Curated OER
It's Sedimentary, My Dear!
Pupils examine sedimentary rocks to determine how they form. In this Earth science lesson plan, students will make a rock by cementing small particles together. The pupils will then compare their observations of sedimentary rocks to the...
Curated OER
Archeologists For a Day
Learners listen to a reading about fossils and go on a hunt for items with fossil characteristics. In this cross curricular fossil lesson, students will examine their fossil finds and create a graphic organizer. Learners...
Curated OER
The Formation of Coal
In this coal formation worksheet, students read and informational sheet about coal formation. Students are given 5 short-answer questions regarding what they've read.
Curated OER
You're Wearing Your Plants!
Students examine the many uses of plants and trees by looking at their clothing. They make lists of products that come from plants and trees and their uses.
Curated OER
Mixtures are Exciting
Fifth graders collaborate with other classmates to classify and create mixtures made of two or more substances. In this mixture lesson, 5th graders create solid-solid, liquid-solid, and liquid-liquid mixtures. Students discuss with the...
Curated OER
Shells on the Mountain Top?
Learners work in groups to remove fossils from sediments, classifying as many organisms and parts of organisms as possible into major groups. They study the data from each formation and make conclusions about the types of organisms and...
Curated OER
Worming Your Way Through the Soil
Students study soil, living and non-living particles in the soil, and learn about composting. In this soil study lesson, students study soil samples and discuss the living and non-living components of the soil. Students classify the...
Curated OER
Dichotomous Keys
Third graders practice using dichotomous keys. They discover why scientists use them and why it is important to classify animals. They use candy to practice classifying objects and move on to classifying animals.
Curated OER
Geology Quiz Worksheet
In this geology quiz worksheet, learners answer 10 fill-in-the-blank questions about geology. They answer questions about types of rocks, hardness, and mineral attributes. They check their work with the answers at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
It's Alive
First graders critically analyze living and nonliving objects, then develop a list of characteristics to classify objects on a science walk. They make a book to close out the lesson.
Curated OER
Living and Non-Living
Fourth graders are divided into small groups and collect 4 objects from the playground. They take 5 to 10 minutes to classify their groups and discuss their findings including the terms "living" and "non-living". As a class they discuss...
Curated OER
Classification and Attributes
Students classify objects based on their attributes. They explain how archaeologists use classification to help answer research questions.
Curated OER
Chemical and Physical Changes Homework
In this chemical and physical change learning exercise, students determine if 5 statements are examples of chemical or physical changes. At home they find 1 example of a chemical change and 1 example of a physical change. They explain...
Curated OER
Sorting and Using Materials
Learners practice sorting and classifying objects. In groups, they choose a variety of materials and describe how each one looks and feels. They must agree on how to classify each object and share their groupings with the class. They...
Curated OER
Will it SINK or Float?
Students predict whether objects will sink or float in water. They classify objects as sinking or floating in water. Students identify and explain similarities between objects that sink and float.
Curated OER
The Characteristics of Living Things
Eighth graders explore the characteristics of living things. In this living things lesson plan, 8th graders review as a class the cell theory and the characteristics of living things. They answer questions about how to determine if...
Curated OER
From Curiosity Cabinet to Museum Collection
Learners study binomial nomenclature and museum-based research. They create a curiosity box, label the objects in their curiosity box , develop a classification scheme for the objects, and create a database of all objects collected by...
Science Matters
Wave Watching
Seismologists use the direction and arrival times of p waves and s waves to determine the distance to the source of an earthquake. The engaging lesson has students line up to form human waves. Through different movements when attached,...
Science Matters
Earthquakes and Volcanoes Post Assessment
The final lesson in the 20-part series is a post assessment covering earthquakes and volcanoes. Twenty-three questions incorporate each of the previous lessons through multiple choice, justified multiple choice, expanded multiple choice,...
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension 5: Level 10
Whether used as a reading comprehension assessment, as the basis of a mini-lesson on reading strategies, or as extra practice, this exercise will prove to be valuable because of the answers and explanation key that accompanies the...
Curated OER
Species and Specimens: Exploring Local Biodiversity
Students practice skills essential to all scientific investigation: carefully observing and collecting data. They become field biologists in a series of hands-on activities to collect and identify specimens, and survey and calculate the...
NASA
Mystery Planet
What can one learn about a planet based on a small surface sample? Learners will explore artifacts from a mystery planet and see what they can determine about the planet based on the evidence in front of them.
Curated OER
Fossil Fuels vs. Alternative Fueling Systems
Fourth graders brainstorm the differences between the fossil fuels that people use in their transportation now and what they could use to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. They use a variety of techniques from webquests to writing...
Curated OER
Mineral Identification
In this mineral identification lesson plan, students analyze 14 minerals and test their physical properties. They test the color, luster, streak, hardness and breakage of each mineral. Students answer 5 questions about the physical...