Curated OER
Plankton Parade
Plankton isn't just a tiny cartoon character, it's also a very important food source for animals around the world. Budding scientists discuss the types and functions of plankton, including where they are found, how they are caught, and...
Curated OER
Increasing or Decreasing? Variation 1
Your algebra learners analyze the value of an algebraic expression to decide if it will increase, decrease, or stay the same when one variable is changed as the others stay constant. Their collaborative efforts culminate with a written...
American Chemical Society
Crushing Test
Solidify understanding of the properties of crystals by crushing them to compare hardness. After some class discussion, a procedure is planned, and then small groups go about making observations as they crush five different crystal...
Exploratorium
Whirling Watcher
Pupils put together their own stroboscopes so that they can observe how cyclically moving images appear to merge into a singular object. This, and several other activities published by the same source, illuminate the way the brain...
Youth Outreach
Connecting the Separate Powers
Scholars demonstrate what they know about the separation of powers through role play. Two individuals act out a skit as the remaining class members discuss and decide whether the interaction they observed is an appropriate example...
Bowland
Reducing Road Accidents
By making the following changes to the roads, we can prevent several accidents. A multiple-day lesson prompts pupils to investigate accidents in a small town. Pairs develop a proposal on what to do to help reduce the number of...
Virginia Department of Education
Square Patios
Build a patio from toothpicks and marshmallows to analyze functions! Learners look for patterns in the data as they create different size patios. As they discover patterns, they make connections between the different representations of...
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Red States/Blue States: Mapping the Presidential Election
Young historians investigate how voting patterns have changed by comparing the outcome of the 1960 election to the outcome of the recent election. A creative final assessment has participants making a news show wherein they provide...
CK-12 Foundation
Horizontal Translations or Phase Shifts: Tangent
Patterns can be shifty! Find the pattern when shifting the graph of tangent. Pupils move the graph of tangent to different locations on the coordinate plane. They observe what happens to the function and its vertical asymptotes...
CK-12 Foundation
Horizontal Translations or Phase Shifts: Sine
Shift a trigonometric function and find its new equation. Pupils translate a sine function on a graph. The scholars determine the equation of the function that represents the translated graph and observe the connection between a...
CK-12 Foundation
Multiplying Polynomials
Help your class find patterns in polynomial multiplication. Pupils multiply a trinomial by a binomial using a graphic organizer. They respond to questions about patterns observed in polynomial multiplication before a discussion question...
CK-12 Foundation
Equations of Parallel Lines: Exploring Equations
Same slope, different point — what's the same and what's different about an equation? Young mathematicians use an interactive to position a line parallel to a given line and through a given point. They observe that the equation will have...
CK-12 Foundation
Linear Pairs: Angles and Lines in a Perspective Drawing
Gain some perspective on linear pairs. Aspiring mathematicians adjust the vanishing point on a perspective drawing. They see the effect on linear pairs of angles and answer five challenge questions based on their observations.
CK-12 Foundation
Newton's Method
Does the accuracy of the first guess make a difference down the line? Learners investigate the effects of the iterative process of finding roots, using Newton's Method. By moving the initial guess of a root on a graph, pupils observe the...
Royal Society of Chemistry
Polymers—Gifted and Talented Chemistry
Polymers are an important part of our day-to-day lives, but how much do your pupils know about them? Learn the basics and beyond in a series of activities designed to build skills in observation, planning, organic chemistry, and bonding.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Seed Dispersal in Tropical Forests
How do seeds get around? It's not like plants can control seed dispersal—or can they? Dig deeper into the amazing mechanisms of seed dispersal observed in tropical plants through interactives, a video, and plenty of hands-on data...
Nuffield Foundation
Monitoring the Body's Reaction to Stress
When stressed, do you prefer the fight or flight response? Scholars observe, measure, and identify the body's response to stress using a well-researched methodology. They learn about the autonomic nervous system, hormones, and more.
US Department of Energy
Get Connected!—An Electrical Conductivity Tester
Pupils test various materials to learn if the materials are conductors or insulators. They observe a small electric charge go through, or not go through, a material to light up a small bulb.
Physics Classroom
Case Studies: Impulse and Force
Why are gym walls padded and cars required to have air bags? Scholars observe two similar situations, such as those listed above, with only one variable altered. They identify the different variable and determine how the variation...
Magic of Physics
Springs Lab
Stretch young minds in their understanding of springs! Add an interesting interactive to promote awareness of factors such as stiffness, ground friction, and air resistance. The resource contains custom controls, allowing individuals to...
Discovery Education
Through the Looking Glass
Turning white light into colors only takes a little scientific know how! Young scholars create their own spectroscope in a hands-on activity exploring the properties of light. Using a diffraction grating, they discover how white light...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Rocks
A Reading Adventure Pack focuses on rocks. Scholars participate in three activities after reading a fiction and nonfiction text—The Jade Stone, a Chinese folktale adapted by Caryn Yacowitz, and Rocks in His Head by Carol Otis Hurst....
Curated OER
Animal Growth Journal
Students observe and describe animals in the local environment. They recall information about different animals they have seen. They read and discuss their favorite animal books.
Curated OER
Changing How Things Look
Third graders use a literature study in order to investigate how organisms effect an ecosystem. They are asked questions about change taken from the book. Students also take a nature walk to make field observations.