A Change of Scene

Looking for a terrific chemistry lesson for your 5th graders? This one could be for you! After a teacher-led demonstration, learners are broken up into groups and perform an experiment using cabbage juice, water, window cleaner, and...

If you have taught the first lesson in this mini unit, learners already know that cabbage juice and vinegar cause chemical changes in some materials. Now, they get a chance to use them to compare the liquids' reactions to five known and...

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...

Look at climate change around the world using graphical representations and a hands-on learning simulation specified to particular cities around the world. Using an interactive website, young scientists follow the provided...

New Horizons set forth on a mission to Pluto in 2006. Ten years later, the spacecraft is still on its way. Here, enthusiastic scholars predict what they will be like—likes, dislikes, hobbies, etc.—when New Horizons arrives at its...

Quiz the class on what they know before you teach it. This assessment will give you an idea of what basic scientific concepts are known to your learners. Physical change, state of matter, and basic plant and animal needs are covered.

What better way to make predictions about future weather and climate patterns than with actual climate data from the past? Young climatologists analyze data from 400,000 to 10,000 years ago to determine if climate has changed over...

What the eye perceives can be deceiving. Learners can make a spinner that creates an optical illusion by merging two images. They can experiment with ways to make them in different shapes and styles to get varied results.

How do humans and animals impact the environment? What is land division? Youngsters tape off a 12x12 inch square in an outdoor natural space. They sketch everything they see, then compare their drawings as a class. They will then be...

Does the moon change size? It sure looks like it! Two optical illusions are suggested as an explanation: Ebbinghaus and Ponzo. However, there are problems with both of these. Convergence micropsia may answer the question, but many...