Unit Plan
University of Southern California

How do Organisms Interact?

For Students 4th - 8th
Examine how organisms interact through a hands-on experience. Learners study population dynamics and distribution during an informative five-lesson unit. The focus is on the ocean environment and the organisms within it.
Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Ice Cores: Modeling Ice Sheets

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Ice cores provide scientists with knowledge of historic melt layers, air temperatures, greenhouse gases, and climate stability. Scholars work in groups to build layers representing snow and ice over thousands of years. Then, groups...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating Scrolls Based on the Illustrated Tale of Genji

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Now these are learning activities full of fun, art, and cultural exploration. Kids consider the art of storytelling through comic book images. They then look at the Tale of Genji as it was written in the 11th century. They discuss...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nature Print Silk Suncatchers

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students are introduced to the beauty of silk painting. They create a colorful leaf-print sun catcher that glows when placed in a window. Each student experiences the mixing of the colors and tie a link with Asian cultures, science and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sedimentary Structures- An Adventure in Painting and Collage

For Teachers K - 6th
Students identify and interpret concepts about how the Earth was formed and convey some of these ideas in a painting. Students experiment with different types of paints and paint applicators to achieve a variety of visual textures....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mixtures

For Teachers K
Students are introduced to the concept of mixtures. They identify materials used to make mixtures and describe what happens to the individual materials when they are mixed. In groups, they make bubbles by mixing water and soap together...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Proud to Recycle Worksheet

For Students 4th - 6th
In this recycling worksheet, students put a check mark next to the items from a list that are recycled in their local area. They determine which items are curbside recyclables and which are drop-off items. They examine pictures of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fluorescence

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Here are some instructions for leading learners through a hands-on activity for investigating ultraviolet radiation. First, introduce them to light and refraction. Then introduce them to the electromagnetic spectrum. Finally, give...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bird Seed Mining

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students search through the seed mixture and separate out our "mine" beads, sunflower seeds, and other grain products, making piles of each. students count up the number of gold, silver, and blue beads, and sunflower seeds from their piles
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Wonder What Camouflague Is...

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students examine the way that Manduca, other animals, and humans use camouflage. They participate in a teacher directed camouflage experiment and the creation of a camouflage collage.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating Impact Craters

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders simulate the creation of impact craters on Mars.Through the creation of model surfaces, the effects of an impacting object's mass, velocity and size are determined, and the features of the resulting crater are identified.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ball Identification Exercise

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders participate in a ball identification exercise to help them identify birds. As a class, their teacher throws them a variety of different sized and colored balls for them to describe. Using these factors, they work together...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Let's Think About... Change

For Teachers K
Students observe various examples of "change." They mix paint to cereate new colors, eat bread and then toasted bread, and match baby pictures with pictures of how the same people look in the present. Finally, they watch a bouquet of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Make an Edible Coral Reef

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Young scholars create an edible coral reef out of food and candy. In this Science lesson, students explore what a coral reef is and the coral reef's importance to the ecosystem.  Additionally, young scholars discover the different...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Brain Game

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders respond to stimuli that are mixed word/color messages.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Diffusion of Molecules

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students study the process for diffusion of molecules. In this chemistry lesson, students understand molecular movement, develop skills for a chemistry investigation, develop skills in making hypotheses, develop observational skills, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Catch a Rainbow

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders listen to a book read to them entitled, WHAT MAKES A RAINBOW and recall and describe their five senses and what parts of their bodies use their five senses and then complete the Catch a Rainbow activity sheet using a...
Worksheet
Curated OER

What is a Chemical Reaction?-Evidence of Change

For Students 10th - 12th
In this chemical reactions worksheet, students experiment with hydrochloric acid and copper (I) chloride to identify the types of reactions they undergo with various other substances. They also observe the law of conservation of mass and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ocean Murals

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students identify characteristics of water. They describe the process by which light decreases and pressure increases as water depth increases. They demonstrate the principle of water pressure in a small group experiment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Disney's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse: "Goofy's Bird"

For Teachers All
Students observe and practice matching baby animals with their mothers as well as assess the beginning of math skills in problem-solving situations. They answer together a variety of questions that address the fields of science and math.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cereal Box Blocks and More!

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students sort and categorize different types of boxes and cartons. In this sorting lesson, students designate areas of the room to put different sizes, styles, or colors of boxes. They help their teacher count and graph the different...
Activity
DiscoverE

Creepy Putty

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Mold your learners into materials engineers. Using glue, Borax, and water, scholars create a viscoelastic material. But your class might know it by another name—Silly Putty.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Light and Vision

For Students 9th - 12th
In this light and vision worksheet, learners will review the characteristics of light including how the eyes use light to see. This worksheet has 9 fill in the blank, 8 true or false, 9 multiple choice, and 1 short answer question.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Properties of Light

For Students 7th - 12th
In this light waves worksheet, students will measure the wavelength of different light waves and then calculate its frequency. This worksheet has 9 short answer questions and 10 fill in the blank questions.