Space Awareness
Navigation in the Ancient Mediterranean and Beyond
Ancient texts, like Homer's Odyssey, mentions navigating ships by observing constellations. Pupils learn about the link between history and astronomy as they relate to navigation in the Bronze Age. Scholars complete two hands-on...
Space Awareness
The Sun Compass of the Vikings
Evidence shows the Vikings likely navigated by using a simple sundial to find their course. Videos, a short story, and discussion help bring this time period to life as they study European history with a hands-on experiment. Scholars...
Curated OER
Lesson 1: Fight the Flu: Seeing
The flu has been a deadly epidemic many times in the past. By examining technological innovations throughout history, then simulating the spread of disease from person to person through a classroom investigation, and finishing up with...
Statistics Education Web
How Wet is the Earth?
Water, water, everywhere? Each pupil first uses an Internet program to select 50 random points on Earth to determine the proportion of its surface covered with water. The class then combines data to determine a more accurate estimate.
Curated OER
Foliage Tracker
Young scholars discuss the change of leaf colors and the role that climate and elevation play in those changes. They then track leaf changes, input data, and graph foliage changes with a free online tool.
University of Wisconsin
Sizing a Rain Garden
Most appropriate if you are applying the entire unit to build a rain garden at your school, this installment involves calculating the area that will drain into it. Your garden planners will need data from previous lessons, so this one...
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Water from the Well
How much water does it take to brush your teeth? How about to wash your clothes? Perform an experiment that measures water usage in everyday tasks and compares them to the days before indoor plumbing, specifically the California...
Computer Science Unplugged
Twenty Guesses—Information Theory
How do we determine how much information to include and what can be left out? By playing a game of 20 questions, the class generates the best strategies for finding a number. They then move on to guessing the next letter in a short...
University of Florida
Protecting Our Water Resources
Teach young environmentalists to protect their planet's resources with a set of interactive experiments. Kindergartners and other youngsters learn about watersheds and the water cycle, while older elementary learners focus on fertilizer...
Beyond Benign
Ecological Footprint
How does your lifestyle measure up in terms of your ecological footprint? Young ecologists examine their impact on the planet using an insightful online calculator. A short quiz asks users to rank the size of their homes, their energy...
Agriculture in the Classroom
Roll of the Genes
Animal reproduction in sheep and cattle is explored with the help of Punnet squares. Scholars employ tools using probability to conclude the color of wool a sheep's offspring will have. Acting as animal geneticists, pupils then take...
Rice University
Introductory Statistics
Statistically speaking, the content covers several grades. Featuring all of the statistics typically covered in a college-level Statistics course, the expansive content spans from sixth grade on up to high school. Material...
NASA
Lava Layering
Take the old baking soda and vinegar volcano to the next level by using it to study repeated lava flows over time, examine geologic features on Earth and Mars, and speculate about some of the formations on Mars.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Modeling Food Webs in Darién, Panama
It's a jungle out there! Young biologists journey to Darien, Panama to examine the intricate relationships between the organisms that inhabit the jungle. Groups begin by demonstrating an understanding of energy flow in ecosystems, then...
Agriculture in the Classroom
Wad-a-Watershed
What kind of impact do humans have on watersheds? Find out in a lesson that defines, explores, and promotes ways to protect our watersheds. The ultimate goal of the lesson is for learners to discover how a watershed is impacted by...
Statistics Education Web
Double Stuffed?
True or false — Double Stuf Oreos always contain twice as much cream as regular Oreos. Scholars first measure the masses of the filling in regular Oreos and Double Stuf Oreos to generate a class set of data. They use hypothesis testing...
Statistics Education Web
Are Female Hurricanes Deadlier than Male Hurricanes?
The battle of the sexes? Scholars first examine data on hurricane-related deaths and create graphical displays. They then use the data and displays to consider whether hurricanes with female names result in more deaths than hurricanes...
Curated OER
Butterfly Lesson Plans
Students study the life cycle of the Monarch Chrysalis. In this butterfly life cycle lesson, students study the monarch butterfly life cycle and focus on the fourth stage of the life cycle. Students draw a picture about the fourth stage...
Curated OER
Activity Plan Mixed Ages: Exploring Play Dough
Students learn to prepare a play dough recipe in order to enhance their measurement, reading, and creative-thinking skills. In this lesson plan on making play dough, students measure and add the different ingredients, while...
Curated OER
Problem-Solving Math 1
Learners discuss the different ways we use numbers in everyday life. They walk around the classroom for 5 to 10 minutes, students are asked to point out examples of numbers they find in the room. Learners are asked to image a world...
Curated OER
Mystery of the Malformed Frogs Lesson Plan
Young scholars develop an understanding of how students and volunteers can make scientific observations that can aid conservation. They read the account of the Minnesota New Country School project by Ryan Fisher, Mystery of the Malformed...
Curated OER
Who Am I?
Students explore study different mathematicians. In this mathematician lesson, students research twelve mathematicians. Students question one another to guess who their mathematician is. Students create a timeline of big events in math.
Curated OER
Problem Solving
First graders explore problems and solutions. In this math lesson, 1st graders brainstorm problems they have encountered and how they solved them. Then students watch a video about how professionals solve problems. After sharing their...
Curated OER
The Nature and Science of Technology
Fifth graders practice using the scientific method by observing and creating mold. In this bacteria lesson, 5th graders experiment creating their own mold and fungus using petri dishes and oatmeal. Students create an...