Curated OER
Rover Landing Design Challenge
Students examine the concepts of forces and motion. They work together to design protective devices for their egg rovers as they are dropped from a specific height. They record their observations and discuss.
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Rockets on a Shoestring Budgut
Students work together to create rockets on a budget. They discover the limitations that real engineers face when designing and testing their products. They discuss their findings to complete the lesson.
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Sort It Out
Students study classification systems by sorting Legos and determining how the different pieces are classified. They list as many attributes as possible to use for sorting.
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Melting Ice is Hot Stuff!
Fourth graders determine the amount of energy required to melt ice using a calorimeter. They calculate the Molar Heat of Fusion of Ice.
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Sensational Soil
Fourth and fifth graders explore soil by taking a simulated field trip under the earth. They go to an Internet site that runs a simulation which charges them with finding a source of pollution that could destroy all of Earth's soil, and...
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Lady Liberty
If you're looking for a fantastic cross-curricular lesson on the Statue of Liberty, then this lesson is for you! Learners watch a Reading Rainbow episode which focuses on the Statue, then gather facts about the creation, construction,...
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Every Tree For Itself
Fourth graders play a game where they are trees gathering sun, water, and nutrients and CO2 represented by pieces of paper or poker chips. They record their collected requirements and graph how they grew as a forest.
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Water Cycle Reading and Writing
After listening to a story about the water cycle, learners create their own versions of this tale. This is a great way to have your class review the concepts of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and runoff.
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Guess Your Best
Students discuss situations when it is useful to know exact weight of object as opposed to estimated weight, estimate weight of various items, weigh them on scale using ounces and pounds, and compare their weights on Guess Your Best...
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Sound And Motion
Young scholars investigate the concept of sound and vibration. They use a tuning fork to make an observation. Students then propose the ideas of different experimental designs to test the concept. The ideas are constructed and then tested.
Michigan Sea Grant
Food Chains and Webs
Starting with a simple food chain, young scientists interpret the difference and interrelatedness between herbivores, carnivores and producers. They answer questions related to cause and effect of food chain disruptions, including the...
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The Dirt on Worms!
Fourth graders make predictions, observe, collect and record data. They investigate several soil and worm websites. Finally, 4th graders write a letter to The President which defends earthworms by explaining their value to the United...
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SLIME!
Students learn the effects of friction and examine how certain lubricants can only be used with certain materials.
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Paper Structures
Students demonstrate that material strength varies with shape and arrangement.
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Menu Mania
Students explore the concept of estimating by watching a video, and discussing the strategies for estimation. They estimate the costs for various menu items, then calculate the exact amount spent.
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Theorem Painting
Learners examine the many types of folk art at a museum. They create their own theorem painting by following the steps given to them.
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Can You Make A Penny Float?
Students explore the concept of density by trying to make a penny and other materials float.
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Friendship Dance
Students explore dancing to a Friendship or Round dance songs. They perform basic dancing steps such as the stomp and hit. Students demonstrate rhythm, hand motion and proper foot placement. They listen to the music and perform a dance...
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Root, Root, Root for the Nutrients
Students observe the growth of a seed, predict what will happen when seeds are planted without soil, and conduct an experiment using a hydroponics system.
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Water Cycle
Students investigate, develop inferences, and differentiate between different elements of the water cycle. They investigate the observable characteristics of evaporation and condensation over specific time periods
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Separating Soup Mix
Students use screens of three sizes to separate a mixture of five solid materials. They plan and conduct simple investigations using appropriate tools, measures, and safety rules and record and report observations, explanations, and...
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Opportunity and Danger
Students examine the Immigration Acts of 1862 and 1865. They discover how Chinese immigrants faced prejudice. They interview a first or second generation immigrant.
Curated OER
Spectral Surprise
Students experience a model that produces, separating, and displaying spectral colors.