Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is a Seed?

For Teachers K
Students share experiences they have had with different types of seeds. After being read a story, they are given a lima bean in which they split apart and examine the inside. To end the lesson, they share their own ideas on how they...
Lesson Plan
Michigan State University

Gases Matter

For Teachers 1st - 8th Standards
Young scientists learn that seeing isn't necessarily believing when it comes to the states of matter. After performing a fun class demonstration that models the difference between solids, liquids, and gases, children complete a series of...
Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Seasons Around the World

For Students 1st - 5th
Why does Earth experience summer, fall, winter, and spring? Using an informative demonstration, learners see how the angle of the sun on Earth and the rotation of Earth determine the seasons. Scholars work in pairs to learn that the...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

States and Forms of Energy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Energy is just energy, right? Explain various forms of energy to your young scientists by using an interactive experiment that contains common objects to demonstrate complex concepts. Pupils conduct experiments for radiant, thermal,...
Lesson Plan
San Francisco Symphony

The American Five - Pentatonic scales in early American melodies

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Through vocal warm-ups and exercises, budding musicians will attempt to grasp the five pentatonic scales, commonly used in early American songs. They'll sing and work to identify the pitch, tone, melody, and scales being expressed in the...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

The Physics of Bridges

For Students 9th - 12th
Stability is key when building a bridge. Scholars explore the forces acting upon bridges through an analysis of Newton's Laws and Hooke's Law. The activity asks individuals to apply their learning by building a bridge of their own.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Circuit Diagrams: Switching Circuits

For Students 4th - 6th
Use a lab sheet on circuit diagrams in your electricity unit. Fifth graders draw two series circuits with diagrams, based on two examples. A science experiment prompts learners to use 3x5 cards to illustrate the way a series circuit works.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Notes: a Mathematical Exploration of the Piano

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the history of equal temperament, the modern standard of tuning a piano. Proportion calculations of octaves and perfect fifths are utilized to calculate the frequency of each note in a major scale.
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

The Particle Theory of Matter

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Demonstrate the particle theory of matter to high school scientists with an engaging experiment that allows them to visually see the results as substances change from one state to another. The class concludes with a discussion about how...
Worksheet
2
2
K12 Reader

Many Ways to Measure

For Students 2nd - 3rd Standards
Measurement tools, yardsticks, scales, and thermometers, are the subject of a reading comprehension worksheet that asks kids to answer a series of questions based on the provided article.
Activity
Curated OER

Mass vs. Weight

For Students 8th - 11th
Why do you weigh more in space? Each individual in your class explores this question and others as they determine the mass and weight of different objects using two types of scales. They perform conversions and discuss their...
Lesson Plan
National Wildlife Federation

Citizen Science to the Rescue!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
You don't have to be a scientist or even out of high school to contribute to scientific research. In the 12th lesson in the series of 21, scholars use this opportunity to add to the growing body of scientific knowledge and consider the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vector Lab

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Here is a math lab that helps young mathematicians understand the real-life meaning for vector addition. By building a model using spring scales and washers as weight, and then calculating the vector addition using two different methods,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines IV - Wheels and Axles

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study everyday examples of simple machines. They examine how the combination of a wheel and axle works more efficiently than either in isolation. In a demonstration lesson, they see how a spring scale shows a force pulling...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Solar System

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students describe the different bodies that make up our solar system, explain the place of our solar system within the Milky Way Galaxy and the universe, explain day and night and the Earth's movement, and describe the relationship...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chemistry Is a Gas

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars investigate the gas laws and how they apply to changes in gases. In this gas laws lesson plan, students use Boyle's Law and Charles' law to show the relationships between pressure and volume and volume and temperature of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Just a Little Bit of Effort: Exploring Levers

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students build models of types of levers. In this simple machines lesson, students use dowels and modified wooden rulers to build different types of levers. They compete to create the most efficient lever in the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Newton's Third Law of Motion

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore Newton's 3rd Law of Motion. In this physics lesson plan, students participate in various experiments that demonstrate the idea of action/reaction, such as a balloon launch, a skateboard activity, and a spring scale...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Heat and Thermal Energy Transfer

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How does radiation affect our daily lives? Answer that question and others with a lesson that discusses radiation and its use in thermal energy transfer through electromagnetic waves. Pupils investigate vaporization and...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

The Rate of Motion

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How much time does it take to jump over three balloons? Pupils calculate the speed of tasks that require different motions. They determine motions for tasks such as walking, skipping, hopping, and jumping before creating a...
Lesson Plan
University of California

Hot! Hot! Hot!

For Teachers 7th - 10th Standards
Calories are not tiny creatures that sew your clothes tighter every night, but what are they? A science instructional activity, presented at multiple levels, has learners experiment with heat, heat transfer, and graph the...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Work and Power

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Assist your class with correctly calculating the values for force, work, and power as they determine the amount various activities require. They gather data and participate in a group discussion to compare results upon conclusion of the...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

The Law of Conservation of Matter

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The Law of Conservation of Matter can be complex for young scientists to fully grasp. Use this experiment to help simplify the process as pupils perform two experiments to determine mass: one that melts a substance and the other that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

In a Giants Garden

For Teachers K - 3rd
Young scholars explore the effect of the earths rotation and its relationship to the suns position and the effect that the longer and shorter amount of daylight has on a pumpkin plant which they have planted.