Curated OER
The Tree Detective - Basic Dendrology
Students identify tree species by their leaf characteristics. In this dendrology lesson plan, students learn leaf vocabulary and collect leaves. They identify the leaves using the leaf characteristics and the vocabulary that they learned.
Curated OER
A Rock Cycle Shower
Students classify rocks as sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic based on physical properties. In this earth science instructional activity, students recreate the rock cycle using a set of stones placed on labeled shower curtain. They...
Curated OER
Air and Weather
Second graders study Earth's materials. For this air and weather lesson, 2nd graders note changes in the weather and examine tools that help us study the weather. Students analyze how changes in the environment make changes in the...
Curated OER
Striking It Rich!
Fifth graders explore the California Gold Rush. They explore the lure of gold and the Wild West, how pioneers traveled to the West, and the hardships and people they encountered along the way. Activities be authentic, hands-on, and...
Curated OER
Reel Projects
Students investigate projectile motion. In this projectile motion lesson, students investigate a website with an interactive lesson. Students view the changes in the projectile they see in the lesson. Students watch short video clips and...
Curated OER
A Mendel Seminar
Students analyze Gregor Mendel's discovery of a process of biological evolution. They also explore how recessive and dominant traits are passed from one generation of living organisms to the next. This lesson involves environment...
Curated OER
Classification of Matter
Students investigate common household items and classify them into types of matter. In this matter lesson, students group given items into categories based on their characteristics. They also complete a concept map about matter and...
Curated OER
The Human Organism
In this digestion and nutrition lesson, 3rd graders test foods to find their vitamin content. Students test for starch and fats then compare their findings on charts and oral reports. The lesson concludes with a teacher directed...
Curated OER
Hurricanes and Tornadoes (Grade 4-8)
Students investigate the concepts of hurricanes and violent weather conditions. In this violent weather lesson, students access an Internet site and watch a video about how air masses behave, how a tornado forms, how hurricanes form, and...
Curated OER
Sweet Candy Comets
Fourth graders use candy to make a comet. In this instructional activity, 4th graders examine the role comets have played throughout history, students watch NASA videos about comets and complete the instructional activity by making an...
Curated OER
Introduction to the Scientific Method
Students participate in an experiment and learn to record it using the scientific method. In this biodegradable plastics lesson, students follow the scientific method to complete an inquiry. Students complete an experiment with a...
Curated OER
Introduction to the Scientific Method
Students recognize and follow the steps of the scientific method to complete an experiment. In this scientific method lesson, students use inquiry tools to measure objects. Students record their data.
Curated OER
How Hot and How Big?
Students explore star color and size. In this space science activity, students conduct various inquiry activities to explore how the color of a star affects the amount of heat produced. They also investigate how the color of stars...
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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...
Curated OER
Scientific Method in Action
High schoolers investigate the current environmental movement by cleaning up their own campus. In this environmental care lesson, students practice cleaning their "environment" by picking up trash on their campus and decrease...
Curated OER
Designing an Underwater Habitat for Humans
Students consider the limitations of deep water oceanography and design an underwater habitat to support scientists while they complete long term studies under the ocean. In this engineering lesson plan, students are introduced to the...
Curated OER
Physics Lab Rockets
Learners construct and test balloon rockets and a model rocket. In this rocket science activity, students use an inquiry-based method to master balloon rockets and have a shoot-off with the goal of attaining the highest altitude. Next,...
Curated OER
Using Microscopes
Young scholars do an experiment using a microscope. In this lesson, about cells, students examine different slides using a microscope. Young scholars look at an onion skin, cheek cells, and potato cells. In each of these, students find...
Curated OER
Rock Cycle Activity
A few of the components of this lesson are not possible to carry out because the rock cycle diagram and challenge handouts are not included. Hopefully, you already have your own rock cycle diagram or worksheet to use as a concept...
Science 4 Inquiry
Body in Balance
The human body maintains homeostasis through the interconnection of multiple systems. Young scientists match these connections and discuss how they relate to each other. They apply their knowledge to solve the mystery of a treasure hunter.
Kenan
Respiratory System
Explore the respiratory system with a model. First, pupils build a set of lungs to experiment how they inflate and deflate. Then, they delve deeper into the topic with a web quest to discover new information about the nose, trachea, and...
Science 4 Inquiry
The Ups and Downs of Populations
As the reality of population decline across many species becomes real, pupils learn about the variables related to changes in populations. They complete a simulation of population changes and graph the results, then discuss limiting...
Science 4 Inquiry
Eukaryotic Cells: The Factories of Life
Eukaryotes include humans, animals, and plants. Scholars learn about the parts of eukaryotic cells. They design models of a store and match the correct function of each part to the function of a part of the cell. They review their...
Center for Learning in Action
Gases
Explore the properties of gases through one activity and two investigations in which super scientists observe the changes gas makes when encountering different conditions.