ReadWriteThink
Webcams in the Classroom: Animal Inquiry and Observation
Boost observational skills with an inquiry-based lesson that takes scholars on a virtual field trip. With help from webcams, learners observe animals in a zoo or aquarium. Observations go into a journal and a discussion is held to review...
NOAA
Biological Oceanographic Investigations – Call to Arms
How many simple machines does it take to make a robotic arm? An inquiry-based lesson plan explores that topic and challenges pupils to build a robotic arm that can stretch, turn, and more. A few questions help guide them in the right...
Space Awareness
Investigating the Atmosphere - Air Takes Up Space
How do you know there is air? Can you see it, smell it, feel it? To begin the investigation, learners watch a video and discuss what they know about air and the atmosphere. Then, they participate in five different hands-on, inquiry-based...
Berkshire Museum
Meet a Naturalist: Researching, Writing, Interviewing
Young scholars reach out into the community and learn about different environmental science careers in this inquiry-based instructional activity. Beginning with a short research assignment, children gain background knowledge about...
Curated OER
Skull Science
What can your class learn from a skull? With proper facilitation, they can learn about diet, physical adaptations, special differences, and even the environment. Pupils will examine a series of mammal skulls and pelts to help them...
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...
NOAA
Seafood and Human Health
Whether your young biologists realize it or not, humans play a significant role in marine ecosystems. To help them understand this fact children first create graphical representations that show homo sapiens' place in marine food chains,...
Curated OER
A Frog's Life Story
Students investigate the lives of frogs by completing several worksheets. In this biology lesson, students discover the life cycle of a frog from tadpole to death. Students complete frog life cycle puzzle as well as create a life cycle...
Curated OER
Changing Planet: Rising Ocean Temperatures - Rising Sea Levels
As an anticipatory set, young environmental technicians watch a video about how ocean temperatures seem to be changing along with the global climate. They perform a laboratory demonstration with the purpose of observing what happens to...
Curated OER
Call to Arms: Robotic Analogues for Human Structures
Investigate deep sea discovery through the emerging technology being built. In this physical science lesson, learners analyze the different types of motion available in the human arm. Students research educational websites discussing...
Baylor College
Water in Your Body
Do you know how much water you have had in the last 24 hours? Do you know how much your body needs? In this hands-on activity, your class members will estimate how much water our bodies lose each day by filling and emptying one-liter...
Curated OER
Non-Compressibility of Water
Young scholars will observe a property of water. In this inquiry-based properties of air lesson, students observe how a change in water pressure impacts the positioning of an eye-dropper in the water container and they make hypotheses...
NASA
Let's Investigate Mars
Take your science class on a hypothetical field trip to Mars with an engaging astronomy lesson. After first learning about NASA's Mars rover missions, young scientists plan their own scientific investigations of Earth's nearest neighbor.
Curated OER
Hurricanes
Pupils research the formation and life-span of hurricanes and, after analyzing statistics, try their hand at plotting and predicting the course a hurricane.
Curated OER
Introduction to Ocean Grazers
Students explore biology by creating a poster with classmates. In this oceanography activity, students identify the importance of coral reefs to the ocean's ecology and examine a food web of ocean animals. Students define a list of...
Curated OER
Plant Nutrition and Nutrients
Students observe seeds growth and examine the different parts of the seedling. In this biology lesson, students compare the growth of seeds planted in soil and in hydroponics. They record their observations in their science journal and...
Curated OER
Boston Harbor Cruise: A Shoreline Survey
The students take a harbor cruise, photograph, and draw shore line features attending to evidence of human impact/consequences, and its cost on marine/land animal habitats vegetation, weather patterns, signs of erosion, and the water...
Curated OER
The Froggy Page
Learners investigate the cycle of life by observing tadpoles. In this biology lesson, students utilize the Internet to read stories, observe pictures, and listen to sounds of frogs. Learners create a poster board collage using frog...
Curated OER
Invent on the Spot
The best inventions come from a problem that needs to be solved! Given a container with holes in it, learners must solve how to stop liquid from pouring out. They work together to develop an invention to accomplish this task.
Curated OER
Desalination: Creating a Solar Still
To better understand how solar power can aid in creating desalinated drinking water, the class creates a model still. They will build a model of a solar still, make observations, and discuss how the process works. While the idea behind...
Curated OER
Shine On, Moon
Students explore space science by conducting an experiment in class. In this Moon lesson, students define a list of space science vocabulary and read the book The Moon. Students utilize shoeboxes and string to conduct a sunlight...
Curated OER
You Light Up My Life: Developing a Scientific Theory for What Fuels a Candle's Flame!
Young scholars examine how candles work and how scientific theories are developed and tested. Students propose hypotheses about what is burning in a candle then perform tests in order to develop their scientific theory. After a teacher...
Curated OER
Plant Diversity and Distribution
Students construct a defined plot on school grounds and observed patterns in plant life. They count trees, shrubs, cacti and record on a data sheet. They compare data and generate a plant diversity overlook for their school.
Curated OER
Land Use in New Hampshire: Farming
Students examine how the environment as affected people farming in New Hampshire. They visit a field trip to a local farm to make observations. They create a poem based on their observations.