Chicago Botanic Garden
Understanding the Greenhouse Effect
Dive into the power of the sun with a two-part lesson. Budding scientists model the greenhouse effect in a hands-on activity, and then participate in a skit that explores the earth's energy balances and what really occurs in the...
University of Wisconsin
Identifying Your Soil for Rain Gardens
Teach your class the descriptive characteristics of soil. Provide information about particle size and a flow chart for assessing texture. Soil scientists then analyze samples and hypothesize which would be the best type for a rain...
Science Geek
Percent Composition, Empirical and Molecular Formulas
Help your pupils understand when empirical becomes molecular. The lesson presentation demonstrates the connection between empirical formulas and molecular formulas. Then, given percent composition, the lesson demonstrates the steps to...
Teach Engineering
The Challenge Question
A research position becomes a modeling job. The introductory lesson in a series of nine presents the challenge of analyzing a set of bivariate data. The class brainstorms what the data may represent. Pupils must decide what is needed to...
Messenger Education
Look But Don’t Touch—Exploration with Remote Sensing
Mars is home to the tallest mountain in our solar system, Olympus Mons. In this set of two activities, learners review geologic land formations through the analysis of aerial maps. They then apply this knowledge to aerial maps of objects...
NOAA
A Matter of Density
Larvae transportation on the New England seamounts is based on the density of the water. Scholars calculate density and graph salinity versus temperature to better understand the distribution of organisms in a water column....
Saskatoon Health Region
Bulletin Board Ideas: Germs
Wash those germs right off of your hands! Create a germs awareness bulletin board that showcases the importance of hand washing. Have class members trace their hands and write when it is most important to hand wash. Or, create the What...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
The Great Elephant Census Modeling Activity
They say elephants never forget—and your class won't forget an insightful modeling activity either! Junior zoologists take part in a mock elephant census using the sample count and total count methods. The included materials provide...
Rainforest Alliance
Knowing the Essential Elements of a Habitat
To gain insight into the many different types of habitats, individuals must first get to know their own. Here, scholars explore their school environment, draw a map, compare and contrast their surroundings to larger ones. They then...
Florida Institute of Technology
Who Owns the Zebra?
Five women of different ethnicities and living in differently colored houses own different pets, drink different beverages, and work in different professions. Who is who? Solve a logic puzzle that provides 14 clues about connections...
NOAA
Climate Is Our Friend…Isn’t It?: Make an Extinction Polyhedron
Climate affects populations in different ways. Scholars research extinct organisms and mass extinctions in part three of the 10-installment Discover Your Changing World series. They create graphic organizers, then fill in the...
National Wildlife Federation
Hot, Hotter, Hottest: Extreme Weather's Impact on Our Resources
How dry is it? It's so dry, the river only runs twice a week! Through an analysis of maps and discussions, pairs learn about droughts across the United States in the ninth of 12 lessons. They then read about, answer questions, analyze...
Curated OER
Air, Air-It's Everywhere!
Students engage in experiment activities, which illustrate that air is made of matter, does take up space, and is very important to our health. This lesson contains activities for a variety of grade levels. A very nice idea!
University of Waikato
Māui and the Sun
Using a Maori legend, How Maui Tamed the Sun, youngsters are introduced to the importance of sunlight to civilization. Teach them about nuclear fusion that occurs to produce the solar energy we later receive on Earth as...
Curated OER
What is Sound?
Second graders discuss sound and describe them. In this investigative lesson students observe sound through their eyes, bodies and ears.
Will Steger Foundation
The Carbon Cycle - What are its Implications for Climate Policy?
The carbon cycle isn't a bike which produces carbon and this lesson explains why. Through reading and discussion, groups of pupils create visual explanations of the four parts of the carbon dioxide oxygen cycle. Activities...
Curated OER
What Is Important to Me?
Students respond to prompt with awareness of personal value of possessions. They list the criteria used to determine worth and value. They listen and ask questions or add comments and check their own measures of value with those the...
Curated OER
Lab Safety
Students review lab safety by walking into a classroom full of hazards and discussing what is wrong as they clean each station up.
Curated OER
Breathing
When learning about the respiratory system, how do learners know what is important? One way is to use a self-assessment or study like the one found here. While the formatting could use some work, the concepts are solid. Depending on your...
Curated OER
UV light & Ozone layer
Middle-school meteorologists absorb information about ultraviolet radiaton and consider the ozone layer. The book that learners are supposed to refer to is not available, so you might want to locate some graphics or posters...
Curated OER
Science Vocabulary
Students examine Science in present day life. In this oral communication lesson, students discuss and rank scientific events from least to most important. Students discuss their responses and why they are different....
Curated OER
Indianapolis 500 Unit-Science
Fourth graders access prior knowledge of simple machines to build a car. In this car design lesson, 4th graders create and race their cars. Students evaluate what was good and bad about their designs. Each car will incorporate a...
Curated OER
An Egg is Quiet
Students discover information about animal eggs by reading the book, An Egg is Quiet. In this animal science lesson, students research different animals to find out what their eggs look like. Students use a provided chart to...
Curated OER
Importance of Water
Students complete a KWL chart on what they comprehend about water. They complete a water activity determining how much usable water is available, and they determine the water usage in their households. Students take notes on water and...