Curated OER
Where Do Plants Get Their Food?
Plants need food to survive, just like any other living organism. Young biologists analyze an experiment performed in 1610 by Jan van Helmont to determine if plant nutrition is obtained through the soil. First, lab groups work together...
Rainforest Alliance
My Forest or the Rainforest?
The differences between tropical and temperate rainforests range from animals and flowers to climate and landscapes. Kindergarteners compare and contrast characteristics of their local forest to a tropical rainforest.
Curated OER
Nuts for Peanuts: Peanut Plants, Peanut Timeline, and Peanut-s-timation!
Students complete a timeline. In this peanuts lesson plan, students read A Short Peanut History and use this resource to make a timeline of the history of the peanut. Students can grow peanuts in the classroom or make various peanut...
Curated OER
Pollination Power
Second graders study and examine the structure of a flower. In this pollination lesson plan, 2nd graders observe pollinators in the garden and dissect a flower. Students then plant strawberry plants in the garden and observe the...
Curated OER
Investigating the Effect of Minerals on Plant Growth
How do different minerals affect the growth of plants? Budding botanists find out in a multi-week experiment that has them using solutions with specific mineral deficiencies. While there is a lot of preparation for the investigation,...
Western Kentucky University
Understanding Genetics: Punnett Squares
Can scientists really predict genetic outcomes or are they simply making a lucky guess? Scholars first learn about Gregor Mendel and how to make Punnett squares. Then they extract DNA from a strawberry in a lab with included conclusion...
NASA
Newton Car
If a car gets heavier, it goes farther? By running an activity several times, teams experience Newton's Second Law of Motion. The teams vary the amount of weight they catapult off a wooden block car and record the distance the...
Curated OER
Bruchid Investigations: Bruchid Development Investigations
While this lesson is based on the Bruchid beetle, the focus is on conducting a scientific investigation. Ecology explorers vary the temperature or the type of leaf that Bruchid eggs are laid on and test for effects on the development...
Curated OER
Genetically Modified Food (GMF)
Explore genetically modified foods through various experiments. In this biology instructional activity, students discuss the safety issues related to GMF's. They conduct a PCR analysis to identify the presence of genetic modification.
Curated OER
Beans and Baleen
Predict whale populations using different beans as whales! Learners observe different types of beans in a dish knowing that each bean represents a different kind of whale. They then predict how many "whales" there are in a certain area....
Curated OER
Owls: Top of a Food Chain
Although written for middle schoolers, there is no reason that a 3rd, 4th, or 5th grader could not also learn about food chains through the dissection of owl pellets. After you introduce the topic, learners complete an owl research...
Science Matters
Blubber Gloves: It’s All About Insulation
Instill the concept of adaptation with the help of Blubber Gloves—ziplock bags, shortening, and duct tape. Scholars discuss how animals and plants keep warm in polar regions, record their predictions, and try on their Blubber Gloves to...
Curated OER
Measurement and Variation
Examine the concept of variation through observation and measurement. Middle schoolers will study a peanut and record any distinguishing characteristics visible as well as sketch their peanuts and describe them in writing. Their peanut...
Curated OER
Let's Learn About Plants!
Students discover different plants and plant parts by observing their campus. In this plant life lesson, students take a guided walk around their school with a magnifying glass examining everyday plants as well as photographing...
Curated OER
Pumpkins
Observe the differences between the inside and outside of a pumpkin. Learners discuss what pumpkins are used for and then view a pumpkin. Next, they view the inside of the pumpkin and draw the differences they see.
The New York Times
Trouble in the Hive: Researching the Decimation of Honeybee Colonies
Teach your class about colony collapse disorder and foster discussion about causes and solutions for the honeybee problem. Class members read and discuss an article and participate in one of two detailed activities about pollination and...
Nuffield Foundation
Microscale Investigations of Catalase Activity in Plant Extracts
Use indirect measurements to monitor metabolic activity in plant cells. Scholars understand that cells with a higher metabolic rate have a higher concentration of catalase enzyme. They use this information to compare metabolic rates of...
LABScI
Genetic Equilibrium: Human Diversity
Investigate the Hardy-Weinberg Principle to explain genetic equilibrium. The 10th lesson plan of a series of 12 is a laboratory exploration of genetic equilibrium. Your classes use a mixture of beans to model allele and genotype...
Curated OER
Preparation and Staining of Mammal Cells to View Sister Chromatids
Observation of sister chromatids is possible as learners culture and stain mammal tissue cells.
Curated OER
Observing the Pumpkin Cycle
Students observe and listen to nonfiction books about the life cycle of pumpkins. They practice early reading skills in a shared reading related to pumpkins. They observe the life cycle of a pumpkin including growth and decay.
Curated OER
Color the Snow
Are your teaching in a cold and snowy environment? If so, then try out this fun activity with your class. You mix a variety of colors in large jars to show learners the difference between primary and secondary colors, then let them mix...
Curated OER
The Green Truck Garden Giveaway
Students read "The Green Truck Garden Giveaway" and explore the hobby of gardening. After observing illustrations in the book, students predict possible events in the story. They discuss gardening and write a story about a community...
Curated OER
Fruits and Vegetables
Here is a fun way to investigate fruits and vegetables. In this healthy diet and reading lesson, learners read and recite several poems about fruits and vegetables. They sort pictures and word cards with assorted names of fruits and...
Garden Earth Naturalist Club
Parts of a Flower! Flower Dissection
Sometimes the best way to learn about plants is to see the different parts of a plant yourself. Groups of learners dissect flowers to answer questions about what they observe and what they wonder about their flower.