Rainforest Alliance
The Carbon Cycle
Scholars learn about the carbon cycle, play a carbon cycle game, and then write a story based on their role as a carbon atom during the game. After the writings, pupils analyze the carbon cycle by leading a class discussion on the material.
Advocates for Human Rights
The Right to a Clean Environment: Water
First, young citizens learn about water consumption by doing some research themselves on their home water usage and sharing their findings with the class. Then, they do some brainstorming and devise a plan to reduce water consumption.
Polar Trec
Beacon Valley Weather
In Beacon Valley, katabatic winds regularly knock fit adults to the ground. The lesson plan compares the actual temperatures to the wind chill after factoring in katabatic winds in Beacon Valley. Scholars learn to calculate wind chill...
Polar Trec
Bioaccumulation of Toxins
In 2015, Peter Cook found that sea lions with high levels of exposure to toxins suffered permanent brain damage if they survived at all. Scholars learn about the accumulation of toxins at various levels of the food chain. Using...
Cornell University
Math Is Malleable?
Learn about polymers while playing with shrinky dinks. Young scholars create a shrinky dink design, bake it, and then record the area, volume, and thickness over time. They model the data using a graph and highlight the key features of...
Cornell University
Building a Compound Light Microscope
What better way to learn how to use a microscope than building your own? A lab investigation has scholars use lenses from magnifying glasses and sheets of cork to design their own compound microscopes. They calculate focal length...
Discovery Education
The Key to It All
Which characteristics make organisms unique? Dichotomous keys simplify the process of classifying organisms by focusing on these unique characteristics. Young scholars learn how to use the dichotomous key flow chart by creating their own...
Discovery Education
It's Melting!
It's a race to the finish! Which ice cube will melt the fastest? Scholars discover the effect thermal energy has on melting ice. They experiment with melting ice cubes on different materials and learn that even at a consistent...
Discovery Education
How's the Weather?
Young meteorologists explore different aspects of the weather while learning about measurement devices. They build instruments and then set up a weather station outside and measure temperature, humidity, air pressure, wind speed, and...
Curated OER
Unidentified (Flying?) Arthropods
Beginning biologists learn the characteristics of the five classes in the arthropod phylum. A student handout lists characteristics to help them identify five specimens. You will need to collect an example of each: arachnida, crustacea,...
Curated OER
Insects and Bugs
Students recognize the difference between insects and bugs while making connections to personal experiences. In this insect and bug lesson, students complete a pre-assessment to demonstrate prior knowledge, then gather information...
American Chemical Society
Represent Bonding with Lewis Dot Diagrams
Lewis dot diagrams, Lewis dot structures, and electron dot diagrams are all the same thing. Young scientists learn how to draw Lewis dot diagrams and come to understand how dots and dashes represent valence electrons and ionic or...
National Institute of Open Schooling
Compounds of Carbon Containing Nitrogen
Amines are vital to humans because they help form amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. The 30th lesson in a series of 36 specifically focuses on the organic compounds that contain nitrogen. Learners classify amines and nitro...
National Institute of Open Schooling
Compounds of Carbon Containing Halogens (Haloalkanes and Haloarenes)
Halogens comes from a Greek word which translates to make salt. Lesson 27 in the series of 36 teaches pupils about halogens. Pupils read, discuss, and answer questions in order to learn about haloalkanes and haloarenes. From defining...
National Institute of Open Schooling
p-Block Elements and Their Compounds – II
Ozone, made of three bonded oxygen atoms, is found 15-30 km above Earth, has a strong smell, is blue, and blocks sunlight from hitting the surface of Earth. The 22nd lesson in a series of 36 specifically focuses on the important elements...
National Institute of Open Schooling
Occurrence and Extraction of Metals
Steel is a man-made alloy or a mixture of metals. Lesson 18 in this series of 36 focuses on metals and their extraction from Earth. Individuals read about, discuss, and answer questions after learning how people find most metals, the...
National Institute of Open Schooling
p-Block Elements and Their Compounds – I
Lesson 21 in a series of 36 specifically focuses on elements and their compounds from groups 13, 14, and 15 on the periodic table — including boron, carbon, aluminum, silicon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Classes learn how some of these...
National Institute of Open Schooling
Mole Concept
Learners explore atomic measurement in the first activity in a series of 36. Through readings, activities, and questions, classes review standard SI units, learn about Avogadro's constant, and use it to help them calculate moles. They...
National Institute of Open Schooling
Colloids
Classes explore colloids through readings and questions in lesson 10 in a series of 36. They learn everything from methods of preparation and properties to how to classify colloids. They finish the lesson by seeing how to apply...
American Chemical Society
Soda Can Steam Engine
Steam engines have been around since the late 1600s, yet most pupils don't know how they work. Using an soda can, the instructor builds a simple steam engine for scholars to observe. Through a discussion, young scientists learn about the...
Beyond Benign
The Green Zine
It's time for your class to advertise what they've learned! The culminating lesson plan in the 24-part series asks scholars to use their newfound chemistry knowledge to create advertisements. Their magazine advertisements describe the...
Curated OER
Genes, DNA, and Mutations
With paper DNA patterns, budding biologists model translation and base-pair substitution within sequences. Through these activities, they examine how mutations can result in genetic disorders. The modeling that occurs is an enlightening...
Curated OER
Food Chains
Learners take a look at the relationship between organisms in food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids. After an opening demonstration by the teacher, pupils are split up into groups. Each one is assigned an environment such as:...
Curated OER
Invisible Life
By setting up an aquarium in the classroom, learners are able to describe some macroscopic and microscopic organisms that are found inside. This well-designed, and educationally rich lesson requires pupils to use microscopes to view...