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...
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...
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
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.
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
Wig-wag Physics
Learners make observations on the effects of a small, medium and large weight on the movement of a wig-wag apparatus. They use their observations to develop a generalized inference of the effect weight on movement patterns.
Curated OER
Chameleons
Students read "The Mixed-Up Chameleon" by Eric Carle. They discuss the chameleon's color changes and their ability to catch flies. They read a fact sheet. They view a live chameleon in a natural environment. They write down observations...
Curated OER
Activity #20 Tear An Aluminum Can In Half
Young scholars observe the chemical reaction between CuCl2 and aluminum. They identify the evidence for a chemical change. Pupils answer the following questions after observing the experiment: How do you know a chemical reaction...
Curated OER
Help Save the Polar Bear
Students use ice cubes to demonstrate how the polar ice caps are melting and how it effects the polar bears. In this polar bear lesson plan, the teacher explains how polar bears live on the north pole and how they are having trouble due...
Curated OER
Laboratory - Density of a Material
Students conduct a lab (with water, guar gum and sodium borate) and carefully record physical and chemical properties and changes throughout the session, and experiment with weighing by difference.
Curated OER
Ice Cream Science
Young scholars review properties of matter and discuss how materials change when things are done to them. They observe how materials change as a reaction to temperature by following the procedure to make ice cream and recording the...
Curated OER
Rain Drops
Middle schoolers examine drops of water on several materials used on the outside of buildings. They make selective observations on and compare plastic, wood, brick, metal, roof tiles and glass.
Curated OER
Testing Foods
Students perform an experiment using brown paper bags to determine which foods have oil in them. This task assesses student's abilities to make simple observations and inferences from them.
Curated OER
Making Community Measurements: Which Plant Part?
Learners identify a plant in a given community and make a variety of measurements. They determine how a plant meets its basic needs. In addition to identifying plant parts, they observe seasonal change and compare plants within a community.
Curated OER
Invisible Ink
Students are introduced to the concept of chemical change when they observe the chemical change that occurs between vinegar or lemon juice and heat.
Curated OER
Making Sense of Unusual Findings
Students work on the development of observation skills and seeing how they can be used in different contexts. The lesson is good for helping the beginner and novice, along with encouraging and reminding the expert observer of right...
Curated OER
Birds and Birdfeed
Fourth graders examine the basic survival needs of birds before examining a suet ball as an example of what birds eat. They conduct an experiment with pine cones, bird seed, vaseline, and peanut butter. By observing the birds, they...
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Young scholars investigate what happens to solids and liquids when they change from one form to another. The amount od space taken by frozen water begins the discussion and students are led to formulate their own hypothesis to research.
Curated OER
Food Matters
Fifth graders identify physical and chemical changes. In this science inquiry lesson, 5th graders observe the changes that occur when making bread and butter. Students explain if the product is result of a physical or chemical change.
Curated OER
Turn on Inventiveness
Learners practice visualization through a fantasy trip and test their powers of observation by blindly identifying their own potatoes.
Curated OER
Wet Dry Ice Lab
In this wet dry ice worksheet, students read the information about dry ice and phase change. Students perform an experiment in which they observe phase changes of ice. Students answer analysis questions as it relates to the phase change...
Curated OER
Bird Research: Your First Investigation
In this bird research learning exercise, students keep a notebook and record their observations every day for a week about the birds they see with discussion questions at the end of the week.
Curated OER
Striking it Rich with Chemistry
Students identify the composition of different pennies. In this chemistry lesson, students use a post 1982 penny to observe chemical change. They explain how to turn a penny from copper to gold.