Lesson Plan
Children's Museum

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Curious Scientific Investigators: Flight Adventures

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students will make paper rockets, parachutes, and foam gliders to experience how objects move through the air. Explore topics such as thrust, weight, gravity, force, and lift through fun activities and stories and cutting-edge work done...
Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Not All Scientific Studies Are Created Equal

For Students 9th - 10th
Use this TED Ed lesson, to learn why you should be skeptical of scientific research. Lesson is complete with video, questions, and links to resources for deeper understanding of the topic.
Handout
Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Oak Ridge National Laboratory: Field Investigation Source Platform

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory gives a description of field investigation and then provides a detailed break-out of each step in the process.
Unit Plan
Vision Learning

Visionlearning: Culture of Science: Scientists and the Scientific Community

For Students 9th - 10th
A look at the human side of science. Take a look at how background and motivation can lead to different perspectives, discoveries, and progress in science.
Handout
University of Georgia

University of Georgia: Scientific Thought: Facts, Hypotheses, Theories, Etc.

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides explanations of terms used in science: fact, deductive inference, inductive inference, hypothesis, multiple working hypotheses, theory, evidence, Ockham's Razor, natural law, and paradigm.
Lesson Plan
BSCS Science Learning

Bscs: Asking and Answering Questions With Data

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This inquiry is intended to provide students with practice developing investigable questions that need data, and specifically large datasets, to be answered. Click the teacher resources link for teaching guides and student handouts.
Lesson Plan
Other

Bscs: Asking and Answering Questions With Data

For Students 9th - 10th
In this self-directed lesson, learners use graphs and maps of water quality to investigate relationships between variables to answer questions. A handout with everything the student needs to complete this lesson is available as a PDF or...
Lesson Plan
BioEd Online

Bio Ed Online: Butterflies in Space

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In 2009, four painted lady butterflies flew aboard space shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station, where they grew and lived. Students can use original photos from the mission to conduct open-ended scientific investigations to...
Website
NASA

Nasa: Discovery Mission: Messenger

For Students 9th - 10th
The MESSENGER (MErcury: Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) mission is a scientific investigation of the planet Mercury. This site provides information about its mission objectives and management.
Website
Huntington Library

Huntington Library: Seeds, Soil, and Surprises

For Teachers K - 1st
This site has excellent resources for teaching students about plants. It has a guide to scientific investigation and a glossary of plant terms. There are three lessons that each include a slideshow on the parts of a plant, the needs of...
Unit Plan
Open Ed

Open Ed Sci: 7.5 Ecosystem Dynamics

For Teachers 7th - 9th
This unit on ecosystem dynamics and biodiversity begins with students reading headlines that claim that the future of orangutans is in peril and that the purchasing of chocolate may be the cause. Students launch a scientific...
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Education: Minerals, Crystals, and Gems

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Through this series of three lessons, students will gain an understanding of the basics of mineral science. In their investigation they will also work through the scientific process as they practice their observation skills, form...
Unit Plan
Vision Learning

Visionlearning: The Process of Science

For Students 9th - 10th
An introduction to scientific process and thinking like a scientist.
Website
Other

Lunar and Planetary Institute: The Surveyor Program

For Students 9th - 10th
A good site about the Surveyor missions to the moon, which includes findings from the experiments that were aboard the lander.
Lesson Plan
BSCS Science Learning

Bscs: Globe at Night Dark Skies

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this inquiry, students predict the best place to stargaze in Arizona based on the brightness of the night sky. Students are introduced to the concept of light pollution and Globe at Night, a global citizen science project in which...
Lesson Plan
BSCS Science Learning

Bscs: Frog Symphony

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This inquiry focuses on analyzing spatial and temporal data for frog calls to determine the best time of day and location to hear a symphony of frogs. Click on the link for teaching guides and handouts.
Lesson Plan
BSCS Science Learning

Bscs: Budburst Lilac Festival

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this Inquiry, students predict the best date to host a lilac blossom festival so that lilacs are in full bloom in the city where students live. Students are introduced to Project Budburst, a citizen science project in which volunteers...
Lesson Plan
BSCS Science Learning

Bscs: Globe at Night Dark Skies

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this inquiry, students predict the best place to stargaze in Arizona based on the brightness of the night sky. Students are introduced to the concept of light pollution and Globe at Night, a global citizen science project in which...
Lesson Plan
BSCS Science Learning

Bscs: Stocking Rivers With Trout

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This inquiry looks at fish farming and the management of trout by state environmental resource specialists in Colorado. Students will practice working with data generated from a statewide citizen science project called River Watch of...
Lesson Plan
Other

Bscs: Stocking Rivers With Trout

For Students 9th - 10th
For this self-directed lesson, students use data from a Colorado citizen science program to make recommendations on the best waterways for stocking trout. A handout with everything the student needs to complete this lesson is available...
Lesson Plan
Other

Bscs: Budburst Lilac Festival

For Students 9th - 10th
In this self-directed activity, students use graphs and maps of lilac phenology data to determine the best time to host a lilac blossom festival in their area. A handout with everything the student needs to complete this lesson is...
Lesson Plan
Climate Literacy

Clean: Climate Change on the Antarctic Peninsula

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this cross-curriculum inquiry, students use a cooperative approach to investigate the effect of climate change on the ecosystem of the Antarctic Peninsula. The activity stresses the importance of evidence in the formulation of...
Website
BSCS Science Learning

Bscs: Invitations to Inquiry With Data Using Field Scope

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Invitations to Inquiry are short instructional activities designed to help middle and high school students work with large data sets. Teachers and students use the interactive FieldScope platform to collect, visualize, and analyze...
Handout
Sophia Learning

Sophia: Psychological Research Ethics

For Students 9th - 10th
This lesson will identify and describe the basic ethical guidelines for researchers as set forth by the American Psychological Association Code of Ethics.