Curated OER
Koala Bear Exhibit
Students visit the zoo and study the koala bears. For this habitat lesson, students take a field trip to the zoo and examine the habitat of the koala bears. Students watch videos about koalas and consider the needs of the koalas....
Royal Society of Chemistry
Apparatus Diagrams 4
Lab tools are cool! But, which one is the right tool for the job? Young scientists participate in a series of puzzles focused around some common lab equipment. Each puzzle requires learners to associate the tool with its image and a...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Classroom Activities: EarthViewer
The spot you are standing in right now—how did it look 2,000 years ago, one million years ago, or even four billion years ago? Scholars use a model of Earth throughout history to learn about continental drift, climate change, changes in...
PHET
Hooke's Law
Everything from pens to cars use springs — some are just on a larger scale! An interactive simulation encourages pupils to stretch and compress springs while observing the changes to force, displacement, and potential energy. Then they...
Cornell University
Plant Cell Crime Scene
Use science to solve the mystery of the Poplar murder. Pupils use forensic botany to determine if a suspect could be the killer. By analyzing images from a Transmission Electron Microscope, learners determine if the material found on the...
Curated OER
The Environment and Interactions of Living Organisms
Young scholars study the environment and interactions of living organisms. They identify abiotic and biotic factors and create a foldable and vocabulary cards. They create a poster illustrating soil and watch a video to study symbiosis.
Georgia Department of Education
Living Things/ Nonliving Things
How can you tell if something is living or nonliving? Introduce a set of criteria which can be used to determine which things are alive and which are not. The class discusses the basic needs of all living organisms, checks out an...
Science 4 Inquiry
An Investigative Look at Florida's Sinkholes
In May of 1981, the Winter Park Sinkhole in Florida first appeared and is now referred to as Lake Rose. Scholars learn about the causes of sinkholes through an inquiry project. Then, they analyze recent data and draw conclusions to...
Cornell University
Nano What?
The size of a nanoparticle is difficult for pupils to grasp. A hands-on experiment is designed to give your classes perspective. Learners analyze different sports drinks for the content of electrolytes as an introduction to nanoscale....
Chicago Botanic Garden
Climate Change Around the World
Look at climate change around the world using graphical representations and a hands-on learning simulation specified to particular cities around the world. Using an interactive website, young scientists follow the provided...
Concord Consortium
Electric Potential Energy and Type of Charge
Scholars are sure to get a charge out of an electric lesson! They examine the potential energy of charged particles while they make changes to the electrical field. The simulation allows them to change the position of particles and the...
Curated OER
Using Venn Diagrams to Compare Two Ecosystems
Learners explore the distribution of two ecosystems on a global scale; and map the distribution of tropical and temperate rain forests throughout the world. They use a Venn Diagram to describe these ecosystems and the differences between...
Curated OER
Operation Genesis
Young scholars, while working in groups under the Operation Genesis project involve fictional elements of role playing to grasp geographic concepts concerning human/environment interaction. They create the physical features of a...
Curated OER
Measurement of Biotic and Abiotic Objects
Students identify biotic and abiotic factors. In this environmental study lesson plan, students conduct a series of experiments to collect and record data and draw conclusions based on the results.
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Understanding Wave Motion - Slinky vs. Snaky: Which Spring is Dominant?
Ride the wave to an understanding of refraction! The first in a series of two inquiry-based lessons challenges learners to create transverse waves with two different types of springs. As their wave hits an object, they observe the change...
Curated OER
Simple Machines
First graders discuss work, force, and energy. They study how work is done. Students discuss various types of work that are done. They act out how work is done. Student draw pictures of types of work they have done.
Curated OER
Hang Time
Students simulate the motion of a fly ball with different winds. They use a partner to provide the simulated wind. Students draw a baseball diamond and the field on a piece of paper. They drag the pen across the paper to show the path of...
Curated OER
Adopt A Twig
Sixth graders explore leafless twigs and identify leaf buds. In this forest resources activity students complete a lab activity that shows them how to identify tree and leaf identification.
Curated OER
Causes and Effects of Earthquakes and Volcanoes
Tenth graders discuss the techniques and tools scientists use to study about the earth, including techniques used to determine geological time scales. They share their personal experiences of earthquakes and volcanoes.
Curated OER
Science: Hurricanes As Heat Engines
Students conduct Internet research to track the path of Hurricane Rita. They record the sea surface temperature of the Gulf of Mexico during and after the hurricane and draw conclusions about how hurricanes extract heat energy from the...
Curated OER
How Warm is the Water?
Students research how surface sea temperature changes throughout the year. They draw a time series of sea surface temperatures for each month of the year and a depth profile for a summer and winter month using an OceanExplorer Profiler...
Science 4 Inquiry
Edible Plate Tectonics
Many people think they can't observe plate tectonics, but thanks to GPS, we know that Australia moves at a rate of 2.7 inches per year, North America at 1 inches per year, and the Pacific plate at more than 3 inches per year! Scholars...
Chicago Children's Museum
Simple Machines: Force and Motion
Get things moving with this elementary science unit on simple machines. Through a series of nine lessons including teacher demonstrations, hands-on activities, and science experiments, young scientists learn about forces, motion,...
PBS
Season Seeking
It's a time of change. A hands-on activity engages young scientists in a lesson highlighting the change of seasons. They brainstorm indicators of season changes in nature and then look for them. Next, they record observations in a field...