Curated OER
The Magic School Bus Goes to Seed
Learners learn along with Ms. Frizzle's class. In this Magic School Bus lesson plan, students get a bugs-eye view of the flower world and find out how seeds are created, how they travel, and how they grow into plants.
National Science Teacher Association
Middle School Sampler: Science
Focus on inquiry-based learning in your science class with a series of activities designed for middle schoolers. A helpful packet samples four different texts, which include activities about predator-prey relationships, Earth's axis...
Baylor College
What Is the Water Cycle?
Small groups place sand and ice in a covered box, place the box in the sunlight, then observe as evaporation, condensation, and precipitation occur. These models serve as miniature water cycles and demonstrations of the three phases of...
PBS
Blow the Roof Off!
Blow the minds of young scientists with this collection of inquiry-based investigations. Based on a series of eight videos, these "hands-on, minds-on" science lessons engage young learners in exploring a wide range of topics...
PBS
A Little Recycling Goes A Long Way
Every time you purchase something from the store, it goes into a bag, but what happens to the bag? This lesson encourages your learners to think about what happens to those plastic and paper bags and their effect on the environment. Use...
Curated OER
Water Taste Test
Students investigate the differences in drinking water from different municipalities and store brands. They record clarity, odor and taste descriptions in a blind taste test then compare their results as class.
US Apple Association
Apples: A Class Act! (Grades 4–6)
Middle schoolers have a bushel of fun as they engage in activities and research core facts about apples. Packed with suggestions for in-class activities and out-of-class research, the colorful 6-page packet is sure to satisfy hungry...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Kinetic and Potential Energy
A well-developed lab sheet guides physical science learners through an investigation of kinetic and potential energy. In small groups, collaborators discover whether or not the ramp height or mass of an object has an effect on the...
Curated OER
A Visit to Price Chopper
Pupils visit the grocery store to purchase items to make trail mix which are connected to Kansas agriculture. They problem solve to determine which products to buy, then create, advertise and sell the trail mix to the student body before...
Curated OER
Getting to Know the Products from Trees
In this tree products lesson, young scholars read the book Tell Me,Tree: All About Trees for Kids, discuss how people make products from wood, define producers and consumers and then go on a treasure hunt for wood products at home and...
Curated OER
Comparing Amount of Rainfall in Different Geographical Areas
Students construct rain gauges and use them to log rainfall in their school zone, local city, and region and then compare and discuss them by plotting this information.
Curated OER
The AM Radio: An Exploration of Communication Using Radio Waves
Pupils examine the components that are used to make a primitive AM radio. In circuit and radio construction students often are asked to assemble parts are or what function they perform. They examine each main component on an individual...
Curated OER
Restaurants and Institutional Examination 4
Match the vocabulary terms in column A with the definitions in column B. Write the letter of the definition in column B in the space next to the terms in column A.Write short answers or fill in the blank to the following questions and...
Curated OER
Mechanical Monsters
Students experiment try to build a Lego car. In this physical science lesson students present and demonstrate the vehicle that they constructed.
Consumers Energy
Circuits and the Flow of Electricity Lesson Plan
I think I lost an electron. Are you sure? Yes, I'm positive! Starting with a hands-on demonstration and problem solving activity, young scientists define vocabulary related to circuitry and currents. Then they build their own circuits...
American Chemical Society
Combustion and Burning
On Earth, a candle flame points up, but on the International Space Station, it forms a sphere. Young scientists practice their skills by recording observations before, during, and after a candle burns. Chemical and physical...
Curated OER
Sports Helmets and Impact Testing of Polymers
Learners examine the importance of good quality safety gear. In this investigative activity, students will tests various polymers, collect data, and analyze the data to determine which polymer is best for safety helmets. They will design...
Curated OER
Beans and Birds: A Natural Selection Simulation
Students solve the following problem concerning the evolution of seed color in pinto bean plants: "How does natural selection change the frequency of genes or traits over many generations?" They use the constructivist approach to...
Curated OER
Water Treatment Plant
Second graders create their own water treatment system. In this water treatment lesson plan, 2nd graders create the water treatment system and record how it works. Students list materials they used and write about what they saw. Students...
Curated OER
Sheep Heart Dissection
Fifth graders examine a sheep heart. In this biology lesson, 5th graders dissect a sheep heart to identify the parts of a heart including the aorta, valve, septum, and ventricle.
Curated OER
Beach Life: Clam Dissection
Students investigate clams. In this clam life lesson plan, students conduct an experiment where they dissect clams. Students compare anatomies of humans and clams.
Curated OER
Can You Measure Up!
Seventh graders investigate standards of measurement and metric units using a game to show the importance of standards of measurements. In this measuring lesson plan, 7th graders are grouped together and each group represents a foreign...
Curated OER
The Chemistry of Ceramics
Students compare the characteristics of a fired porcelain sculpture to the clay used to create it. They discuss the physical and chemical changes that occur in the clay as it is heated and then create their own clay sculpture. This...
Curated OER
The Chemistry of Ceramics
Students make ceramic sculptures to understand how clay works. In this sculpture lesson, students learn about porcelain sculptures to understand how heat can turn clay into a hard ceramic surface. They then experiment with clay to make...