Curated OER
And the Survey Says...
Eighth graders evaluate whether a certain argument is valid or invalid. In this science instructional activity, 8th graders discuss the importance of using unbiased evidence. They design an experiment that they can test in school.
Curated OER
Favorite Penguin
Students research their favorite penguin. For this science lesson, students research penguins and create a presentation of their findings.
Curated OER
Hoosier Artists
Young scholars examine the paintings of various Indiana artists. Using the internet, they relate the landscapes shown to the history of the state and how it affected Native Americans. Using the information they gathered, they write story...
Curated OER
Medical Explorer
After reading a case study, pupils will explore possible diagnoses, assessment, and treatment plans. Finding the definitions to medical vocabulary and sorting through patient history, they will begin to understand the process of...
Curated OER
Air Pressure
Learners participate in a series of demonstrations about Bernoulli's principle. They explain how air pressure varies with air speed. They write a detailed lab report about the activity. This is a great way to explore this concept.
Curated OER
Water Quality Survey: Monitoring the Sustainability of Pigeon Creek
Students research the History of Pigeon Creek (or any watershed in your area). In this environmental science lesson, students conduct field tests such as pH and nitrates. They collect data and compare what they collected with other groups.
Curated OER
Highs and Lows
Plot data using the number line and discuss how negative numbers are used in math and science. Sixth and seventh graders share their graph with the class and provide an explanation for their plotting.
Curated OER
Indiana Travel Guide
Fourth graders create a travel guide about the state of Indiana with 100% accuracy. They label the capital within the travel guide with 100% accuracy. Students label one major river in the right location with 100% accuracy. They circle...
Curated OER
Magnetic Mystery
Fourth graders investigate the poles of a magnet. In this magnet lesson, 4th graders explore what a magnet attracts and what it repels. Students view the N and S on magnets. students recognize that like poles repel and opposite...
Curated OER
Rocks and Minerals
Review the difference between rocks and minerals using this resource. Learners identify and investigate the physical properties of these objects. They create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast types of rocks. This is a motivating way...
Purdue University
Design of a Door Alarm
How does electricity work? Budding scientists explore the concepts of electrical currents and open and closed circuits with class discussion and a hands-on activity using a battery to turn on a light bulb. Learners also make predictions...
Purdue University
Design of an Earthen Dam for a Lafayette Neighborhood
How do dams support bodies of water? Scholars engage in a hands-on STEM activity where they design, build, and test dams to learn about bodies of water and how humans use natural resources. They learn how criteria and constraints affect...
Curated OER
Hominid Traits: Ape to Man
Twelfth graders collaborate and analyze information about our hominid lineage. They discuss evidence researched by anthropologists. Students use spreadsheet data to compare means of locomotion, diet and brain size.
Curated OER
The Great Fossil Find - Reconstructing the Pieces
Students go on an imaginary fossil hunt. They follow a script read by the teacher, students "find" (remove from envelope) paper "fossils" of some unknown creature. They attempt to reconstruct fossil pieces into an animal.
Curated OER
The Checks Lab
Learners, in teams, have an envelope containing a series of bank checks. A few are removed at a time, and the team attempts to construct a plausible scenario which involves those checks.
Curated OER
Without Limits
Seventh graders research about the important contributions of two scientists they chose from the list. In this science lesson, 7th graders develop a creative presentation such as skits or news program about their research. They present...
Curated OER
Health, Health, Hurrah!
Third graders explain the importance of eating healthy food. In this health science instructional activity, 3rd graders construct a balanced menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They create a collage about it and share it with the class.
Curated OER
Shadow Trackers: From Photography to Writing
Students explore the rotation of the earth. In this science instructional activity, students view photos of various places around the world. Students conduct an experiment in which they can see how the earth's rotation creates shadows on...
Curated OER
Constellations
Third graders investigate space by researching their zodiac signs. In this space science lesson, 3rd graders discuss the different zodiac symbols, their star representation and where the stars are located in the sky. Students...
Curated OER
Insects
It's a fact: kids love bugs! With this lesson, young learners explore reading informational texts and conducting research while learning about their favorite insects. Spark learners' interest by reading a book about one kind of bug and...
Curated OER
Sketch a Scientist
Students draw their perceptions of a typical scientist, evaluate stereotypes in their drawings quantitatively, and then discuss the origins of these stereotypes.
Curated OER
Biological Control of Purple Loosestrife
Young scholars examine the role of Purple Loosestrife in Illinois and Indiana rivers. In groups, they collect a wide variety of plants in a wetland and raise beetles in a controlled environment. They introduce the loosestrife into the...
Curated OER
Auburn Cord Dusenberg Field Trip
Fifth graders compare two different vehicles and determine why the cars are designed differently. They write four facts learned from the field trip in their science journals including a fact about how force affects the performance of the...
Curated OER
Fossils
Students complete a unit on fossils. They read and discuss informational handouts, define key vocabulary terms, answer discussion questions, create a geologic timeline and a timeline of their own life, analyze bones, and create a fossil...