Curated OER
Newton Gets Me Moving
Learners discuss Newton's laws of motion. The conduct motion experiments by building "Newton Rocket Cars" from assorted materials. They propel the cars with rubber bands and wooden blocks and record the distance traveled on data sheets.
Curated OER
TE Lesson: Renewable Energy
Students examine renewable energy sources such as solar, water, and wind. They experiment to determine how renewable energy is transformed into electricity. They investigate the role of engineers who work in the field of renewable energy.
Curated OER
Falling Water
Learners drop water from different heights to demonstrate the conversion of water's potential energy to kinetic energy. They see how varying the height from which water is dropped affects the splash size. In seeing how falling water can...
Curated OER
Is That Natural?
Learners examine how they use and waste natural resources. They participate in a class discussion about natural resources, in small groups complete a worksheet identifying ways students misuse natural resources, and create an...
Curated OER
Rockets on a Shoestring Budget
Young scholars, operating under simulated budget constraints, build pop-rockets and launch them. Working in pairs, they complete budget worksheets and use their "Blast Off Bucks" to pay for the construction. They then redesign their...
Curated OER
Stations of Light
Student groups rotate through four stations to examine light energy behavior: refraction, magnification, prisms and polarization. They see how a beam of light is refracted (bent) through various transparent mediums. Young scholars...
Curated OER
How would an oil spill affect a Marine Sanctuary?
Students explore the concept of environmental stewardship. For this science lesson, students discover how scientists assess damages to the environment following oil spills. Students conduct a simulation of a public meeting in order to...
Curated OER
Using Repeat Photography to Map Environmental Hazards
Students investigate the changes of their environment by experimenting with photography. In this environmental observation instructional activity, students compare historic photographs of areas with pictures they have just taken....
Curated OER
Trends Forecasting
Students practice trends forecasting to predict the weather. In this forecasting lesson plan, students learn how meteorologists predict the weather by looking at weather trends. They then predict their own forecast, analyze the results,...
Curated OER
Quad Squad
Students pretend they have visited a forest research station on an overnight field trip. They study forest fires, use compass directions, read maps, interpret imagery, and think about the impact of fire on ecosystems.
Curated OER
Fighting Back!
Fifth graders inspect the basic functions of the immune system and determine how viruses and bacteria invade the immune system. They also explore what happens to the immune system in outer space.
Curated OER
Gravity Gets You Down
Students investigate the force of gravity and how it effects different objects that are put into acceleration when applied the experiment of free falling. They drop different objects that have a variety of masses and some that cause air...
Curated OER
Planting Seeds Around the World
First graders discuss the book The Lorax and research what living things need. In this environmental lesson, 1st graders investigate how humans affect the growth of plants. Students conduct an experiment with sunflowers.
Curated OER
What Makes a Cat a Cat?
Students investigate the lives of pets by videotaping them. In this animal life lesson, students videotape a cat and other pets using school cameras in a computer lab. Students review the footage from the cat and other...
Curated OER
The Magic of Solar Thermal: How the Sun Can Be Used to Heat Water
Young scholars are introduced to how the sun is used to heat water. In this solar lesson students identify the different types of solar water heating and demonstrate how it works.
Curated OER
Biodegradability
Learners study the effects of water, salt water and heat on common household materials. They separate an emulsion and show that the materials are completely recoverable and observe the effect of acetone and water on polystyrene.
Curated OER
We Are Not Alone!!!
Eighth graders explore the area of astronomy. They explore Earth's neighboring planets. Students research a planet's characteristics. They develop a scale model of the solar system and a narrative about the planets.
Curated OER
Energy is Everywhere
Students differentiate between renewable and non-renewable resources and identify the different forms of energy and list the advantages or disadvantages of different forms of energy. They also determine the benefits as well as the...
Curated OER
Fossils!
Learners conduct Internet research about different types of fossils, the animals they are from, and some famous paleontologists. They also participate in some interactive activities and hands-on lessons in which they create their own...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Scrapping the Biomes
Fifth graders investigate biomes of the earth. In this biomes lesson, 5th graders explore eight different biomes which include the tropical rain forest, deciduous forest, grasslands, and taiga. They design an artistic scrapbook that...
Curated OER
Scientific Method in Action
Students investigate the current environmental movement by cleaning up their own campus. In this environmental care instructional activity, students practice cleaning their "environment" by picking up trash on their campus and...
Curated OER
Lights, Camera, Action!
Students explore various images and recognize that in order to make a visible image using a camera or using our eye, light is required. In small groups, they observe how the eyes respond to changes in light and record their observations...
Curated OER
Name That Tune
Students complete a fingerprint oil lab in order to simulate how geologists use the oil and natural gas in rocks to hear sound waves that signify there are oil in those rocks. For this rocks lesson plan, students learn that the rock...
Curated OER
Introduction to Coral Reefs
Students identify locations of coral reefs, both in the water and around the globe, identify relative depth of corals in the ocean by observing behavior of cold and warm saltwater, and create models of coral reefs.