Curated OER
Doin' The Moonwalk
If you are looking for an outstanding lesson on the Moon for your budding astronomers, look no further! This outstanding plan is full of wonderful, meaningful activities for your charges to engage in. Pupils will discover why there are...
Curated OER
Beginning Statistical Inquiries into the Scientific Method: Jelly-Side-Down
Students describe what happens when a piece of jellied toast is dropped off a table. From these observations, students pose a question concerning which side of the jellied toast land on the floor.
Curated OER
The Nature of Science
In this nature of science learning exercise, students identify four statements as "pure" or "applied" science and they read a short story about an experiment performed by a boy. They identify various components of the experiment...
Curated OER
Paper Airplane Science
Fifth graders recognize the need to follow the scientific method carefully and be aware of variables in experiments. In this airplane lesson, 5th graders design and test an airplane, and complete a data sheet. Students retest five...
Cherry Creek Schools
Physical Science Final Exam Review Packet
If you need a way to assess the concepts in your physical science class, use an extended set of worksheets as a midterm or final exam. It includes questions about density, physical and chemical matter, speed and velocity, weight and...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Winogradsky Columns: Microbial Ecology in the Classroom
Winogradsky columns are ideal for observing the role of bacteria and other microorganisms in an ecosystem. This student activity guide is complete with data tables for observations and analysis questions for processing what was observed....
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Let’s Throw an Electric Science Party!
Are you looking for a shockingly good lesson? Check out one that has middle schoolers recreate four of Benjamin Franklin's experiments. Groups investigate, observe, and draw conclusions about static electricity and electrical current....
Science 4 Inquiry
Snakes in the Everglades
The Burmese python is on the loose ... and he's hungry! Illustrate the differences between causative and correlative relationships through an inquiry lesson. Pupils examine several sources of information to determine if there is a...
NOAA
A Day in the Life of an Ocean Explorer
What's life like aboard an ocean exploration vessel? Junior oceanographers examine the important role of communication in ocean research in lesson two of a five-part series from NOAA. The materials introduce the class to life on...
Wilderness Classroom
Pollution
Educate scholars on pollution—air, water, and land—with a series of lessons that begin with a thorough explanation of each type. Learners then take part in three activities to reinforce the importance of reducing pollution. They...
Curated OER
2005 Grade 8 Science Released Test Questions
Here is a collection of 22 multiple-choice questions on topics from the physical and life sciences. Apparently they came from an 8th grade comprehensive science exam and have been released for public use. They may serve as a sufficient...
Curated OER
Student Designed Investigations Part 4 - Poster Presentations/Science Fair
Third through fifth graders prepare posters to present at a science fair. Working with a partner, pupils conduct investigations and prepare a poster to present their findings. They rehearse their presentations, and add visual aids;...
Curated OER
Measuring Temperature and the Production of CO2 in Yeast
Students use a model experiment to complete an experiment on yeast. In groups, they identify the independent and dependent variables and use the scientific method to complete the activity. They record their observations and discuss them...
Curated OER
Catapults
Students test catapults. In this physics lesson, student conduct scientific investigations that require them to test catapults. Students practice their problem solving skills as they employ the use of the scientific method.
Curated OER
The Great Jellybean Hunt
Students explore natural selection and its influence on the populations to fine tune traits and characteristics. The acquisition of traits developed out of need is examined through a game played in class.
Curated OER
Measuring the Flagpole
Studets practice problem solving and comparison of quantities, ratios and prproportions. They develop a plan for determining the height of a flagpole complete with drawings and calculations. In addition, they complete a written...
Curated OER
Invent on the Spot
The best inventions come from a problem that needs to be solved! Given a container with holes in...
Integrated Physics and Chemistry
Law of Conservation of Matter
Does mass change during a chemical reaction? Demonstrate the Law of Conservation of Matter while encouraging class members to be creative with a two-part lesson. First, learners use Alka-Seltzer® tablets and water to demonstrate the...
Curated OER
Sensational Soil
Fourth and fifth graders explore soil by taking a simulated field trip under the earth. They go to an Internet site that runs a simulation which charges them with finding a source of pollution that could destroy all of Earth's soil, and...
NASA
Dark Matter NASA Conference
Young scholars calculate the escape velocity of planets in our solar system and use that knowledge to calculate the escape velocity for NGC 2300 group. They then suggest reasons for the escape velocity to be higher than possible given...
Center Science Education
Model a Moving Glacier
Glaciologists in your class make models of glaciers to simulate how they move down a valley, and then they use it to test any aspect of glacier movement. Not only is this a vivid visual of how these monsters of ice flow, but it is also...
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
How Much Water Do You Use?
Incorporate reading strategies, math, research, and the scientific method into one lesson plan about water conservation. After reading a story about a landlady trying to determine how many people are living in an apartment, learners...
Curated OER
Cleaning up an oil spill
Small groups complete a science project involving cleaning up an oil spill. In this experiment, pupils use 4 different sorbents to discover which one absorbs the most oil. Afterward, they make a data table.
University of Colorado
Strange New Planet
The first remote sensors were people in hot air balloons taking photographs of Earth to make maps. Expose middle school learners to space exploration with the use of remote sensing. Groups explore and make observations of a new...