Curated OER
Dinosaurs - Physical Characteristics
Students describe the physical characteristics of dinosaurs, compare and contrast the evolution of land, and they explore the extinction of dinosaurs.
Curated OER
Energy Transformation with a Top
Second graders examine both potential and kinetic energy. After discussing the difference and examples of potential and kinetic energy, they participate in a game of "Show Me Potential Energy/Show Me Kinetic Energy" using toy tops.
Smithsonian Institution
Watching Crystals Grow
Amazing science can sometimes happen right before your eyes! The class gets cozy as they watch crystals grow. They use Epsom salts, rocks, and food coloring to create crystals. They'll observe the entire process, documenting every step...
Curated OER
Physics: Water-Bottle Rockets
Students research how physics laws create motion and propel rockets. They examine how to build water-bottle rockets.
Curated OER
Discovering Dinosaurs
Students investigate the physical characteristics of dinosaurs. They participate in a puppet show, take a field trip to a dinosaur museum, and compare/contrast dinosaur characteristics at the museum.
Curated OER
Strawkets and Thrust
Students investigate the effect of thrust on rocket flight. They construct two paper rockets, one with a smaller exit nozzle, and compare/contrast the distances traveled by the rockets.
Curated OER
Strawkets and Control
Students investigate the effect that fins have on rocket flight. They construct two paper rockets that they can launch by blowing through a straw, one with fins and one with wings, and observe and record the results of the rocket flights.
Curated OER
Physical and Chemical Properties of Water
Students experiment with water as a component of suspensions, solutions, and heat conduction contributing to the use of food and the health and wellness of human beings.
Curated OER
Living Swamps, Bayous and Forests
Third graders explore interesting environments by exploring Louisiana. In this wetland instructional activity, 3rd graders utilize the web to research the State of Louisiana, the bayous in the area, and the Gulf of Mexico. Students write...
Curated OER
Planet Discovery and Identification
Students explore the internet world of Second Life and create a portfolio about the planets in our solar system. In this planets lesson plan, students provide many facts about 1 specific planet.
Curated OER
Diameter, Radius and Area
Students calculate the diameter, radius and area of a circle. In this geometry lesson, students investigate the different ratios of a circle. They calculate the surface are of each circle.
Curated OER
Density and Buoyancy Lesson Plan
Students investigate why some objects float or sink in water. In this physics lesson, students calculate the density of clay ball using a mathematical equation. They write a complete lab report about the experiment.
Curated OER
River Research
Students use the internet to research the streams and rivers found in Illinois. Using the information, they identify and describe the rivers and streams along with the physical characteristics of a river ecosystem. They share what they...
Curated OER
Reaching Your Potential - Personal Development
How do young people know the potential they possess? Middle schoolers explore their personal potential through two different activities and a class discussion. They examine where their aptitudes lie, and how they can use their gifts to...
Curated OER
Then and Now. Public Health from 1900 to Today
Students analyze public health issues. In this public health lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the health concerns and diseases of the 20th and 21st centuries. Students also interview medical...
Curated OER
The Science of Sleep and Daily Rhythms
Students observe their own daily rhythms by going to bed earlier and seeing what happens to their day afterwards. For this sleep lesson plan, students experiment with their own sleep cycles and answer questions about what happened...
Curated OER
The Science of the Heart and Circulation
Young scholars mode the transport of blood through the circulatory system with a water relay. In this circulation lesson plan, students measure amounts of water and transfer them from one container to another. They use this activity to...
Curated OER
Radius, Diameter and Area
Young scholars identify the radius and diameter of a circle. In this geometry lesson, students calculate the volume and area of a cylinder and circle. They relate the circumference of a circle to Pi.
Teach Engineering
The Advantage of Machines
Show your students how to make their work easier. The first lesson in a series of 10 introduces the class to work and the way simple machines can be make work easier. The simple machines scholars can find in everyday items are...
Curated OER
Construction and the Three Little Pigs
Young scholars construct science experiments based on nursery rhymes and student stories, including: Humpty Dumpty, the Three Little Pigs and Charlotte's Web.
Curated OER
Meteorologist Me: Climate and Weather Case Study
Fifth graders research weather and climate for selected cities and create identification cards within a database. They prepare an oral presentation on a simulated on-location weather broadcast.
Curated OER
Air and Its Characteristics
Students explore air through guided discovery. In this air lesson, students will observe three demonstrations about air. They will answer leading questions as they observe how air displaces and takes up space, how air has weight, and how...
Curated OER
Vary Your Veggies and Focus on Fruits
Third graders study a healthy diet. In this healthy diet activity, 3rd graders investigate the nutritional value of fruits and vegetables. Students compare a healthy diet to their personal diet.
Curated OER
Hunger and Malnutrition
Sixth graders use a variety of resources to determine the importance of getting the proper nutrients. In this nutrition lesson, student complete an activity in which they examine the world issue of hunger and malnutrition. They locate...