Curated OER
The Magical Diving Sub
First graders discuss and predict if a given object sinks or floats. They record their predictions on a data sheet. Pupils test the objects and organize them into floating/sinking groups. Students observe the floating and sinking of a...
Curated OER
Dinosaur Tracks and Critical Thinking
Get your young scientists excited about geology through the study of dinosaur tracks! They will use their power of observation to learn how tracks are made and use critical thinking strategies to suggest a scenario in which they were...
Curated OER
"Rikki-tikki-tavi"
“Rikki-tikki-tavi” provides an opportunity to model for readers how to use background information to enrich understanding of a story. Class members observe animal behavior, listen to biographical background on Rudyard Kipling, study...
Curated OER
It's a Gas! Or is it?
Examine the effects of temperature and pressure on solubility and the states of matter of ocean water. Learners make inferences about the unique chemistry of ocean water at different depths. They engage in an activity related to...
Reed Novel Studies
The Year of Billy Miller: Novel Study
Can you really knock the sense into someone? It seems that the bump on Billy's head changed his perspective on things in The Year of Billy Miller. Readers discover that after his injury, Billy appreciates his parents more and is nicer to...
Curated OER
The Museum as a Time Capsule: Mongolian Example
Students make defensible inferences based on observation of perceived evidence. They use observation and inference to recognize the validity of alternative approaches or solutions.
Curated OER
Carbons to Computers - 1
Learners gather and classify information from observation of photographs; to have students differentiate between fact and inference.
Curated OER
Plastics and Rubber: What's the Difference?
Students observe how to classify things into groups based on physical properties. In this plastic and rubber lesson students group and sort items to help them to better identify properties.
Curated OER
Visual Learning: A Slow, Press-ious Process
Students observe a photograph and make inferences. For this investigative lesson students study how to find facts in pictures and draw inferences from them.
Curated OER
Testing Foods
Students perform an experiment using brown paper bags to determine which foods have oil in them. This task assesses student's abilities to make simple observations and inferences from them.
Curated OER
The Gummy Worm Lab
Students participate in a lab experiment with gummy worms. In groups, they record the qualitative and quantitative observations during the lab. They use their senses to make inferences about the experiment and share them with the class.
Curated OER
Can You See It, Touch It, Hear It?
Students develop and practice observational skills through lab activity.
Curated OER
Rock Art
Students create replica symbols of rock are found in Wisconsin and work cooperatively to create a rock art panel. They observe rock art to find their meanings and reasons why they were created.
Curated OER
Classifying Rocks
Third graders classify rocks. In this rocks and minerals lesson, 3rd graders observe, make inferences and conclusions about rocks, minerals, soil and fossils.
Curated OER
Traditional Stories about Wind
Students observe and talk about wind using no weather instruments. In this wind lesson plan, students use their senses to observe wind. They also interview an Elder about wind.
Curated OER
the Sound Detective Scientist
Students identify sounds in their environment and acquire listening and inferring skills.
Curated OER
Using Adjectives to Describe Observations
Seventh graders write observations of organisms based on both audio and video sources. They describe organisms which they view using appropriate adjectives.
Curated OER
Clues to the Past
Students take a 1.3 mile walking tour of Chippokes Plantation, inspect significant historic buildings and artifacts, and make inferences about plantation life from their observations while answering a series of questions.
K20 LEARN
Ecosystems, Human Activity, And Interactions, Oh My!: Human/Environment Interaction
Word clouds about ecosystems hook learners into a lesson that explores Yellowstone wildlife. Young scientists create cause-and-effect relationships after examining data and recommend solutions to their observed problems. More data...
National Park Service
Aspect, Treeline, and Climate
Head to the treeline and beyond to examine how this feature of the landscape affects weather and climate, which gives scientists clues about its health. Class members' observations of photographs provide the data...
Curated OER
Classification of Animals
Students identify observable features of eight dinosaurs and create a sorting chart using SMART Notebook on a SMART Board (or, in case you do not have a SMART Board, a chalk or dry-erase board).
Curated OER
Bubble-ology
Students observe the visible spectrum while observing light hitting the surface of bubbles. They blow large bubbles and observe how the colors change.
Curated OER
To Group of Not to Group - That is the Question!
Upper elementary and middle schoolers use their observation skills to group different kinds of candy by similar characteristics. They debate whether or not we should classify objects. Finally, they learn that biologists have developed a...
Curated OER
Cooler In The Shadows
Students investigate the concepts of shadows and how they are projected with objects different positions in relation to the sun. They conduct an experiment by observing objects in different positions. Then students record the observations.