Curated OER
Scientific Tools
Students list different uses for common scientific instruments. They identify appropriate instruments to measure length, temperature, and mass. Pupils are given a copy of the "Science Tools" task sheet, students place the correct number...
Curated OER
Preservation and the Power of Light
Students identify the effect of light on objects. In this scientific inquiry lesson, students use a chart to write a hypothesis about what will happen when colored construction paper is left in sunlight. Students observe and discuss the...
Foundation for Water & Energy Education
How Can Work Be Done with Water Power? Activity A
Environmentally friendly engineering teams construct a water wheel and experiment with its speed and the resulting amount of weight it can lift. Consider following this activity with two more of the same title by the same publisher when...
Curated OER
Monet's Japanese Bridge -A Scientific Journal
Fourth graders design a bridge and answer critical questions about scientific inquiry and enterprise in a Science journal.
Curated OER
Scientific Inquiry
Middle schoolers make inferences about what activities occur at different places in school. They form a hypothesis as to how space is used. They simulate how archeaologists explore past people by designing and conducting a research project.
Curated OER
Hot Air Balloon Design Lesson Plan
Sixth graders discuss what they know and what they want to know about hot air balloon using a KWL chart. They then use a wide array of materials to design a hot air balloon that will lift successfully in cooperative groups referring to...
Curated OER
Diffusion
Students design and carry out an experiment according to the scientific method. The experiment must test the effects of time and concentration on the rate of diffusion of potassium permanganate into potato cubes. After performing the...
Curated OER
Air Is All Around Us!
Students design an instrument to show that air is all around. In this air lesson plan, students research, construct, and present a design that proves that air is all around, even though they can't see it or touch it. A teacher and self...
Curated OER
Introduction And Brief History of Materials Science
Students develop an understanding of the concept of matter. They l participate actively in the bubble raft experiment as described on the Center for Thermal Spray Research's website. They demonstrate dislocations and grain...
Curated OER
Scooting Along!
Young scholars investigate how Newton's Third Law affects vehicle design. In this Newton's Third Law lesson plan, students use a web site to research Newton, his third law, and how to design a vehicle that uses a balloon for power. They...
Curated OER
Classify Machines that Fly!
Eighth graders explore flight and the dichotomous key. In this flight lesson, 8th graders gain understanding of the dichotomous key and create one of their own. Students then use their dichotomous key to classify types of aircraft.
Curated OER
Which Brand of Air Freshener is Most Cost Effective?
Students use scientific method to determine cost-effectiveness of air freshener, and create PowerPoint presentations to share their results.
Curated OER
Identifying an Earthworm
Students navigate the Internet to learn to identify Earthworms. In this taxonomy lesson, students explore species of earthworms finding their characteristics and using photographs to identify the species. Students research information to...
Curated OER
Classification of Cerealites
Middle schoolers create a dichotomous key. For this categorizing lesson, students create a dichotomous key for different types of cereal. Middle schoolers classify the cereal into groups such as flakes and cereal with holes. Students...
Curated OER
Bird Eggs
Learners perform an experiment with different types of bird eggs to determine what factors make them strong and able to stay on a cliff without rolling off.
Curated OER
Color Dots 2
Students develop simple observations. They observe bleeding of colored inks with water, to understand mixtures, and to make generalized inferences from their observations.
Curated OER
The Wheels on the Bot Go Round and Round, Part I
Young scholars determine how speed is measured. In this physics lesson, students design an experiment to find out if the robot's drive wheel size affects its speed. They collect data and discuss results.
Curated OER
Starch and Sugar Testing 1
Eighth graders determine the presence of starch and sugar in unknown solutions. This task assesses students' abilities to observe, record and interpret data, classify, generalize/infer, construct data tables, and identify sugar and...
Curated OER
Temperature and Enzymes
Students compare the times it takes the milk in each of two cups to curdle. They are told that an enzyme that is added to the milk, rennin, is involved in the natural curdling process of milk. Students are asked to consider what...
Curated OER
The Ups and Downs of Weight and Mass
Students explore the concept of mass, and how it differs from weight. They also calculate their weight change as they ride up and down on an elevator. They record the changes in their weight as the elevator moves
graph the collected data.
Curated OER
Population Biology Case Study
High schoolers are focused on the big question: What makes a population grow and how could that growth stop? They use these concepts to help answer the big question: carry capacity, density dependent v. density, independent factors,...
Curated OER
Deformed Frogs! - The Parasite Hypothesis
This project provides students the opportunity to investigate parasites as a possible cause of the observed frog deformities. It asks students to view web-based evidence and interpret whether it supports the parasite hypothesis. Students...
Curated OER
The Plant Food Factory
Plants need sun and water to survive. Let kids discover these facts by reading a block of informational text and considering a scientific quandary. They read the text, then use the information to complete a two-part question about plant...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Blowing in the Wind
Using a simulated air sample, environmental or earth science pupils examine the components. You will need to prepare the faux air by using a hole punch and various colors of construction paper. Each color will represent a different...