Virginia Department of Education
A Dichotomous Key of Virginia’s Native Plants
Can your class correctly classify plant species? Individuals explore native plants of the local environment and correctly classify them into their respective categories. They investigate differences in the plants and discuss similarities...
Education Outside
Creature Jeopardy!
After conducting research on a given scientific animal name, group members take a walk around their school and look for the specified animals in that classification. Then, they come back to their worksheets and create five creative clues...
California Academy of Science
Which Way is North?
Who needs a compass to find cardinal directions? Just place a stick in the ground and record the movement of its shadow over the course of a day. Then, measure the shadow lengths in order to determine a north-south line. A simple...
American Chemical Society
Designing a Shade Structure
Bring the learning outdoors with an enjoyable activity about Earth's heating, sunlight, and shade. Scholars use problem-solving skills as they design, build, and test a sunshade structure. Participants view a video summarizing the...
Curated OER
Tracks along the Trail
Students identify animal tracks outdoors. In this animal life lesson, students go outdoors and find several different animal tracks to identify. Students also discuss how animals must adapt in the winter months.
Curated OER
Make a Sundial
Students explore space science by conducting a sun experiment in class. In this time telling instructional activity, students discuss how the sun sits in our sky at exact times each day and how astronomy is based on our perspective of...
Curated OER
Survivor!
Students play a game in physical education class to examine how a deer survives. Using nature as a guide, they discover how it is constantly changing due to weather, food, water, pollution and predators. They discuss the characteristics...
Curated OER
What a Character!
Students look at the role of characters in a story. In this character lesson, students discuss how different types of characters change the plot of the story. They see how storytellers use their body, face, and voice to tell stories.
Curated OER
Photosynthesis
Students are introduced to the process of photosynthesis. In groups, they test the effects of the lack of sunlight on plant leaves and compare the results with their hypothesis. They note the characteristics that plants and animals share...
Curated OER
Up the Down Tree House
Students investigate the decomposition process. In this ecology lesson, students participate in a play, "Up the Treehouse" where the main idea focuses on a decomposing tree and how food chains are effected by decomposition. After the...
Curated OER
Pen Pals
Young scholars make their own predictions about the amount of different types of birds at each site before they go there. In groups, they collect the bird data and compose letters to their pen pals sharing their information. To end the...
Curated OER
Balloon Math: A Game for All Levels
Here is a game that combines exercise with math skills. In this mathematics and P.E. lesson, young scholars hold balloons that have a number written on them, and for a set time do not let the balloons hit the ground. They must catch a...
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Investigating Evidence
Explore the scientific process through nature. Scholars become scientists as they develop a question, design an experiment, collect data, and analyze their results. A two-week lesson guides your classes through the process and provides...
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Life In A Nest: Exploring Life Cycles With Bird Cams
Why read about it when you can watch it happen? Bird cams make it possible for learners to experience the life cycle of a bird in real time! An engaging set of lessons provides activities to connect their learning to bird cam...
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Geocaching
Using GPS units, small groups participate in a scavenger hunt to find an object that you have hidden. They use coordinates for stopping points along a pre-planned path to get to the final cache. This is a terrific activity to include in...
Curated OER
Calculating Stride Length
How many steps does one take to walk a mile? The number of steps one walks in a mile would definitely depend on the length of his stride. Shorter people may take shorter strides, and taller people may take longer strides. This activity...
Curated OER
Fossil Formation
A fossil is worth a thousand words! Individuals craft their own amber fossil of an insect in addition to molds and casts of seashells. A third activity takes the lesson a notch higher: Learners measure stride lengths between tracks and...
National Gardening Association
Migration Mishaps
Elementary ecologists pretend to be migratory hummingbirds. They fly between wintering and nesting grounds, trying to reach a habitat haven. In a musical-chair fashion, some birds will miss out, and are removed from the game. To further...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Preparing for Project BudBurst
Plants take cues from the environment—change in daylight hours and temperature—to complete their seasonal life cycles. Lesson four in the series of six has classes collect phenology data on plants. After taking initial observations,...
Curated OER
Invading the enemy
High schoolers participate in a physical outdoor activity in order to develop individual and group trust. For this interpersonal relationship lesson, students play attempt to find hidden objects in the dark. High schoolers must trust...
Curated OER
Technology that Makes Phonics Fun
Young scholars discover the Internet by participating in on-line educational activities. In this educational technology lesson plan, students utilize interactive story books, podcasts, and games to help expand an understanding of...
Curated OER
Teaching Handball
Students participate in a number of different lessons with the intention of improving skills to play handball. Each lesson focuses on a certain skill like strokes and serves. The skills have a progression of difficulty until the student...
Curated OER
Crosby Rush
Young scholars develop their striking skills by trying to score a hockey goal. In this striking skills lesson plan, students use hockey sticks and small balls to practice scoring a goal.
Curated OER
Summer Camp in the Classroom
Students explore wildlife plants and summer activities. In this natural science lesson, students identify plants and animals and create a scrapbook of their findings.