Curated OER
Method Madness!
Students explain the steps in the scientific method. In this inquiry lesson, students construct a CEENBoT using website directions. They diagnose and fix the problem after the teacher cause it to malfunction.
NASA
Melting Ice: Designing an Experiment
Sometimes, despite the best laid plans, the unexpected will occur. Learners witness this firsthand as they carefully design an experiment to determine the time needed for ice to melt in salt water or pure water. They uncover facts not...
Curated OER
Amelia Earhart: Pilot, Activist, and Legend
Ideas for introducing the concepts of heroism, women's rights, and the scientific method using the famous Amelia Earhart.
Teach Engineering
Insulation Materials Investigation
Don't melt away! Pairs investigate different insulation materials to determine which one is better than the others. Using a low-temp heat plate, the teams insulate an ice cube from the heat source with a variety of substances. They...
K20 LEARN
It's Alive! Or, Is It?
Seems like a fairly simple question—until you begin asking your class! Get pupils acquainted with the characteristics of life through pairs classification, discussion, and scientific reading. The lesson plan, part of the K20 series, also...
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Understanding the Epidemiologic Triangle through Infectious Disease
Introduce infectious diseases and the epidemiologic triangle. A helpful resource describes the agent, host, and environment from the three vertices as well as the time factor, which is in the middle. Scholars complete a simple...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Recognizing Change (Observation vs. Inference)
What is the difference between making inferences and making observations? Young climatologists refer to a PowerPoint to make observations on each slide. They record their observations in a provided worksheet before drawing a...
New York City Department of Education
Straw Rockets
Scholars become rocket scientists as they take off on a journey exploring Newton's laws of motion. After learning the laws of motion, pupils design their own investigations using straw rockets. They highlight their literacy skills in a...
National Christmas Tree Association
Merry Christmas, Geraldine
If you're reading the story "Merry Christmas, Geraldine" by Holly Keller, this is a fantastic cross-curricular resource to use. Complete with activities for language arts, science, social studies, art, and math, you'll get the most out...
Curated OER
Destructive Decay
Students determine the destructive nature of plaque acid in their mouths. They use the scientific method for proving a hypothesis.
Curated OER
Introduction to Scientific Methods
Sixth graders distinguish between an observation and an inference distinguish between quantitative and qualitative observations of a scientific experiment. They record and organize data collected during an experiment.
Curated OER
Testing the Water
Students develop and test a hypotheses through collecting and recording water quality data. They perform their tests outdoors in a location with a safe stream and easy access for students. Their various experiments involve the entire...
Curated OER
Activity Three -- Rutherford's Discovery (Student Page ) A Lab Experiment in Physics
This discovery student page offers students an opportunity to work as a team to discover the shape of an object they cannot see. It is an experiment which parallels particle physicists dilemma in not being able to see very small...
Curated OER
Dinosaur Eggs Discovered! Unscrambling the Clues
Just a heads up: this lesson is based on a book, Dinosaur Eggs Discovered! Unscrambling the Clues. If you do not have or do not want to purchase the book, you may still find the other activities and worksheets useful in your earth...
Teaching Ideas
Investigation Prompts
Get your class started with experimentation and investigation by providing sentence starters. This chart is made up of three columns. The first column lists steps of the scientific process and the second provides sentence starters for...
Teach Engineering
Solenoids
Metal slinkies, coils of wire, magnetic fields, and MRIs. To determine the safety hazards of MRI machines, class members use the provided formula to calculate the magnetic field along the axis of the solenoid.
NASA
Science Fiction Story
A lesson allows you to go back in time and see the big bang actually happen. Bazinga! In reality, pupils research the Big Bang Theory and theorize what it would be like to go back in time and see it happen. There are four...
American Chemical Society
Identifying an Unknown Liquid
Liquids are what's the matter with the lesson! Learners investigate properties of different liquids as they interact with various types of paper. They then use their observations to identify a mystery liquid to finish the sixth lesson in...
Curated OER
Virtual Venus
Students practice using the tool of remote telescopes in order to make observations in space. The lesson includes the best times of year to make observations. They use the internet to obtain information and to initiate the use of the...
Virginia Department of Education
Historical Models of Atoms
What does the past have to do with today? Young scientists find that answer as they learn more about past chemists and their significant contributions to the field. Pupils use the Internet to research historical figures...
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
RNA Was the First Genetic Molecule
Can organic molecules come from a pre-biotic environment? Stanley Lloyd Miller proved it is possible when exactly the right conditions exist. Learn about his experiment and the other experiments later building off of it that changed the...
Curated OER
Peanut Butter and Jelly: The Importance of Detailed Procedures
Students write a list of steps to be taken in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They observe as the instructor literally follows each step. After realizing the importance of clear communication, students write a scientific...
Curated OER
Designing a Crew Exploration Vehicle
Take your class on an out-of-this-world adventure with this fun engineering design lesson. Working in small groups, young scientists design, build, and test crew exploration vehicles using some creativity, teamwork, and...
Curated OER
Insect Monitoring
Middle schoolers participate in an interactive lesson using the scientific method to study biodiversity. For this insect monitoring lesson, students simulate the layers of soil and the insects that would live there. Middle...