Curated OER
Rusted Roots
Middle schoolers create a flowchart on the root cause method. In this inquiry lesson plan, students compare RCA and the DMAIC model with the scientific method of problem solving. They investigate a problem in school and present their...
Curated OER
An Introduction to Classification
Sixth graders explore, analyze and study the history of classification systems and the scientific processes that influenced modern classification methods. They evaluate why classification and binomial nomenclature are necessary to the...
Curated OER
Positive Futures Fair - Application of Year-Long Content Skills
Students demonstrate the knowledge of proper scientific investigation and reporting skills. They decide how to make a positive difference in the world using these skills.
Curated OER
Snow Goggles
Pupils assemble snow goggle models and discuss how snow goggles change the amount of light shining in their eyes.
Curated OER
Egging It
Sixth graders discover scientific processes by conducting an experiment in class. In this osmosis instructional activity, 6th graders utilize eggs, cooking ingredients, string and plastic cups to create an experiment in which they watch...
Curated OER
Why did the can crush?
Students watch a demonstration to ascertain why a soda can crushed. They make observations and hypothesize about why a soda can crushed and relate the difference in pressure to its affect on objects around us (soda can). Explanation is...
Texas State University
Earth: Deposition and Lithification
Geology geniuses analyze sediment samples with a hand lens and sort according to physical characteristics. They also learn about the processes of cementation, compaction, and lithification within the rock cycle. The lesson plan is...
NASA
Measuring Dark Energy
You're only 10 minutes late? Do you know how much the universe has expanded in those 10 minutes? Scholars graph supernovae based on their redshift and see if the results verify Hubble's Law. If it does confirm it, the universe is...
Acoustical Society of America
Generalizing How Musical Instruments Work
Sound, vibrations, resonance, and frequency are explored as learners use music to foster scientific inquiry. They engage in three different sound experiments and follow up discussions to foster a better understanding of how musical...
Curated OER
Water in Earth's Hydrosphere
Environmentalists test stream water for temperature, pH, and turbidity. Each group shares their information and then the class makes an overall evaluation of the water quality. A slide show sets the backdrop for the teaching portion and...
American Chemical Society
Investigating the Line
Note that this lesson is best paired with the preceding lesson in the unit. In that lesson, elementary physical scientists observed that the color coating of M&Ms® candies do not mix when dissolved off of the chocolate surface. Now...
PBS
The Chrysalis or Pupa
What is one of the most exciting parts of a butterfly's life cycle? When it emerges from its pupa and dries its wings! This is a great activity little ones will love. They discuss what happens during the pupal stage of the butterfly life...
Curated OER
Energy Resources: Where Are They and How Do We Get Them?
Future energy engineers visit several stations, each one dedicated to a different alternative source of energy. They describe how solar energy is converted into other forms of energy, the patterns of distribution of energy resources in...
NASA
Is It Alive?
Determining whether or not something is living can be more difficult than it seems. Put your young scientists to work defining their own criteria to identify life, then work with three samples to see if they are alive or...
Serendip
Out Spot, Darn Spot
Encourage your classes to be laundry helpers! Learners explore the chemistry of stain removal with a lab investigation. By identifying the components of the stain, they identify the most effective solute for its removal.
NASA
Code a Mars Sample Collection Video Game
Video game designer meets science in a lesson examining the science of space exploration. Young learners use online software to create a video game that mimics the process of sample collection on Mars. They must make appropriate...
Curated OER
Forces of Flight - Lift
Students design and test paper airplanes to understand the concept of lift and how it affects flight. This technology-based Science lesson plan is excellent for use with upper-elementary and middle-level learners and uses spreadsheet...
Virginia Department of Education
Three Types of Rocks
Rock out with the second installment of a five-part series on earth materials and processes. Your budding geologists make observations of given rock samples and posit classification systems for rocks. They then learn about the...
Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
Schoolyard Biodiversity Investigation Educator Guide
In 1980, in the tropical rainforests of Panama, scientists discovered 1,200 species of beetles living in and around just 19 trees, with most of the species new to science—that's biodiversity! In the activity, learners work in teams to...
Curated OER
SAFETY KNOWLEDGE BASE CHANGES
Students research and formulate a hypothesis for research to correlate changing safety regulations in regards to personal and environmental safety polices for storage, handling and disposal of chemicals, risk involved in hazardous...
Curated OER
Slingshot Characterization Experiment
Students set up and conduct a scientific experiment to demonstrate data collection. In this scientific process lesson, students complete an activity with the specific objective of using a slingshot to fire a t-shirt into the crowd at a...
University of Georgia
Energy Content of Foods
Why do athletes load up on carbohydrates the evening before a competition? The lesson helps answer this question as it relates the type of food to the amount of energy it contains. After a discussion, scholars perform an experiment...
Curated OER
Scientific Research
Students examine the process of scientific inquiry. They develop twenty questions, categorize the questions, develop a research proposal, analyze data, draw conclusions, and explain how their research connects to the state standards.
Curated OER
Exploring the Scientific Method: Separation of a Complex Mixture
Students work in teams to use the scientific method to separate complex mixtures into pure components.