American Psychological Association
Resource Vetting Rubric
How do you assure that the resources you find for your classes are of good quality? Check out a vetting rubric that suggests eight questions to ask when considering lesson plans, activities, demonstrations, and pictures for classroom use.
Curated OER
Ants In Motion
Students brainstorm ants and their characteristics in a class discussion. They observe the ants and answer question pertaining to their behavior; then they apply the scientific method in creating and investigating a problem.
Curated OER
Chemical Resistance and Synthetic Polymers
Students participate in lab activities in which they examine immersion, stain resistance, and stress cracking of synthetic polymers. Students use their collected data to discuss service applications and possible performance of materials.
Curated OER
Evaporation Marathon
Students review the steps of the scientific method and participate in a three day experiment. They observe water evaporation over time.
Curated OER
The Working of Scientists
Students define and explain the basic concepts of experimental design. In this scientific method lesson students complete a hands on activity, develop and present proposals to test their explanations.
Curated OER
Arab Contributions to Science
Students study Arab science and the origin of the modern scientific method. For this science lesson plan students fill in their own House of Wisdom books.
Curated OER
Red, Green, and Blue Mystery Liquids! Hypothesis or Inference?
Eighth graders are actively involved in the scientific method and inquiry as they form quick hypotheses based upon a teacher set of mystery liquids. They determine the need to make additional observations of the liquids.
Curated OER
What Is an Egg Without its Shell?
Young scholars observe osmosis, a cellular process that normally can't be observed without a microscope, and use scientific method to observe osmosis in a chicken egg.
Curated OER
Cytoplasmic Streaming
High schoolers prepare successful wet mount slide of Elodea. They determine and identify environmental conditions that induce cytoplasmic streaming. They determine the positive aspects of cytoplasmic streaming. They illustrate knowledge...
Curated OER
Digestion & Nutrition: a Case Study
Young scholars explore digestion/nutrition and utilize scientific investigation skills. They complete meal logs for several days and graph their results. After analyzing their data, they write formal lab reports.
American Chemical Society
M&M's in Different Temperatures
Help your class come up with a procedure for comparing the dissolving rates of colored candy coating in different temperatures of water. If you are placing importance on controlled variables with your class, make sure that they use equal...
Curated OER
Utilizing Community Resources
Students gain an understanding of scientific methods and use process skills (such as observing, classifying, and predicting) to solve a problem. They develop an understanding of the need for natural preservation.
Teach Engineering
Viscous Fluids
Elasticity and viscosity. Help your class understand the similarities and differences with an introduction to viscous fluids. After describing four types of fluid behaviors: shear thinning, shear thickening, Bringham plastic,...
Curated OER
Observation Milk Fat Lesson
Turn your class loose to experiment with the different fat content in skim milk, whole milk, half and half, and heavy cream. This is a visually vibrant experiment, as learners drip food coloring on the surface of the products and measure...
Curated OER
Get the Picture!
Astronomers practice downloading data from a high-energy satellite and translate the data into colored or shaded pixels. As a hands-on activity, they use pennies to simulate high-energy satellite data and they convert their penny...
Curated OER
Space Flight Simulation
Students engage in the study of flight with the help of a computer flight simulation. They take part in a variety of activities that imitate the Space Shuttle Endeavor. Students work as teams like the astronauts would to complete mission...
American Museum of Natural History
Rubber Blubber Gloves
Using gloves, shortening, tape, and a lot of ice, participants experience the feeling of having blubber. The experiment's eight steps follow an informative page about blubber and animals that have it.
Intel
Energy Innovations
Collaborative groups examine the importance of energy resources on quality of life by researching different energy sources and alternative energy sources through data analysis. They make a comparison of different countries and cultures,...
Scholastic
Discussion and Dissection of an Owl Pellet
Young scientists get the chance to dissect pellets "owl" by themselves to determine the owls environment and nourishment. This is the third part of a three-part series.
Curated OER
Classification of Cerealites
Students create a dichotomous key. In this categorizing lesson, students create a dichotomous key for different types of cereal. Students classify the cereal into groups such as flakes and cereal with holes. Students discuss their...
Kenan Fellows
Determining Stream Health by the Diversity and Types of Benthic Organisms
How diverse are the benthic organisms found in local streams? Using the information learned in previous lessons on identification of macroinvertebrates and on calculating stream index values, groups determine the health of local...
Curated OER
Shorts in January? Is Climate Change Good for Us?
Students investigate the differences between weather in the past and in today's world. In this climate change lesson, students review what they currently know about global warming, then discuss ways climate change might make life...
Curated OER
An Introduction to Simple Machines
Young scholars investigate simple machines and their uses in everyday life. In this scientific method lesson, students examine physical tools such as wedges, screws, and levers using a "how does it work" approach. Young...
Curated OER
Phosphate Testing Contract
Students examine how to prepare an experimental procedure. In this scientific method lesson students conduct an investigation on phosphate.