Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines IV - Levers

For Teachers 4th
The lever is an everyday simple machine. Youngsters learn the principles of levers and explore their many uses. Groups of pupils perform a simple lab where they lift objects with a fulcrum while placing the load in a variety of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines I - Inclined Planes, Wedges, and Screws

For Teachers 4th
The principles and uses of inclined planes, screws, and wedges are the focus of a science lesson. In it, youngsters come up with every day examples of simple machines, and build an example of one in class. That project is then used to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sports and Science

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Using footballs, basketballs, tennis balls, and more, learners conduct experiments to illustrate Newton's Laws of Motion.  The experiments are conducted outside, and require them to throw, kick, and hit a variety of balls. Your...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Have Work to Do!

For Teachers K - 2nd
An excellent instructional activity awaits your young scientists! In it, learners are invited to explore the world of pulleys, levers, and planes; simple machines that make lifting heavy things much, much easier. They watch video, and...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Soda Straw Rockets

For Teachers K - 6th Standards
Three, two, one, blast off to a better understanding of force and motion with this exciting science lesson! Beginning with a discussion about rockets and gravity, young scientists go on to complete a series of worksheets about net...
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Revolutions of Earth: Tidal Locking

For Students 6th - 12th
Need a hands-on activity that tests your scholars' knowledge of the relationship between Earth and the moon? This interactive has it on lockdown! Science scholars manipulate the moon in its path around Earth, then answer multiple-choice...
Unit Plan
BBSRC

Discovering DNA: The Recipe for Life

For Teachers 4th - 9th Standards
A pinch of adenine, a dash of thymine and ta-da, you have life! Well, it's not quite that simple, but through this series of activities and experiments young scientists learn about the structure of DNA and how it contains the recipe...
Activity
1
1
Lake Afton Public Observatory

Shadows, Angles, and the Seasons

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Shine some light on the topic of seasonal change with this collection of activities. Whether it's by measuring the change in the length of their shadows, or modeling the earth's orbit around the sun using a lamp and a globe, these...
Activity
Colorado State University

How Far Away Is Space?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Outer space may be a lot closer than you think! Science scholars model the layers of the atmosphere using transparencies to gain insight into the scale of space. The resource includes ideas to tailor the activity to the skill level of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fun With Chemical Changes

For Teachers 5th
Looking for a terrific chemistry lesson for your 5th graders? This one could be for you! After a teacher-led demonstration, learners are broken up into groups and perform an experiment using cabbage juice, water, window cleaner, and...
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Atoms to Molecules: Constructing Helium

For Students 7th - 9th
Protons and neutrons and electrons, oh my! Physical science scholars get hands-on with interactive atomic modeling. Starting with a simple helium atom, participants create and name ions, then build isotopes. Questions throughout the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Recyclers to the Rescue

For Teachers 5th
Producers, consumers, food chains, and plants are the stars of this science activity. Learners take part in an inquiry which helps them to discover the most effective and efficient way to grow a producer. They have a variety of...
Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

The Big Meltdown

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Explore the world (our world) of melting ice caps. Why are these caps melting? What is the effect of melting ice caps? Dive into the ever-present issue of global warming with a resource that has learners looking at data and participating...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Same, But Different Part II

For Teachers 3rd
Learners characterize a physical change as something that changes to a different size, but retains its basic substance. They measure volumes using milliliters, and perform an experiment that proves that gases expand when hot and contract...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Math in the Wetlands Field Trip

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Get your class out in the environment for hands on math activities. In this wetlands lesson, learners transplant native plants, calculate how much soil is needed, and perform math activities based on this experience. They then make...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Busted Bubbles

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Using the scientific method, and bubble gum, learners conduct a motivating experiment. After conducting a series of tests involving bubble gum, they graph and analyze their results. This is the type of activity everyone loves.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plants

For Teachers 1st
While a simple exploration of plants, this resource which is designed for first graders, provides a series of extension activities to make for a rich experience. First, learners watch a video about plants and label the parts. Then, they...
Lesson Plan
2
2
American Chemical Society

Why Does Water Dissolve Salt?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Individuals explore solubility by modeling how water dissolves salts. They then view a video and compare how well water and alcohol dissolve salts, relating their comparisons to the structure of each molecule. 
Lesson Plan
Acoustical Society of America

Anatomy of a Wave

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Pair physical science learners up, and have one describe a transverse wave while the other blindly attempts to draw it. Then reveal an actual diagram and explain the different parts of the wave: crest, trough, wavelength. Though most of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The World's Simplest Cartesian Diver

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Have your class learn about buoyancy using this simple lesson. First, they bring in condiment packets and see what happens when they place it in a glass of water. Then, they use one of the packets to illustrate the concept of a Cartesian...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Physical Changes and States of Matter

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders identify a physical change as one that results in a change in size, shape, or state of matter. After an initial teacher-led discussion and demonstration, groups of students get together to perform an experiment which...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
With The Great Kapok Tree, by Lynne Cherry as the hook learners discuss the rainforest, the animals that live there, and conservation efforts. Then, students write a letter to the man in the story asking him not to cut down the Kapok...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Agriculture Defined

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Open your Agriculture 101 course with a lesson on defining agriculture. Guide your class with thought-provoking questions and discussion. Give them time to play the card game, "Pit" in order to experience commodity exchange. This is a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bycatch

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Bycatch is the unwanted and discarded marine life caught during commercial fishing. Young marine scientists review bycatch litigation and analyze graphs of bycatch data and answer questions about it. This raises awareness while...