Curated OER
Mirror Image
Why does practice make perfect? Give your class insight into procedural memory, where we learn to do new things — then continue to improve through repetition. By attempting to draw shapes while looking in a mirror, learners observe their...
Bonneville
Where Does Energy Go?
Convection currents aren't just a bunch of hot air. The second of five lessons in the Solar Updraft Towers unit focuses on energy transfer and convection currents. Young scientists watch six demonstrations that illustrate how warm air...
NASA
Whip Up a Moon-Like Crater
The moon is famous for its craters, but they haven't always been there. Young learners experiment with materials to simulate the creation of moon craters. Pupils are able to see patterns in their materials that are similar to the...
Museum of Science
Create Gas
Let's have a gas. Individuals mix baking soda and vinegar in a bottle. Learners view the interaction between the solid and the liquid and notice that a gas is formed. Scholars notice the gas inflates a balloon stretched across the mouth...
Museum of Science
Cup Drop
Create egg drop soup. Teachers first set up eggs that are held up above cups of water with a piece of cardboard and cardboard tubes. Learners try to determine a way to get the eggs to drop into the cups. Using a broom, the instructor...
University of Waikato
Observing Water's Thin 'Skin'
Keep the tension up in the classroom. The class first observes as the teacher creates a dome of water above a glass by adding paperclips into an already full glass. Classmates then work in pairs to see how many drops of water can fit...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Similar and Different
Using a Venn diagram, pupils compare the similarities and differences between two classmates. Next, they review the CARE acronym (Collaboration, Acceptance, Respect, Empathy) and discuss how it applies to diversity in the classroom.
University of Waikato
Water Runoff
Teachers demonstrate water runoff on a hill and its effect on soil erosion. Pupils observe as the instructor changes the steepness of the hill and see whether vegetation covers the soil. Learners then use their observations to make...
National Wildlife Federation
Water, Water Everywhere?
Visibly display the location of the water in the world. Using 12 liters of water to represent the total amount of water in the world, the class measures out the water located in different areas, such as the ocean and ice caps. Class...
National Woman's History Museum
Getting with the Program
A seven-step lesson introduces the emergence of computer sciences and the contributions women made to the profession after World War II. Several science experiments offer pupils a hands-on learning experience that showcases parabolas,...
Space Awareness
Continental Climate and Oceanic Climate
There's nothing better than a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean. Scholars explore how water affects change in temperature using a hands-on experiment on climate. They use measurement tools to compare the continental and oceanic...
Space Awareness
Seasons Around the World
Why does Earth experience summer, fall, winter, and spring? Using an informative demonstration, learners see how the angle of the sun on Earth and the rotation of Earth determine the seasons. Scholars work in pairs to learn that the...
Space Awareness
Making A Sundial
Can people really measure time just by using the sun? Scholars venture outside on a nice, sunny day to build sundials and learn how people measured time 600 years ago. The class builds two different sundials while gaining practice with...
Steve Spangler Science
Boo Bubbles Bouncing Smoke – Dry Ice Bubbles Experiment
Don't let your lesson plans go up in smoke—unless they include Boo Bubbles, of course! An engaging laboratory mixes liquid soap and dry ice to create smoky bubbles that burst on impact, making it the perfect way to celebrate Halloween in...
PHET
Area Model Algebra
Expand the pupils knowledge of using area models to algebra. The interactive allows learners to use the same procedure of getting partial products when multiplying multi-digit numbers to multiplying polynomials. Scholars see how the...
PHET
Area Model Multiplication
Develop a solid understanding of multiplication. The interactive provides opportunities for learners to continue building a deep understanding of multiplication. Pupils use the application to find the product of two numbers and find...
PHET
Area Model Introduction
Provide two views of multiplication. The introduction to an area model application has two modes. One mode shows the area of simple multiplication up to 12 by 12. The second mode shows how area models can be partitioned leading to the...
PHET
Area Builder
All that matters is the tiles. Pupils use the interactive to investigate the relationship between area and perimeter using tiles. The interactive has an explore and a game mode to accommodate different steps in learning. The game mode...
Space Awareness
Fizzy Balloons - C02 in School
Carbon dioxide is a very important gas; it is present in the air, used in cooking, and supports plant and animal life. Scholars investigate the properties of carbon dioxide with three different activities. They experience a color change,...
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 8 - Open Syllables
Just like scholars plug something in to close a circuit, they must plug a consonant onto a word to make closed syllables. Help learners distinguish between open and closed syllables with a series of activities that emphasize open...
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 6 - Vowel-Consonant-E Syllables
Adding an e sometimes significantly changes the pronunciation of a word. An informative lesson plan introduces Vowel-Consonant-E syllables by helping learners see the difference between the pronunciation of words like mop and mope. A...
News For Kids
News For Kids.net
Media lovers read articles on a variety of current events with a website made especially for kids. The website is easy to navigate and includes sections about everything from science to sports.
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 9 - Contractions
Is it do'nt or don't? How about doesn't or does'nt? A lesson on contractions helps learners identify, form, and use contractions. Components within the plan include direct instruction on decoding and encoding contractions, as well as...
Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, University of Texas at Austin
Lesson 7 - Letter Combinations
Individually, letters have their own sounds, but when combined with other letters, those sounds completely change. Introduce letter combinations with a lesson that asks learners to search for combinations in familiar words and use oral...