Present the class with a question on whether the water level of a pond will rise they take a large rock out of a boat and drop it into the pond. Groups come down on all sides of the question and try to justify their answers. The activity...

From China's physical geography and earliest beginnings of civilization to the Qin and Han dynasties, here is a nicely designed worksheet on ancient China, which includes a graphic organizer and timeline to summarize the reading...

Rings and golden nuggets contain the element gold, but how small can you break it down before it is no longer considered gold? A helpful presentation explains the basics about atoms, elements, and isotopes through a presentation.

Learners observe and draw small objects on the playground or in the classroom with and without a magnifying glass. They explore how lenses can affect the way that an object is observed from afar or remotely sensed. Afterwards, they share...

Third graders are introduced to the concept of force and how it acts upon objects. In groups, they are given a ruler, ping-pong ball and golf ball and compare and contrast the force put on the balls when flicked by the ruler. To end...

Students participate in a logic activity in which they identify items. In this logic activity, students work in groups as they play a questioning game that is similar to "Twenty Questions." They ask questions and rule out items in a...

Students compare and contrast objects according to their length. In groups, they travel to different centers in their classroom to participate in different sorting activities. They are introduced to how to use a ruler and reading the...

Learners work together to discover the relationship between the angle of catapults and the flight of different objects. They discover the heavier the object the more force is needed. They examine how engineers use this information to...

Students give directions to help a classmate find an object. In this direction activity, students tell the finder where to travel and how many steps to take. More difficult directions include angled turns.

Students explore weight by building a spring scale and observing how it responds to objects with different masses. Each team of students can make their own spring scale by following steps which are specifically outlined in the plan. As...

Tenth graders experiment with floating and sinking objects and heavy and light liquids, using correct terms, like density, to explain what happens.  In this Hindenburg lesson, 10th graders watch a demonstration called the invisible...

Students experiment with the concept of Newton's second law of motion. After building a ramp, they determine whether a large marble or a small marble will move farther, based on Newton's law. Students record their data on the provided....

Students discover the importance of using descriptive words in good writing. They brainstorm words to describe elephants and dogs then watch a video that describes different items. Each student writes a paragraph using descriptive words...

Students assign numbers to describe objects. In this number lesson, students assign numbers to objects and compare more, less, and equal values. They write down descriptions of plants including the number of leaves and height of the...

Fourth graders study everyday examples of simple machines. They examine how the combination of a wheel and axle works more efficiently than either in isolation. In a demonstration lesson, they see how a spring scale shows a force pulling...

Second graders investigate the properties and uses of rocks. They sort magazine pictures into the categories of living and nonliving, play a game of I Spy for objects made of rock, and make rubbings of the rock items for their Rock...

Second graders play the game I Spy to help identify objects made from rock. They investigate the properties and uses of rocks and go on an I Spy search on the playground. They sort pictures according to living and nonliving objects.

Students determine how mass is a property of an object that can be measured, and examine how size affects mass. They work with balances and determine what units of measurement are associated with mass. Finally, they determine the...

Students participate in two hands-on demonstrations to explore how friction can make objects hard to push.

Students explore perspective while drawing. In this perspective lesson plan, students discover that faraway objects should be drawn smaller than objects that are closer. Students experiment with perspective as they draw pictures of trees...

Sixth graders use small electronic devices known as thermistors to measure the temperature beneath an object such as a coffee cup as it slides across a surface. By choosing different surfaces, 6th graders can compare in a quantitative...

In this Earth worksheet, students read about Earth's gravity, the reason the Earth has seasons, and time zones. Then students complete 21 multiple choice, 2 true or false, and 1 short answer question.

Students use waste materials to build a snowman decoration. In this reusing lesson, students create a new object out of disposable items left over from the holidays. Students discuss ways of cutting down waste. Students understand how...

Fourth graders identify the characteristics of a simple physical change. They describe objects by the properties of the materials from which they are made. Students discuss the different states of matter and their distinct physical...