA
Biological Oceanographic Investigations – Through Robot Eyes
How can a robot measure the length of something when we don't know how far the camera is from the object? The lesson explains the concept of perspective and many others. Scholars apply this knowledge to judge the length of fish and the...
NOAA
Deep-Sea Ecosystems – A Tale of Deep Corals
Many have debated which came first, the chicken or the egg, but this lesson debates which came first, the hydrocarbons or the carbonate reef. After a discussion on deep-sea corals, scholars receive a set of questions to research and...
Curated OER
Inquiring Minds
Students demonstrate understanding of the scientific inquiry. They identify the major components of the scientific process.
Curated OER
By Golly By Gum
Learners identify the different steps in the scientific method. For this inquiry lesson, students determine the mass of the gum after chewing it for sometime. They explain what happens to the lost mass.
Friends of Fort McHenry
Cannons During the War of 1812
During the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812, only 25% of the bombs and rockets fired at Fort McHenry actually reached their target. Using an interactive online simulation, combine your historical study with physics and...
Concordia University Chicago
The Cradle by Berthe Morisot
The art activities found here have learners take a critical look at the role of women in the domestic setting. They analyze Berthe Morisot's The Cradle through a guided discussion. Then they paint men and women in traditional domestic...
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
Close Encounters
High schoolers investigate the cause of death of a fictitious school janitor. They develop hypotheses based on information discovered by examining the labels of household chemicals.
Science 4 Inquiry
It's Not All Visible
Electromagnetic waves travel though empty space, something no other wave type can accomplish. Young scientists learn more about the entire spectrum of electromagnetic waves. They sort cards and apply their knowledge to create models of...
Science 4 Inquiry
Genetics, Genetics, and More Genetics: Exploring Independent Assortment and Non-Mendelian Genetics
Two individuals share 99.9 percent of their genetic codes, yet diversity is observed everywhere. Young scientists learn about diversity through hands-on activities and an experiment. They apply the concepts of independent assortment and...
Columbus City Schools
Rocking the Cycle!
Time to rock out! Discover the "life" cycle of the average rock using an illustrative stations lab and stimulating pairs game. Roll the dice to determine your fate: will it be melting in magma or chilling out to form igneous rock? The...
Curated OER
Wind Power
What a wonderful way to explore wind power! Through this lesson, learners get a background in the history of wind power, create their own wind turbine, and the test their designs. This is a terrific way to tie scientific principles to...
National Institutes of Health
Open Wide and Trek Inside
Don't underestimate the value of a clean mouth! Here is a six-lesson unit that details everything a youngster needs to know about oral hygiene. It includes lessons on the purpose of a mouth and teeth, the nature of oral...
NASA
Analyzing Tiny Samples Using a Search for the Beginning Mass Spectrometry
Teach the basics of mass spectrometry with a hands-on lesson. The fourth in a series of six lessons explores how mass spectrometry measures the ionic composition of an element. Learners then compare and contrast relative abundance and...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Accessing Prior Knowledge: Global Climate Change Survey
Begin a unit on weather and climate change by assessing prior knowledge of the topic. Learners respond to a survey with questions that ask what they think causes climate change, the effects of climate change, and if it is important...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Historical Climate Cycles
Ice core samples give scientists access to climates of old—those from more than 800,000 years ago. Through an analysis of various temperature graphs from ice cores, tree rings, and weather stations, scholars compare historical climates...