Core Knowledge Foundation
Rocks & Minerals
Take young geologists on an exploration of the rock cycle with this six-lesson earth science unit on rocks and minerals. Through a series of discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on investigations your class will learn...
Edgemont Elementary School
Scientific Method Unit
Four out of five teenagers experiment with science by accident. This unit teaches the five parts of the scientific method through examples, guided practice, independent practice, and then through a hands-on experiment. Each step is...
University of Southern California
What Is The Ocean?
Go on a tour of the ocean through the lens of a scientist. Learners read maps of the ocean floor, study tide behavior, examine wave motion, and analyze components of soil. Each lesson incorporates a hands-on component.
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Scientific Method Mania
Horrible science puns only happen periodically, but the scientific method is forever. Young scientists observe two presentations on the scientific method, complete independent practice worksheets, and integrate their knowledge through a...
Florida International University
Are You Concentrating?
Explore the importance of a concentration gradient in the rates of dissolution. Using the ocean ecosystem, learners study rates of dissolution around coral reefs. A hands-on experiment helps individuals discover the effects of changing a...
Curated OER
Volcanoes: Kindergarten Lesson Plans and Activities
In the pre-lab, kindergarteners mimic the movements of the eruption of a volcano and discover various volcanoes around the United States. Then, pupils sort different types of volcanic rocks in the lab before learning how volcanoes grow...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Weather or Not
What is the difference between weather and climate? This is the focus question of a lesson plan that takes a deeper look at how weather data helps determine climate in a region. Using weather and climate cards, students decide...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Lego Atoms and Molecules: Chemical Reactions
Show young chemists what a chemical reaction looks like with two parts of a hands-on experiment. First, learners conduct a wet lab where they observe the reactants (baking soda and calcium chloride, with phenolsulfonphthalein)...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Can You Canoe?
A neat handout immerses learners in the history of canoe making. After reading, small groups of mini engineers work to craft a canoe that will not be immersed! This is an ideal exercise in engineering design for your STEM curriculum or...
University of Minnesota
Tell Me About It
Have you ever tried following confusing or incomplete directions? In a hands-on experiment, partners give and follow directions to build a structure. Scholars apply their years of experience taking instructions to prove they know...
Gears Educational System
Battery Basics
In a series of activities, high schoolers research and compare batteries of different chemistries (such as nickel-cadmium), measure current and voltage, and use multimeters and math to compute their capacities. In the end, they try to...
NOAA
Mid-Ocean Ridges Interactive
Your class will be on top of their game when it comes to mid-ocean ridges! The second installment in a 13-part series focuses on the 65,000-km underwater ridge system that spans our globe. Junior oceanographers practice placing the...
Colorado State University
What Is Energy?
Don't let the energy of your classroom falter! Explore the scientific definition of energy through play. A hands-on lesson focuses on the change of energy from one form to another.
Curated OER
Layer Cake Archaeology
Excavating cake? Why not! Kids spoon into some layers and artifacts during this tasty hands-on activity. The cake, a simulated archaeological dig, is the object of observation and discussion.
Polar Trec
Can Carbon Dioxide Act Like a Greenhouse Gas?
Ninety-seven percent of scientists who study climate agree that human activity is warming the planet. Learners explore carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas, a gas causing this warming, through a hands-on experiment. Once complete, they...
University of Miami
What is it? Weathering, Erosion, or Deposition?
Just as rocks move through the rock cycle, your giddy geologists will move descriptions around until they are all in the correct category. After cutting out several types of rock movement, learners determine whether the action is...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Making of the Fittest: Evolving Switches, Evolving Bodies
How did the stickleback fish, which was once ocean bound, evolve to be able to persist in freshwater lakes? Hear from the scientists who identified the genes and related switches that allowed these survivors to adapt. In addition to the...
Star Date
Astronomy Day from McDonald Observatory Solar System Scale Activity
Add a visual aid to your solar system lessons. Enthusiastic astronomers create a model depicting the nine planets and their distance from the sun.
Pingry School
Flame Tests
Light a fire in your pupils! Scholars conduct a flame test and observe the emission spectra of several different salts in an enlightening hands-on investigation. They use their observations to make comparisons and conclusions about the...
CK-12 Foundation
Don't Slip
Salt is the go-to material when people need to melt ice—learn the chemistry behind its effectiveness with an interactive lesson. Pupils watch a short narrative and then explore the concept through a simulation. Young scientists...
Curated OER
Leaky Seal
Junior high schoolers explore possible theories for the cause of the Hunley submarine sinking. Through hands on activities, they investigate how to create a waterproof seal. Afterwards, they discuss how seals work and various...
NSW Department of Education
Relationships Between Formal Measurement Units: Measure and Record Mass in Kilograms and Grams
Teach the masses about the metric system with this hands-on measurement lesson. Given a fruit or vegetable, learners estimate, measure, and convert its mass using the metric units gram and kilogram.
Curated OER
Exploring Caves
Students explore the various characteristics of caves. Through class discussion and hands on activities, students identify what forces converge in the creation of a cave. They complete review activities at the conclusion of the lesson....
Curated OER
Preschoolers and Science Skills
You can encourage critical thinking and problem solving by allowing young children to participate in hands-on science activities.