Curated OER
Nasa's Return To Flight: Testing In
Students explain basic components of the space shuttle stack and the chemical fuel makeup and storage used on the external tank of space shuttle. They discuss findings of Columbia mission accident. and the safety improvements that have...
Curated OER
Life Cycle of the Plant - The Pumpkin
First graders access prior knowledge about pumpkins and read the story Pumpkin, Pumpkin. They will sequence the life cycle of the pumpkin through the use of picture cards and then sing a song about the life cycle of the pumpkin and plant...
California Academy of Science
Kinesthetic Astronomy: Earth's Rotation
After completing the activity, "Kinesthetic Astronomy: The Meaning of a Year," zoom in on Earth's rotation using the same simulation setup and this outline. Each class member dons a map of the Western Hemisphere and plays the part of...
Curated OER
Handwriting and Forgery
Students determine how forensics analyze handwriting samples. In this physical science lesson plan, students research how handwriting analyses help solve their assigned cases. They prepare a skit and present it in class.
Curated OER
Physical Science: Dying for a Tan?
Students assess how much harm UV radiation can have on your skin and how much protection is provided by sunblock, sunglasses and clothing. They experiment with UV index numbers and the amount of exposure risk of skin damage for any given...
Curated OER
Balloon Rockets
Students, after reviewing and analyzing Newton's third law of motion, make balloon rockets and experiment with a variety of models. After the experiment, they chart the results and form conclusions. In addition, they compare/contrast...
Curated OER
Under the Spell of Spiders
Students examine spiders. In these spider lessons, students will view spider images and live spiders to determine physical characteristics, habits, and habitats. Students will examine fantasy and folklore about spiders to create and...
Curated OER
How The Scientists Really Work
High schoolers question the accepted practices of science by scientists and their interactions with technology and society. They devise and conduct appropriate interview procedures for scientists to question their understanding and...
Curated OER
Is It There?
Students participate in a lesson designed to illustrate these concepts using simple materials. They use Science process skills to observe, measure, predict, make inferences, and communicate while completing the activity. Proper safety...
Curated OER
The Farther Away You Are, The Faster Away You Move
Learners explore linear relationships. The lesson uses science to develop an understanding of the expanding Universe. There are 3 Labs, only 2 of which are required. Lab C is an enrichment for higher level classes.
Curated OER
Shine On, Moon
Students explore space science by conducting an experiment in class. In this Moon instructional activity, students define a list of space science vocabulary and read the book The Moon. Students utilize shoeboxes and string to conduct a...
Curated OER
Heavy Ice: Day Five
Students explore physics by conducting a class experiment. In this density lesson, students examine a list of items and discuss whether they will sink or float and then determine their density. Students examine the objects over five days...
Curated OER
To Float or Not to Float - A Lesson on Density
Learners observe and experiment with the concept of density. This is done using a simple experiment that helps them to apply scientific principles of observation and proving a hypothesis.
Journey Through the Universe
A Scale Model Solar System
Between the time scientists discovered Pluto and reclassified it as a dwarf planet, it did not even make one full revolution around the sun. In two activities, scholars investigate scale models and their properties. Pupils find that it...
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...
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...
Science Matters
Oh Heron
Two teams—the environmentalists and herons—play four rounds of the game, Oh Heron. Using hand symbols to represent food, shelter, and water, players locate their match to produce more herons while those unmatched decompose.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Nature Walk and Ecosystem Introduction
A food web has no organism higher than a tertiary consumer because there wouldn't be enough energy left to sustain them. The fourth installment in a seven-part series begins with a nature walk to get pupils thinking about their...
Wild BC
Is Climate Change Good for Us?
Is it really that big of a deal if the global climate undergoes a little change? Young environmentalists consider this very question as they discuss in small groups the impact of different climate change scenarios on their lives,...
University of Colorado
Are All Asteroids' Surfaces the Same Age?
Did you know scientists can tell the age of an asteroid by looking closely at its craters? This final lesson of a six-part series focuses on two asteroids, Gaspra and Ida, in order to demonstrate the concept of dating asteroids. Scholars...
WolfQuest
The Return of Gray Wolves to Yellowstone National Park: Right or Wrong?
Should gray wolves be removed from Yellowstone National Park? After researching the complex relationships between the various habitats and species at Yellowstone National Park, including humans, class members take a position...
Curated OER
Fuel Mystery Dis-Solved
Students describe how temperature and surface area exposure affect the rate at which fuel is consumed. They explain why engineers want to know about the properties of a fuel when designing rockets. They create a bar graph of result data.
Curated OER
It's not just pretty - it's a survival method!
First graders write explanations for why certain animals can only live in certain environments. In this animal survival lesson plan, 1st graders take pictures of animals and place them into the right environment after a instructional...
Curated OER
How Far...How Powerful
Young scholars explore the concept of gamma ray bursts. They examine basic physics concepts about light, measure the shifts of spectral lines, and utilize Hubble's Law to deduce the velocity of an astronomical object.