Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Renewable Energy Plants in Your Gas Tank: From Photosynthesis to Ethanol

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students examine the role photosynthesis plays in plant survival.  In this renewable energy instructional activity students document their observations and analyze and interpret their results. 
Lesson Plan
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Sometimes, solid + liquid = gas

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders experiment with common household liquids and solids. In this chemical reaction lesson plan, 3rd graders discuss phase changes and experiment to find other ways to create gases. They use water, vinegar, lemon juice, flour,...
Lesson Plan
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Conductors and Insulators

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore conductors and insulators. In this science lesson, 5th graders act as electrons moving through a wire. Students break into groups representing conductors and insulators and explore how they work with electrons.
Lesson Plan
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The Solar System

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders investigate Newton's law of Motion.  In this chemical reaction lesson plan, 3rd graders participate in an experiment with rockets to study Newton's law. Students observe the effects of a chemical reaction made by...
Lesson Plan
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The Elements

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers watch video, The Elements, research information about elements using both the Internet and CD-ROM program, and create atoms out of gumdrops and licorice.
Lesson Plan
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Online Exploration: Telescopes From the Ground Up

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore a web-based illustrated text and interactive graphics to determine the relationship between the operation of telescopes and light. optics. They work in small groups to become an expert on one of the ten eras of telescope...
Lesson Plan
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Angles: Angles, Angles, Everywhere

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students practice estiminating and measuring angles. After watching a short video, they identify angles in objects in the classroom and their homes. In groups, they participate in activities in which they are given a scenerio and are...
Lesson Plan
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Marvelous Mixtures

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders design an experiment in which they separate mixtures. In this mixtures lesson, 5th graders define mixtures, solutions, solutes, and solvents. They watch a video, complete worksheets, and perform an experiment to separate...
Lesson Plan
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Hydrogen Powered Cars

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Learners apply the principles of chemistry to investigate the concept of how a hydrogen powered car works. They study the electrochemical reactions that provide the energy source. Students also record observations in the functioning of a...
Lesson Plan
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Robert Boyle and the Mechanical Philosophy

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students read and discuss Boyle's Mechanical Philosophy and his rejection of Aristotle's theory of "Forms and Qualities." They answer a given set of questions and discuss these with the class.
Lesson Plan
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Dust in the Wind; Chemicals in the Water

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore mechanical and chemical weathering at stations. They articulate some mechanisms of chemical and mechanical weathering through exploration in a lab. Students stations describe how chemical weathering differs from...
Lesson Plan
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Water Cycle

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explore ways water moves through various reservoirs on Earth, examine how human activities change water cycle, investigate substances present in water that indicate human activity, and discuss how understanding water cycle...
Lesson Plan
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Sweet Candy Comets

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use candy to make a comet. In this lesson, 4th graders examine the role comets have played throughout history, students watch NASA videos about comets and complete the lesson by making an edible model of a comet. This...
Lesson Plan
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Up, Up and Away

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders are presented with the problem of: Do all liquids evaporate at the same rate? The lesson contains adequate background information for the teacher. They participate in a lab experiment in order to test the scientific...
Lesson Plan
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Periodic Table Patterns using Fabulous Periodic

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Learners explain how elements are arranged in the periodic table. In this chemistry lesson, students group the eggs according to a certain pattern. They compare this to elements in the periodic table.   
Lesson Plan
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Dissolving Salt

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders, in groups, complete an experiment/activity in which they dissolve salt in a cup of hot water and then observe what happens as the water evaporates over the next few weeks.
Lesson Plan
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Horns or Antlers-You Decide!

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students study the difference between horns and antlers. They identify animals who have each and draw pictures of these animals. They experience samples of actual horns and antlers.
Lesson Plan
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Modeling Mania

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students describe techniques helpful in solving spatial problems which utilize the notion that a model is a simplified version of something complicated. They utilize methods such as sketching or drawing possible solutions to a problem.
Lesson Plan
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Numbers in Art

For Teachers K - 3rd
Young scholars choose a number from one to twelve and tell a number story about it. They listen to the teacher read "Numbers in Art" by Lucy Micklethwait. Students choose three numbers from one to twelve and view works of art while...
Lesson Plan
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What is the Attraction?

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders investigate the law of polarity. In this magnets lesson, 2nd graders discover how magnets are used in everyday life and which objects in our environment are magnetic. Students experiment with bar magnets and record...
Lesson Plan
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Liquid Logic: Experiments in Viscosity

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine specific characteristics of liquids through a hands-on lab activity. An experiment with teacher prepared viscosity tubes is conducted in which liquid identities are predicted based on data. A hypothesis is written to...
Lesson Plan
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Carbon Adventures Game

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine the processes and transformations that occur in carbon pools. They play a game to identify paths taken by carbon through the environment.
Lesson Plan
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Scouting for Circuits

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate electricity and how it used in a circuit to be useful energy. They also use this investigation in order to understand how energy can change forms and still be considered useful if put into the right form.
Lesson Plan
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Periodic Trends

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students identify the different periodic trends. In this chemistry lesson, students discuss how elements are arranged in the periodic table. They apply what they have learned in a Jeopardy team game.