NASA
What's the Frequency, Roy G. Biv?
While all light travels at the same speed, each color in the visible light spectrum contains a different wavelength and frequency. Scholars determine the relationship between frequency and wavelength as they complete the activity. They...
NASA
What’s the Problem with Isotropy?
Some patterns are so small, we can't see them without the help of technology. The same is true for cosmic microwave background radiation. During this activity and discussion, scholars examine both anisotropic and isotropic items and...
University of Colorado
Happy Landings: A Splash or a Splat?
Huygens spacecraft landed on Saturn's moon Titan in 2005, making it the farthest landing from Earth ever made by a spacecraft. In this hands-on activity, the 12th installment of 22, groups explore how density affects speed. To do this,...
NASA
Developing an Investigation
Watch as your class makes the transition from pupils to researchers! A well-designed lesson has scholars pick a solar wind characteristic to research. They then collect and analyze official data from the LANL website. This is the...
Monroe City Schools
Clouds! Clouds! Clouds!
Here is a beautiful instructional activity on clouds designed for your 1st graders. Learners study three different types of clouds. They construct drawings of cumulus, cirrus, and stratus clouds. The Cloud Book, by Tommie dePaola is...
Curated OER
What the Heck Is Science Anyway?
Here is a 12-page outline of an introductory science lesson. The teacher lectures on what science is, the role of a scientists, different disciplines of science, and the impact of scientific discoveries. Detailed lecture notes are...
Curated OER
Sands of Time
Young scientists take a close looks a samples of sand that come from three different beaches. They use microscopes to view the three slides, and make observations on a worksheet. At the end of the lesson, learners share their...
NOAA
Biological Oceanographic Investigations – Through Robot Eyes
How can a robot measure the length of something when we don't know how far the camera is from the object? The lesson explains the concept of perspective and many others. Scholars apply this knowledge to judge the length of fish and the...
ARKive
Galapagos Conservation
The Galapagos Islands inspired Darwin to develop his theory of evolution. These wonderful islands will also be the topic of a lesson on habitat and conservation. In small groups, learners will collect and synthesize information regarding...
Curated OER
New Hampshire Unplugged
Young historians explore how technology and science affected life in the state of New Hampshire. They define technology and give personal experiences of how technology affects people and how people have used technology. They compare the...
National Library of Medicine
Your Environment, Your Health: The Great Debate—Bottled Water vs. Tap Water in Our School
Should bottled water be sold in schools, or should they only provide tap water? The summative unit in the six-part series encourages scholars debating this topic. The lessons teach how to build an argument, how to gain background...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Creating and Testing Silver-Nanoparticle Socks
Antibacterial socks are a product of nanotechnology. An inquiry-based lesson asks collaborative groups to create their own antibacterial socks and then test them against other products on the market. The sock with the least amount...
Curated OER
Measurement: When Degrees Matter
Eighth graders record the temperature change of the beakers. For this general science lesson, 8th graders create their own data table for recording observations. They discuss experimental results and cite real life applications.
Curated OER
Bungee Man Lab
Students explore the motion of a toy bungee jumper using the scientific method. They view a video of a bungee jumper and discuss what can be measured about a bungee jump. Students discuss the scientific mehtod and how to design an...
Curated OER
A Fiedl Study of an Integral Species
Students compile baseline population information on a local species. They design and conduct a scientific investigation of a local species. Students interpret, analyze and communicate results based on sound scientific and mathematical...
Curated OER
"Eggs-perimenting" Fun
Learners dissolve salt into water, place an egg into a glass of salt water, observe and record observations, make a scientific hypothesis, summarize what they studied from this hands-on experiment. They share their ideas and findings...
Curated OER
Dinosaurs
Students will develop goals for inquiry. They will also improve content area reading and research skills. The context of studying dinosaurs will help learners to distinguish from organisms that live presently and those from the past...
Curated OER
"Go-Car" Lab
Students construct a car based on directions given. In this physics lesson, students calculate average speed using distance and time information. They collect data and create a graph of distance vs. time.
Curated OER
Sorting Buttons
Students study sorting. In this classification instructional activity, students sort buttons into groups based on a common characteristic and draw two pictures illustrating the different groups.
Curated OER
Motion in Fluids
Students explore physical science by participating in a science activity. In this liquids lesson, students discuss how fluids can be affected by motion unlike solids. Students define other scientific vocabulary terms and conduct a motion...
Curated OER
This Lesson Is a Breeze, So Don't Blow It!
Students conduct an experiment to show that air is all around us and that wind is the movement of air. They construct a weather vane to determine which direction the wind is blowing.
Curated OER
Water - Solid and Liquid
First graders conduct a science inquiry by comparing water in its liquid and solid form. The students describe the different stages of water and complete a worksheet answering questions about each form of the water. Teacher assessment...
Curated OER
Is Every Color in the Rainbow?
Students discuss whether all colors are in the rainbow. In this physics lesson, students defend their ideas and present persuasive arguments to support them.
Curated OER
Ear Shape
Students explore hearing. In this hearing and sound lesson, students participate in a scientific inquiry to compare ear shape and hearing ability. Students work with a partner to listen to soft music and use various materials...