Curated OER
Color and Spectrum
Students examine the spectra of light sources that have similar colors. In this light lesson students complete an activity using various lights in the classroom and discuss the colors and the heat generated.
Curated OER
Energy for Earth: The Sun
Super science learners examine the sun's production of energy by the process of nuclear fusion. Hands-on activities make this instructional activity engaging for middle schoolers. The instructional activity is made up of four parts. Part...
Curated OER
Energy
In this science worksheet, students learn about renewable, non-renewable and sustainable energy and examine alternative fuel sources by studying the information on these 8 pages. Students complete 20 questions about energy. These pages...
California Academy of Science
Greening Your Middle School
Middle schoolers redesign their school to make it more energy efficient, and create a model of their design. Learners get together in groups of 5, and they take on the task of making their school more energy efficient. To do this, they...
Curated OER
Me And My Shadow
Students investigate the concept of a shadow. They design a tool to create shadows for an experiment. They make observations and record the size and shape of shadows. The lesson contains background information for the teacher to deliver...
Dick Blick Art Materials
Matisse Prints du Soleil
The sun provides the link between this art and science activity. Kids use sunlight (or light from an artificial source) to produce heliographic prints on fabric or paper.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Mutations Are Changes in Genetic Information
A red delicious apple tree with a simple mutation means we now benefit from the existence of golden delicious apples. Learn how simple mutations change genetic information in DNA sequences. Using biographies, videos, and animations,...
KOG Ranger Program
Fire Behavior in Forests
Understanding the ways a fire will act is a key factor in fire safety and fire prevention. Young campers focus on how the weather and terrain can affect the behavior of a fire with topographic maps and different scenarios.
Cornell University
Building Spectroscope
Given specific materials, scholars follow a set of instructions to build and calibrate their very own spectroscopes. After construction, they test the scope for accuracy and make modifications where necessary.
Curated OER
The Lighter Side of Color
Students explore light and color, including how colors are mixed to produce new colors, how light is filtered, and how light is reflected off of surfaces. They read materials provided, complete worksheets, and complete hands-on activities.
John F. Kennedy Center
Acting Up, A Melodrama: Performing Like Jo March and Her Sisters in Little Women
Lights, Camera, Action! Pupils read Little Women and create, act, and direct a melodrama that Jo March and her sisters would enjoy. The lesson plan comes complete with resources for the educator on melodrama as well as examples for drama...
Curated OER
Olympic Solar Energy
Students use cardboard and aluminum foil to construct a solar oven that concentrates enough sunlight to cook a hotdog. They review the history and use of solar energy in relation to the Olympics.
Curated OER
Reflection and Refraction
What is a prism? A place for light waves that commit minor refractions! The thorough resource includes three hands-on investigations covering light reflection and refraction; mirrors, lenses, and images; and optical systems. Subject...
University of Colorado
Rings and Things
Galileo first observed Saturn's rings in 1610. Through the use of a flashlight and baby powder, classes see how they can observe the rings of the outer planets from far away. Another demonstration shows how these rings, made of ice and...
National Institute of Open Schooling
Radioactive Pollution
Radioactive pollutants can enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, absorption, or injection. The last lesson in a series of 36 introduces pupils to radioactive pollution. They study its sources, both natural and man-made, its...
Curated OER
Airbrushing on Silk
High schoolers create artwork by airbrushing on silk. This is a simple beginners project using five colors of paint and two types of stencils: positive and negative. As with all of the art lessons that come from this source, the products...
Curated OER
Get the Picture!
Astronomers practice downloading data from a high-energy satellite and translate the data into colored or shaded pixels. As a hands-on activity, they use pennies to simulate high-energy satellite data and they convert their penny...
National Park Service
The Secret of Life
Dead trees provide nutrients for the soil, food for animals, protection and a home for organisms, a seed-bed for new trees, and a place for nitrogen-fixing bacteria to live. In the activity, pupils collect decaying logs, expose them to a...
Curated OER
We Must Not Be Enemies: Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
Students complete a unit of lessons on the historical context and significance of Lincoln's inaugural address. They analyze archival documents, campaign posters, historical photographs, and primary source documents, and listen to songs...
Curated OER
Ozone Hole - Changes in the Stratosphere
Halting the depletion of the hole in the ozone layer has been one of humanity's happy recoveries from previous damage done to the environment. Meteorology masters muse the Montreal Protocol and examine data on changes in the ozone....
Curated OER
Solar Matters
Students design an energy resource wheel and demonstrate how to use it to access information about renewable and nonrenewable energy sources.
Curated OER
Physical Optics: The Wave Nature of Light
Students are introduced to the wave nature of light. In groups, they discuss Young's experiment and how diffraction and interference demonstrate the wave nature of light. Using examples, they show constructive and destructive...
Curated OER
Energy Defined
Fourth graders complete activities to study the sources of energy and forms. In this energy lesson, 4th graders discuss the origin of energy and define it. Students participate in several experiments to further study energy including a...
Curated OER
Gotta Have Energy
Young scholars explore energy. They discuss the types and uses of energy and research an assigned energy source. They create a "benefits versus potential environmental impacts" chart that lists energy sources and possible impacts. ...