National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Nuclear Popcorn
Make your lesson on radioactive decay pop with this lab exercise. Using popcorn kernels spread over a tabletop, participants pick up all of those that point toward the back of the room, that is, those that represent decayed atoms. As the...
NSW Department of Education
Relationships Between Formal Measurement Units: Measure and Record Mass in Kilograms and Grams
Teach the masses about the metric system with this hands-on measurement lesson. Given a fruit or vegetable, learners estimate, measure, and convert its mass using the metric units gram and kilogram.
Foundation for Water & Energy Education
How Can a Dam Affect a River? Activity A
Written for Washington state students in life science, this lesson provides an opportunity to examine the residents of local freshwater habitats. You or the class collects a water sample, and learners try to examine what organisms live...
NASA
Solar System Scale & Size
Use a variety of whole fruits to represent the different planets in the solar system to introduce scale sizes to your math or space science class. They follow suit by creating a non-scaled model of the solar system using specific-colored...
NASA
Cleaning Water
Give young scientists a new appreciation of fresh, clean drinking water. After learning about the ways astronauts recycle their air and water, your class will work in small groups creating and testing their very own water...
Curated OER
Solving Mysteries Using Paper Chromotagraphy
Middle schoolers solve the mystery of the kidnapped teacher by analyzing a ransom note using paper chromatography. They carefully prepare ink samples from the note to known ink samples to determine the kidnapper.
Curated OER
Environment: Endangered Mammal Project
Students research different mammals and create illustrations and narratives about them. Working individually or in small groups, students compose their rough drafts prior to creating their posters or dioramas. Students present short...
Curated OER
Photosynthesis
Fifth graders work in small groups to brainstorm responses to a problem related to some disaster that wipes out half or all plant life on earth. Groups complete a graphic organizer to compare and contrast their ideas. Students select...
Cornell University
Investigating and Modeling Hardness
Model hardness testing with a self-designed hardness test. Young scholars rate the hardness of different types of aspirin using the Vicker's Hardness scale. They then relate hardness to the solubility of each aspirin tablet.
Curated OER
Taking the Boat to Manaus
Fifth graders apply the concepts they know regarding mass, volume and density in the previous activities to design a boat. Student teams must make a boat which can travel the waters of the Amazon Rainforest. Each group makes a...
US Mint
Desert Dwellers
What can a quarter possibly teach young learners about desert ecosystems? More than you might think. After displaying and discussing the included picture of the Arizona state quarter, the class participates in a series of...
Mr. E. Science
Erosion and Deposition
Get an in-depth look into erosion and deposition with a 23-slide presentation that details how gravity, water, waves, wind, and glaciers cause changes to the Earth's surface. Each slide consists of detailed images equipped with labels,...
US Department of Energy
Building the Basic PVC Wind Turbine
Here is a comprehensive and well-written lesson plan that results in learners building a standard wind turbine. Once built, teens can design a variety of experiments to test different factors. This activity is a noble undertaking that...
Chymist
How Do We Affect the Quality of Our Atmosphere
Explore the makeup of the earth's atmosphere. Using the set of specific experiments, pupils examine the main elements and compounds present in the atmosphere. Their study extends to investigate the effects of atmospheric...
Science Matters
Matter Cycles — Sum It Up
Scholars become part of the cycle of matter with a reader's theater that showcases producers, consumers, decomposers, and the sun. A diagram and discussion concludes the learning experience and enhances comprehension.
Curated OER
Exploring Arizona's Biotic Communities Lesson 1: Mapping Biotic Communities
As part of a unit on Arizona's biotic communities, young ecology learners create a map. They describe how humans and animals adapt in their habitat. They take notes and create graphic organizers from articles they read. Beautiful maps,...
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
Alphas, Betas and Gammas Oh, My!
Referring to the periodic table of elements, nuclear physics learners determine the resulting elements of alpha and beta decay. Answers are given in atomic notation, showing the atomic symbol, mass, atomic number, and emission particles....
Busch Gardens
Create an Invertebrate
What better way for young biologists to learn about invertebrates than by creating their very own? Here, students are assigned a set of invertebrate characteristics and are asked to invent an imaginary ocean animal...
ARKive
Opposable Thumbs
How do opposable thumbs help you complete certain tasks? An activity about evolutionary traits prompts learners to try writing their name, twist the lid off of a jar, and use tweezers to pick up a straw, first with their normal grip, and...
Curated OER
Water in Earth's Hydrosphere
Environmentalists test stream water for temperature, pH, and turbidity. Each group shares their information and then the class makes an overall evaluation of the water quality. A slide show sets the backdrop for the teaching portion and...
BBSRC
Discovering DNA: The Recipe for Life
A pinch of adenine, a dash of thymine and ta-da, you have life! Well, it's not quite that simple, but through this series of activities and experiments young scientists learn about the structure of DNA and how it contains the recipe...
LABScI
Enzymes: The Spit Lab
Enzymes in our bodies each have a job to do. Learn the factors that affect the activity of some enzymes using the third activity of an informative 12-part biology series. A three-part laboratory activity asks teams to investigate how...
NASA
The Case of the Wacky Water Cycle
Join the tree house detectives in learning about the processes of the water cycle, water conservation, water treatment, and water as a limited resource.
Curated OER
Biomes and Plant Growth
Seventh graders design four biomes models and plant three types of seeds in them to observe growth. In groups for each type of biome, they predict the seeds' growth in each of the settings. Students follow the conditions on a biome chart...