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Planting Seeds Around the World
First graders discuss the book The Lorax and research what living things need. In this environmental lesson, 1st graders investigate how humans affect the growth of plants. Students conduct an experiment with sunflowers.
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Now You See It, Now You Don't
Students explore organic and inorganic objects. In this environmental instructional activity students perform a composting experiment using flowers in different soils. Students record their observations.
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Plate Tectonics
Students participate in a series of experiments to learn about plate tectonics and the different materials of the Earth. In this plate tectonics lesson plan, students use eggs, water, beakers, paper, and more materials to learn about the...
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Bug Eyes
Students explore mantid eyes and human eyes. In this mantid eyes and human eyes research lesson, students work in small groups to gather information. Students read books, observe mantids, and do experiments. Students then present their...
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Light and Water
Third graders experiment with coins and water to explore light rays. In this light and water lesson, 3rd graders work in pairs to observe what happens with a coin in water or how it appears based on the density of the water....
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Soil is a Filter
Students examine how to take the impurities out of eater. In this exploratory lesson students complete an experiment on how to filter drinking water.
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Case of the Missing Pumpkin
Students explore the process of decomposition. In this science lesson, students carve a pumpkin and observe as it decomposes. Students compare the changes to an uncarved pumpkin. Students write about the disappearing pumpkin.
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Goldilocks and the Real Bears
Students participate in a comparison lesson where they compare fictional bears to real life bears. In this science/language arts lesson, students read Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Students observe characteristics...
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Earth Day Lesson
Students analyze Earth science by answering environmental study questions. In this Earth Day activity, students read the book The Lorax and identify the themes within it. Students define several recycling vocabulary terms and create an...
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Taster or Non-Taster?
Students conduct a simple experiment to determine if a trait has been passed from a family member to them.
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Earthquakes
Fifth graders explore the causes of earthquakes and the various types of fault lines through a variety of hands-on demonstrations using prepared cakes. They record their observations in their science journals.
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Genetic Engineering of Crop Plants
Students explore genetic engineering and it biological and ethical implications. By conducting experiments with genetically engineered corn and plain corn they determine the difference in taste. Students also discover the effects of...
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Funky Fungus
Students discuss decomposition, bacteria, fungi and other microscopic organisms. They participate in an experiment to grow fungus on bread. As the fungus colonies grow, students observe them under a microscope to identify and locate...
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Plants In Space
In this biology worksheet, students grow corn plants in growth pouches as the control group in an experiment on plant growth in microgravity. Then they analyze any differences that occur between Earth-grown and space-grown corn plants.
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Fish Count
In this science worksheet, students read about how scientists determine the total number of fish in a population. Students also participate in a related math activity.
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Room to Grow
Students examine radish plants and compare how they grew based on how closely the seeds were sown. For this life science lesson, students pretend to be growing plants crowded together, then examine how the radishes look based on how much...
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To Protect Your Streams, Protect Your Mountains
Young scholars build and experiment with a watershed to understand the effects of pollution. In this movement of water lesson, students work in groups creating rock formations and change the viscosity of the liquids falling down the...
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Oobleck!
Students use Oobleck to investigate the properties of colloids. In this Oobleck and colloid lesson, students listen to the beginning of Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss. They experiment with Oobleck (corn starch, water, and...
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Shedding Light on Watersheds
Students discuss what a watershed is, complete online activities showing them how to take care of a watershed, and create a model of a watershed that they experiment with to see what happens when it is disrupted by civilization.
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Phytoplankton and Ocean Color
Fifth graders identify function of phytoplankton in the biospere by conducting experiments and simulations and reading for information. They detect the presence of phytoplankton in bodies of water by examining ocean in satellite images...
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Spear Point Production
Students explore that prehistoric people had to have a good knowledge of the physical world around them in order to choose the best material for spear production. They also explore that prehistoric people were intelligent beings who...
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Energy Transformation
Learners experiment with variety of materials to investigate, develop inferences, and differentiate between concepts of motion energy and heat energy, and the part played by friction in the transformation process.
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Recycling
Students study recycling. Group members conduct an experiment by making recycled paper over a four day period. If possible, your class will also take an excursion to a local recycling center.
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Fruit or Vegetable?
Watermelon is a vegetable? A tomato is a fruit? Believe it or not, this debate is decades old. Groups examine rulings by the US Supreme Court, the USDA, and state statutes before developing their own criteria to use when labeling...