PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Folktales
Following a reading and thorough discussion of books—Anansi the Spider: A Tale from the Ashanti by Gerald McDermott and The Moon Book by Gail Gibbons—scholars complete three activities. First, they use playdough or cookie dough to create...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Sleep
A reading adventure pack features two stories—Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming and Animals Don’t Wear Pajamas by Eve Feldman. In response to reading the fiction and nonfiction texts, scholars create a dreamcatcher, discuss hibernation,...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Rocks
A Reading Adventure Pack focuses on rocks. Scholars participate in three activities after reading a fiction and nonfiction text—The Jade Stone, a Chinese folktale adapted by Caryn Yacowitz, and Rocks in His Head by Carol Otis Hurst....
Curated OER
Chameleons
Students read "The Mixed-Up Chameleon" by Eric Carle. They discuss the chameleon's color changes and their ability to catch flies. They read a fact sheet. They view a live chameleon in a natural environment. They write down observations...
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Snails
First graders investigate the organism known as a snail. They use snails to make observations of the body structure and the basic needs. The class is shown a chart and the teacher uses questions to induce student thinking. Then they...
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The Plastic Bag Greenhouse
Third graders observe plants and record their growth. They describe the parts of plants in detail including the roots, stems and leaves.
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Animal Growth Journal
Students observe and describe animals in the local environment. They recall information about different animals they have seen. They read and discuss their favorite animal books.
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Can You See It, Touch It, Hear It?
Students develop and practice observational skills through lab activity.
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Rock Art
Students create replica symbols of rock are found in Wisconsin and work cooperatively to create a rock art panel. They observe rock art to find their meanings and reasons why they were created.
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Observing and Drawing Structures of Guppies and Goldfish
Students observe fish and focus on their structures. In this life science lesson, students work in a group and observe guppies and gold fish.
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Testing Foods
Learners perform an experiment using brown paper bags to determine which foods have oil in them. This task assesses student's abilities to make simple observations and inferences from them.
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The Sum of the Parts
Second graders observe some everyday common objects in order to attempt to learn about simple systems and how they fit together. They observe small details in order to identify the parts of a whole design.
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Observing Plants Through a Journal
First graders observe a plant, write about it, and illustrate their writing in a journal.
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Turn on Inventiveness
Learners practice visualization through a fantasy trip and test their powers of observation by blindly identifying their own potatoes.
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Observing, Describing, And Identifying Contrails
Young scholars compare the three types of contrails that are produced by aircraft exhaust. They examine pictures of contrails on the internet to classify each as short lived, persistent or persistent spreading. They then sketch examples...
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Sunlight and Heat
Young scholars brainstorm about the sources of heat. They discuss that sunlight is one of those sources. Students complete a lab about cold water and warm water. They record the temperatures from each thermometer and discuss which...
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Help Save the Polar Bear
Students use ice cubes to demonstrate how the polar ice caps are melting and how it effects the polar bears. In this polar bear lesson plan, the teacher explains how polar bears live on the north pole and how they are having trouble due...
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Weightlessness Demonstration
Students investigate gravity. In this weightless lesson plan students complete a lab activity about how a free fall might effect how one perceives gravity.
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Scientific Method for Middle Schools
Students use the scientific method to solve a teacher scenario. They bring in M&M's. Students are given a copy of the scientific method. They first come up with a problem. Students are told that they are going to conduct an...
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Investigation 4 - Plot Studies
Third graders use a plot map to study the plants and animals living in a small area of their environment.
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Physics at the Zoo
Students visit a local zoo and answer physics questions that are a part of zoo life. In this zoo physics instructional activity students answer questions that have to do with the physics of animal size, their center of gravity and how...
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Cloud Observation and Graphing
Students identify the three major cloud groups. They are introduced to the three main cloud types and spend a week making and recording observations of clouds. Students produce a graph that presents their findings and conduct research...
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Gathering Weather Information
Students watch a video of a recent weather disaster. Using the internet, they work together to examine the weather forecast for tomorrow and next week and discuss why it is important to know the weather. In groups, they use weather...
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Cool! Awesome! What is it?
Students infer what a mysterious object is in a photo. In this inference lesson, students practice their scientific skills to identify what they see. Students enjoy solving the mysterious identity of objects and extending their knowledge...