US Mint
Desert Dwellers
What can a quarter possibly teach young learners about desert ecosystems? More than you might think. After displaying and discussing the included picture of the Arizona state quarter, the class participates in a series of shared reading...
Foundation for Water & Energy Education
How Can Work Be Done with Water Power? Activity C
Third in a set of lessons regarding reservoirs, dams, and hydropower, this involves a two-day hydropower plant simulation. Collaborative groups build, maintain, and finance the plant. The transparency of the reservoir setup can be...
Scholastic
Lesson Three: The Earth, Movement in Space
If you feel like you're standing still, you're wrong! The Earth is constantly rotating and orbiting under our feet. Demonstrate the Earth's movement within the solar system with a collaborative activity. With a candle or lamp in the...
Curated OER
Science Reporter for Where in the World is Science? Project
Students take the role of a science reporter and gather data for a newspaper article. Students create a question sheet. Students receive a copy of the Science Reporter's Journal task sheet. They complete the items on the sheet and...
Curated OER
Penguins Nesting Know-How
Learners maintain a field journal as they follow penguin parents raising their chicks during the breeding season. They formulate testable questions. Students reflect on animal behavior in the field related to survival and chick rearing.
Curated OER
What a Fungi
Seventh graders perform an experiment to determine the best growing conditions for molds. In this life science lesson, 7th graders explain where molds are commonly found. They collect data and draw diagrams of their observations.
Curated OER
Causal Patterns in Ecosystems Section 3
Students design and create a worm and worm free compost tanks for observation of decay in ecosystems. They make predictions, care, and revist tanks using their journals for observation and data collection.
Curated OER
Parasite Development and Life Cycle
If you are new to teaching agriculture classes, this outline may be helpful when you are preparing a lecture on parasites in livestock. In addition to lecturing on this topic, the lesson plan suggests that learners research the life...
Curated OER
Science That's Out of This World
Students use iChat AV and an iSight camera to "meet with" a space scientist to ask and answer questions, visit relevant websites, and broaden their understanding of the solar system and space. They videoconference with a sientist and...
Curated OER
Student Autobiography: An Approach Through Journal Writing
Students write about an ordinary, everyday happening such as riding in the family car, preparing for school in the morning, doing the wash, shooting a foul shot or sitting in English class. They look at how he/she spends time during the...
Curated OER
Build a Journal
Students prepare for field journaling at Yosemite Institute. They create and decorate their Institute journal giving them both a place to journal and ownership of it.
Curated OER
Blackout!
Students read news reports and first-person accounts of a blackout in a large city and keep weblogs or journals. They take on different roles of people who live in the city or commute there to work and then use their journal accounts to...
Curated OER
Should Populations in an Ecosystem be Restricted?
Fourth graders experiment to determine how overpopulation effects ecosystems specifically plants. In this ecosystem lesson, 4th graders conduct an ecosystems experiment after listening to Claire Daniel's, Ecosystems. They watch a video,...
Curated OER
Butterfly Pavilion
Students learn about butterflies through books and observation in a butterfly pavilion. In this butterfly pavilion lesson, students use hand lenses to observe the metamorphosis of the butterfly and record in their journals. Students feed...
Curated OER
May the Force Be With You
Students read an article, brainstorm ideas and prepare journals investigating why people enjoy 'thrill' rides, what forces affect the body on these rides and how they can become dangerous.
Curated OER
Micros-organisms
Sixth graders examine mold with a microscope. In this micro-organisms activity, 6th graders use teacher-prepared mold samples to prepare a wet-mount slide and examine the mold under a microscope then draw and label what they see.
Curated OER
When Distress Spells S.O.S.
Students discover various equipment and technologies used for distress signals, then prepare skits and make recommendations based on information gathered about signaling devices.
Curated OER
You are Uniquely You
Students compare and contrast simple machines and their functions. In this cross-curriculum science simple machines lesson, students observe examples and read about simple machines, then use body movement to demonstrate how machines...
Curated OER
Ladybugs
Third graders keep and report records of investigations and observations of ladybugs utilizing tools like journals, charts, graphs and computers. They discover and study the life cycle of ladybugs and complete a KWL chart about ladybugs.
Curated OER
An Egg-celent Gravity Experiment
Fifth graders record at least four hypotheses concerning what happens when they drop an egg from a high spot. They record at least five observations or supporting ideas about the egg drop. Students test gravity by dropping an egg from a...
Curated OER
The Monarch Butterfly Watch
Students explore monarch migration through the Journey North web site. In this butterfly lesson plan, students use the internet to identify a butterfly's migration pattern. Students write in electronic journals.
Curated OER
Chilling Predictions
Young scholars research and prepare an almanac on the Arctic. They examine the laws that attempt to provide jurisdiction over this area and consider how these laws be affected if geography of the Arctic continues to change due to global...
Curated OER
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Students read The Garden by Arnold Lobel, plant seeds to discover what makes them grow, and record their observations in their journals.
Curated OER
Flights of Fancy?
Students reflect on the dynamics of human flight and how objects fall through the air and how science principles are used in flight.
They create a How-It-Works poster diagramming the science behind one method of flying. In addition,...