Have you ever stretched out a Slinkie so much it wouldn't go back to its original shape? Slinkies, like all springs, follow Hooke's Law. A simulation uses springs and masses to demonstrate kinetic, potential, and thermal energy. It...

Ride the wave to an understanding of refraction! The first in a series of two inquiry-based lessons challenges learners to create transverse waves with two different types of springs. As their wave hits an object, they observe the change...

Celebrate the arrival of spring with this fun primary grade science unit. Engaging young scientists with a variety of hands-on activities and inquiry-based investigations, these lessons are a great way to teach children about...

Scholars practice calculating spring constants before performing hands-on experiments. They compare data for parallel and series springs. Finally, they learn how spring mechanics find applications in biotechnology, such as prosthetic limbs.

Everything from pens to cars use springs — some are just on a larger scale! An interactive simulation encourages pupils to stretch and compress springs while observing the changes to force, displacement, and potential energy. Then they...

West of the West's documentary Arlington Springs Man and a two-page scientific article about the same topic provide the text for a reading comprehension exercise that asks individuals to craft a one page summary of information gathered...

Learning to craft quality questions is a skill that can be taught. Class members use the Question Formulation Technique to learn how to create and refine both closed-ended and open-ended questions. They then view West of the West's...

I love this idea! After discussing rain, spring, and the weather, take your class outside and let nature do the painting. They shake power paints and glitter onto a piece of heavy construction paper, then take their paper outside and...

Embark on a year long investigation of the seasons with this 10-lesson earth science unit. After being introduced to different types of weather and the tools used to measure it, young scientists perform fun hands-on activities that...

Plan ahead! Integrate science and language arts! Schedule your reading of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe to coincide with the arrival of spring. As pupils read Chapter 11 of the Lewis classic, they are assigned one of...

Here is a fabulous instructional activity about the cultures of the Northwest Indians. Through an exploration of a story about the Salmon People, learners study the practice of harvesting salmon and the cultural importance of salmon to...

Students compare and contrast the seasons of fall and spring. In this fall and spring lesson plan, students learn the differences between fall and spring through books and pictures, identify the differences, draw their own pictures, and...

Students perform a story from Greek mythology of how spring came to be. In this performing arts lesson, students study the play of Persephone and use instruments and dance to put on a performance.

From warm summer days to cold winter nights, this 10-lesson unit takes children on an exploration of seasons. Using the included reading passages and images, a series of read-aloud lessons and vocabulary activities...

Kindergartners explore the cycle of the seasons in a 10-lesson language arts unit. Through a series of picture-supported read-aloud activities, children are able to identify the sequence of seasons and the types of weather...

Students prune a tree.  In this gardening lesson, students select a shrub or tree that has a lot of flower buds and use sharp pruners to cut sections of branches.  Students place the cuttings into cool water and move into a...

Students identify the first signs of Spring. They track birds and butterflies on their journey North.

Students compare fall and spring. In this seasonal changes instructional activity, students read the book Apples and Pumpkins and discuss the fall season. The students then read It's Spring and describe the spring season. As a...

Students explore magnetic attraction. In this magnets lesson, students participate in an interactive whiteboard activity in which objects are dragged onto a virtual table and categorized as to whether they are "repelled" or "attracted"...

Students examine the extinction of dinosaurs.  In this dinosaur lesson students create their own dinosaur eggs, get into groups and complete a diorama activity. 

Students review the characteristics of insects they have already been introduced to. As a class, they are introduced to the characteristics of bees and what it can do instead of sting. To end the lesson, they discuss how plants and...