Curated OER
Classification and Attributes
Middle schoolers classify objects based on their attributes. They explain how archaeologists use classification to help answer research questions.
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Learners investigate the states of matter. In this physics lesson, students use water and ice to demonstrate the characteristics of a solid and liquid. Learners record their observations as the state of the water changes.
Curated OER
Force: Push and Pull
In this force worksheet, students answer short answer questions about pushing and pulling different objects. Students complete 15 questions.
Curated OER
Name that animal
A great way to classify organisms, is by counting the number of legs it has or how it moves. Little ones count the legs on five different creatures, then match the leg count to the proper animal name. Tip: Have them come up with other...
Curated OER
Observations of a Mammal
Observations are a key step in the scientific method. In a fun activity, kids learn more about a mammal that they know, such as their own cat, a class hamster, or a friend's dog, through making detailed observations. In addition, they...
Curated OER
Alcohol and Pregnancy Don't Mix!
Seventh graders learn about John Kellerman, a youngster who was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. They learn how alcohol and pregnancy doesn't mix.
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What is the Rock Cycle and Its Processes?
Geology beginners examine three different rock samples and determine their origin by their characteristics. By making and recording observations, they become familiar with features of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock types....
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Valentine Candy Count
Here is an imaginative take on a classic instructional activity! Young scholars discover what color Valentine Candy is found more often than any other in a standard bag of Valentine Conversation Hearts. They observe, predict, sort, and...
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What's The World Made Of?
Second graders identify the three states of matter by examining fishbowls with various contents. They discuss their observations and the characteristics of matter in each state. Pupils read the story The Rainbow Fish and look for...
Curated OER
It Counts
Young scholars classify and compare plants using specific information, observations, and numbers. In this mathematical inquiry lesson, students use plant characteristics to describe, compare, and classify them. They attempt to develop a...
Curated OER
Moon Mining
Go on a moon mining expedition from the safety of your classroom with this space exploration simulation. Using simple models of the moon's surface prepared ahead of time by the teacher, young scientists are challenged with locating and...
Virginia Department of Education
Metamorphic Rocks
Rocks can bend? Pupils investigate how heat and pressure produce metamorphic rocks by modeling them using clay, and then categorize samples based on observable characteristics. The lesson ends with a metamorphic rock identification...
Space Race
Sensory Detectives
Test your learners' sensory awareness with three hands-on activities that ask pupils to use their other senses to identify and describe everyday objects hidden from sight.
Science Friday
Fossil Detectives
What can this rock be? Pupils pretend to be paleontologists by sketching fossils and making predictions about their types. To determine whether they can identify the type of dinosaur, class members compare their observations and...
K-5 Math Teaching Resources
Triangle Pack
With so many different types of triangles, it can be a challenge for young mathematicians to keep them all straight. Luckily this set of printable triangles is here to engage children in comparing and sorting triangles by their...
EngageNY
The Decimal Expansion of Some Irrational Numbers
Develop a definition of irrational numbers through an exploration of square roots. The 11th lesson in this series of 25 asks scholars to estimate the value of a square root. Learners observe as the estimation extends further and further...
Virginia Department of Education
Heat Loss from a Fur-Insulated Animal
How do animals adapt to weather changes? Provide your class with the ability to understand adaptations and body temperature as they participate in this hands on experiment, using fake fur and hot water. Pupils collect data and...
Curated OER
Pet Rocks
Students complete a variety of activities related to the physical characteristics of minerals. They classify and group candy, classify rocks and complete a Pet River Rock worksheet. Students try to guess which rock goes with each...
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Classifying Plants and Insects
Art and science come together in a instructional activity based on Flower Still Life by Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder. Learners classify plants and insects in the painting by color, leaf shape, size, reproduction,...
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Insects!
Students explore the diet of insects. In this "insects" biology lesson, students take a nature walk and collect various natural materials they think may be eaten by insects. Students sort and classify these materials into three diet...
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Weather
Students communicate how weather affects people, classify objects according to how they are used, and observe and record weather data using symbols.
Curated OER
Classification
Learners gather and classify samples of a given item (rocks, fossils, seeds, etc.) They discuss various ways of classifying and that there are many different ways that are acceptable.
Curated OER
Suspended Particulates lab
Middle schoolers observe differences between suspended particulates and a solution, and classify common atmospheric gases and particulates. They explain what they think the word suspended means. Students observe the differences between...
Curated OER
Identifying Creatures
Young scholars use a classification key from a provided worksheet to identify creatures. This task assesses student's abilities to interpret data, make decisions, identify, and classify.