Columbus City Schools
Force Field Physics
Attracted class members to an activity-packed journey through the science behind the invisible forces at work all around us. From jump rope generators to junkyard wars, there's never a dull moment when eighth grade physics scholars...
Curated OER
Planetary Mobile
Young scholars receive pre-cut templates of cardboard with appropriate diameters of each planet and the sun. They use multi-colored construction paper, scissors, yarn, and other art supplies to create their own models of planets. When...
Alabama Learning Exchange
The Strength of the Sun
Students explore the sun and take a "trip" to outer space.
Curated OER
The Sun in Our Lives
Third graders identify the different parts of the sun. In this astronomy lesson plan, 3rd graders examine how the sun's energy drive life processes on Earth. They construct a model of a solar system using large rolls of toilet paper.
Curated OER
Water, Weather, and the World
Young scholars in a special education classroom examine the role of weather and water in their lives. Each day, they add a symbol for the weather outside and identify the proper activities for the weather on that day. In groups, they...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Charting the Progress of New Horizons
In 2006, New Horizons began its mission to fly to Pluto. As it continues its journey, scholars track its progress with the help of an informative website, all the while reinforcing measurement concepts with the construction of a scaled...
University of Connecticut
Building Your Own Biosphere
On September 26, 1991, four women and four men entered the scientific experiment, Biosphere 2; the doors were sealed for two years in order to study the interactions of a biosphere. In the activity, scholars explore biospheres by...
Curated OER
Our Intriguing Star, the Sun!
Explore the sun in a lesson plan about space. The lesson spans ten weeks, with students performing activities to answer weekly questions about the Sun and Earth.
Curated OER
Write On! Step by Step Paragraph and Report Writing
Students plan and write paragraphs while integrating other core subject areas. In this paragraph writing lesson, students complete 5 lessons to practice writing paragraphs. Students incorporate various core subjects into their paragraph...
Curated OER
Planets in Proportion
Students apply estimation strategies and proportional reasoning to determine a scale comparing the planetary bodies to Earth. They convert measurements of time and distance using scientific notation. Both the metric and customary units...
Curated OER
Planet Picking
Students arrange the planets according to their distances from the sun. In this astronomy lesson plan, students list interesting properties about each planet. They identify an unknown planet photo.
Curated OER
Ocean Life Lesson Plans
Students learn about life in the ocean with lessons that connect science, art, and environmental topics.
Teach Engineering
Capturing the Sun's Warmth
Passive solar heating is a technology that's been in use for thousands of years. Here, elementary schoolers are exposed to this type of heating, the materials that are used in passive solar heating, and they study how engineers design...
Curated OER
Who Cares for the Land?
A very thorough lesson plan focuses on what plants need to grow and stay healthy. There are excellent reading activities and worksheets included in this fine plan. A terrific way to introduce a unit on plants and their needs.
Curated OER
The Moon
Learners explore the relationship between the earth, sun, and moon in our solar system. They create a moonrise/moonset chart, perform a dance that models the moon phases, and create a Styrofoam model of the moon's surface.
Kentucky Educational Television
The Road to Proportional Reasoning
Just how big would it really be? Young mathematicians determine if different toys are proportional and if their scale is accurate. They solve problems relating scale along with volume and surface area using manipulatives. The...
Curated OER
Endangered Species
Students watch video clips of endangered animals. They imagine a small garden in front of a house and describe the living and non-living things that could interact to make up a garden eco-system.
Curated OER
Introduction to Earth Sun Relationships Incorporating P.E.
Third graders investigate space science by performing physical activities. In this solar system instructional activity, 3rd graders perform a relay activitiy with their class in which they race between different "planets". ...
Teach Engineering
Designing a Winning Guest Village in the Saguaro National Park
Don't desert a resource on the desert! Scholars work in groups to build on their ideas from the previous lesson to design a sustainable guest village in the Saguaro National Park. Each group produces a PowerPoint presentation to share...
American Chemical Society
Joseph Priestley, Discoverer of Oxygen
Do you want to hear a joke about nitrogen and oxygen? NO. We all know there is oxygen in the air and that plants produce oxygen, but how was it discovered? Scholars read a handout, answer questions, and analyze material in the...
Curated OER
Space Exploration
Students explore the significance of the four space programs: Sputnik, Apollo, Viking, and Voyager. In this space exploration lesson plan, students view a space exploration slideshow and complete an included chart of space exploration.
Curated OER
Energy From Space: The Next Frontier
Students investigate ideas for getting energy from space. For this space-based power lesson, students read articles about ideas for alternatives to fossil fuels. Students define and give examples of vocabulary words. Students answer...
Curated OER
Nature of Meteor Showers
Ninth graders describe, in general terms, the distribution of matter in space and
identify evidence for, and describe characteristics of, bodies that make up the solar system. They then investigate predictions about the motion,...
Curated OER
Scientists and Statesmen in Early America
Explore the historic and cultural context of the foundations of the United States of America. They identify the political and scientific contributions of early American scientists.