Space Awareness
History of the Universe
Your pupils may believe that you and their parents are the oldest things in the universe, but surprise! There are elements of the universe that are even older. Elementary scientists create a class timeline to demonstrate the expansive...
Curated OER
Kirigami: The Ancient Art of Paper Cutting
Young scholars perform inquiry into the ancient art of Kirigami. The research provides a context for the lesson and how it is related to History. Students also appreciate the art for the sake of its contribution to culture.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Telescoping Periscope
Ahoy, matey! Here is an engineering expedition that mini mariners are sure to be swept away by! After reading a brief description and history of periscopes, they work in crews to construct one. Use this activity to enhance a lesson on...
Curated OER
Destination Outer Space
Students investigate space travel. In this space travel lesson students examine space exploration history, engineers and scientists involved in space exploration, and Newton's third law of motion. Students make rockets.
Curated OER
Nuts for Peanuts: Peanut Plants, Peanut Timeline, and Peanut-s-timation!
Students complete a timeline. In this peanuts lesson, students read A Short Peanut History and use this resource to make a timeline of the history of the peanut. Students can grow peanuts in the classroom or make various peanut recipes.
Space Awareness
Make a Star Lantern
Go star-gazing with young learners! They study the history, origins, and patterns of constellations in an activity that explores the starry night sky.
California Academy of Science
What Kind of Geologist Am I?
Transform your class into young geologists as they learn about six different branches of geology. Using the included geology career descriptions and picture cards, learners work in small groups deciding which tools and locations fit...
Space Awareness
How To Travel On Earth Without Getting Lost
Have you ever wanted to travel the world? Take a virtual trip with a geography lesson that uses longitude and latitude, the position of the sun, an astronomy app, and a classroom globe.
Channel Islands Film
Dark Water: Lesson Plan 2 - Grade 3
A discussion of bioluminescence launches an investigation of animal adaptations. After re-watching the opening minutes of Dark Water, class members listen to a reading of What Do You Do with a Tail Like This, and then create a new animal...
Curated OER
Graphing the Diversity of a Forest
Second graders work in groups to identify what types of trees create which types of leaves In this plant life lesson plan, 2nd graders analyze a set of leaves and identify the tree it came from while graphing the data in a science...
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Fingerprints
Students analyze their fingerprints. In this fingerprint lesson, students make prints and observe the patterns for arches, loops, and whorls. They write a brief autobiography about themselves titled "I'm Thumbody."
Curated OER
Food Chains in a Forest
Learners explore food chains in the forest. In this food chain lesson plan, students listen to the story The Tree in the Ancient Forest by Carol Reed-Jones. They create a food chain to match the story and then create a food chain of...
Curated OER
Understanding the Water Cycle
Investigate the water cycle and how water moves from the land to the air and back to the land. Create a terrarium and observe the water cycle at work. Define weather terms including evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.
Curated OER
The Wright Brothers on Hollywood Squares
Students test their knowledge of the Wright brothers by playing "Hollywood Squares." They read (or listen) with comprehension. Students follow the rules as they actively participate in a game to test their reading (or listening)...
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"Two Diamond Baseball" Review Game
Here is a game that can be used across the curriculum. Two teams are made up, and each time a member of the team answers a question correctly, they roll a dice to see how far they advance on the "baseball field." A fun game!
Curated OER
Can You See What I See?
Students gain an understanding of the methods used to explore the earth's surface. Students create a time line leading to the first satellite image of the Earth that includes the various methods utilized to observe the earth's surface.
Curated OER
Make Quiz Time a Fun Time
Students investigate a topic and prepare a quiz activity. In this space science lesson, students investigate one of the planets and construct a quiz for their classmates.
Curated OER
Squanto's Science Lesson
Students explore Squanto's contribution to the settlers. They plant seeds and follow instructions for water and fertilization. Students keep a record of the growth of the seeds. They write a paragraph that tells what they learned from...
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Air Pressure is Powerful
Students make a barometer and write a paragraph describing how they did it.
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Ride the Road to Freedom
Second graders discover that people can connect the dots of the stars to make pictures in the sky and have been doing so for thousands of years. They understand that throughout the United States people worked together to plan an escape...
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What Happened?
Students read legends about volcanoes. They develop their own legend and shares them with the class. They practice their writing skills as well.
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Moh's Scale of Hardness
Students investigate how to use Moh's Hardness Scale. In this geology activity, students examine several minerals and develop a hypothesis about which mineral is the hardest. Students use the Moh's Scale Identification Chart to determine...
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Harriman and Plant Identification
Students observe and record botanical details from the plant specimens. They identify plants using sorting key and field guide and classify specimens for preservation and display purposes.
Curated OER
Stardust Delivers Comet's Clues
Young scholars explore the NASA test center and comet facts through an interactive program. They examine the idea if comets are predictable. They finally analyze the materials that combine to make a comet.