K12 Reader
Ecosystems
Examine how living and non-living things work together in a reading passage about ecosystems. Class members read the text and then respond to five response questions that relate specifically to the content of the passage.
Smarter Balanced
How the Brain Works
Cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem, pituitary gland, and spinal cord. Prepare your class for a performance task assessment on the brain and how it works with a scripted plan that defines these terms and identifies the functions the...
Smarter Balanced
Communicable Diseases
Pathogens, what they are, how they spread, and how to prevent them from spreading are the focus of this resource that can be used to prepare learners for a performance task assessment or to begin the study of communicable diseases.
Smarter Balanced
View Through a Telescope
Preparing for an assessment? Here's an activity that will ensure that all class members have the background knowledge they need to demonstrate their skills on a performance task related to the solar system and the tools astronomers use...
Curated OER
Code Blue and You
Students review their understanding of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They explore other types of medical responses to common emergency situations and evaluate the importance of CPR training in their curriculum.
Curated OER
Reading the River
In collaborative groups, young ecologists measure the temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen for three different freshwater samples. They examine each sample with a microscope and record observations on the microorganisms in the pond...
Curated OER
Selfless Service and The Giving Tree - Building Ethical Conscience
Upper elementary schoolers investigate philanthropy and selflessness by reading a children's book. In this ethics lesson plan, they read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, and research Mahatma Gandhi's troublesome, yet inspiring, life....
Curated OER
Turning the Tide on Trash: Marine Debris Curriculum
Seven pages of fascinating reading on marine debris preface the activities in this lesson plan. Four different activities are employed to simulate how the debris is distributed in the ocean and along beaches. Early ecology learners...
It's About Time
The Mu of the Shoe
What is mu? Emerging scientists explore the coefficient of sliding friction, or mu, and apply its concepts as they complete activities in the interesting lesson. They measure the sliding friction between soles of their own athletic shoes...
It's About Time
Run and Jump
Has your class wondered how fast a human could run or how high they are capable of jumping? Help them understand these concepts as they explore acceleration and use an accelerometer to make semiquantitative measurements of acceleration...
BioEd Online
Center of Gravity
Between the pull of gravity and the push of air pressure, it's a wonder animals can balance or move at all. With a hands-on lesson about the center of gravity, learners discuss their own experiences with the topic, then work with...
Scholastic
Hill of Fire Teaching Plan
Some books are perfect for drawing connections between multiple subjects. The book Hill of Fire becomes the hub for three very different, yet related activity ideas. First the class hones their oral language skills by creating an...
Curated OER
Magic Color
First graders discover that a chemical reaction is responsible for the effects seen with Crayola Color Wonder markers. They observe that the color changes are the result of a chemical reaction between chemicals in the Color Wonder paper...
Curated OER
Our Intriguing Star, the Sun!
Explore the sun in a lesson plan about space. The lesson spans ten weeks, with students performing activities to answer weekly questions about the Sun and Earth.
Baylor College
Heart Rate and Exercise
Teach your exercise enthusiasts to read their pulse rate at the radial artery and multiply by four to calculate beats per minute. Learners perform a variety of activities, recording their heart rates after one minute of each. Though...
Baylor College
Using Food Labels
Help your class make sense of nutrition labels with the ninth lesson of this series. After explaining the different information provided on packaged food labels, perform an activity that demonstrates the amount of sugar in a single can...
Curated OER
Are you a river keeper?
Middle schoolers perform healthy water practices by discussing and demonstrating acts of philanthropy. In this healthy water lesson plan, students read an article on how we can keep water clean, and create a LITWIS activity.
Curated OER
Adaptation Worksheet
Adaptation or acclimation? Young ecologists determine which is being exemplified in twenty questions. When teaching about adaptations, make sure to talk about acclimation, a short-term learned response to a change in the surroundings....
Curated OER
Memory/Physiology Lab Activity
Young scholars investigate the nervous system and how physical distractions influence mental performance. They work in pairs as a researcher and subject and memorize a series of words with no distractions. After repeating the list of...
Curated OER
The ABC's of DNA
Students describe genetics as if they were explaining it to a young child. After reading an article, they discover new discoveries in the human genome project. Using the internet, they research a pair of genetic terms and develop a...
Curated OER
Physics of Sound: How We Hear Sounds
Second graders identify the different function and parts of the ear. In this physics lesson, 2nd graders explain how we hear sound. They read about the life of Helen Keller and respond to questions that follow.
Curated OER
Baby Animals Debut at Zoos
Students determine the names of animal babies, then read a news article about zoo's experiencing animal births. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with vocabulary activities, then students read the news...
Curated OER
What Plants Need in Order to Survive and Grow: Light
Students conduct an experiment to evaluate whether plants need light to survive and grow. They observe and gather data about plant responses to different growth regimes, analyze the data, and make conclusions about basic plant needs.
Curated OER
Will It Sink or Float?
Learners perform experiments to see if items will sink or float. For this sink or float lesson, students work in groups to make predictions, and record the results. After the experiments are complete learners make a book of the results.