California Academy of Science
What's on a Penny?
As a lesson plan on scientific observation, have your class investigate the features of a penny and a nickel. Working in pairs, they practice writing detailed descriptions using their senses and a ruler to gather information. This is an...
Curated OER
Independent Plant Growth Experiment
This is an awesome lesson filled with tons of engaging learning activities. Over a period of weeks learners will make observations, collect plant and analyze plant data, read and review agricultural articles, design and conduct an...
Berkshire Museum
Nature Journaling: Experience the Outdoors Through Writing and Drawing
Step into the great outdoors and develop young scientists' skills of observation with a nature journaling lesson plan. Given a specific focus or goal, children practice making and recording observations of nature through written...
Berkshire Museum
Adopt a Schoolyard Tree
Help young scientists connect with nature and learn about trees with a fun life science lesson. Heading out into the school yard, children choose a tree to adopt, taking measurements, writing descriptions, and drawing sketches of it in...
Berkshire Museum
Backyard Rocks
You don't have to travel far to learn about rocks, just step outside, pick up a stone, and begin investigating. After taking a class walk around the school grounds collecting rocks, young scientists practice their skills of observation...
Omaha Zoo
I Like to Move It
What do lemurs do best? They move! Lemurs like to jump, run, hop, and climb and it's your class's job to document seven fun lemur behaviors. The class starts by discussing why lemurs are considered primates, and then they isolate seven...
Curated OER
A'planting We will Go
Germination is an amazing process that results in amazing things. The book The Tiny Seed is the inspiration for a set of activities that will help build early literacy, observation, language, and writing skills. The class observes how...
Baylor College
They're Everywhere: Bacteria
Totally gross out your class with the eighth lesson plan in this series on food science. Explore the microscopic world of bacteria by taking swabs of different classroom objects and growing colonies in petri dishes. An engaging activity...
Curated OER
A Planting We Will Go
Even the youngest kids can make scientific comparisons using collected data. They read The Tiny Seed, then discuss the essential nutrients and elements needed for a seed to grow into a blooming plant. They plant seeds and track their...
Primary Resources
What Plants Need to Grow
What do seeds need in order to grow into plants? This presentation follows what happened every four days during a seed growth and observation study. Images compare how well two sets of seeds did under specific circumstances. Use this to...
Curated OER
Mentos Geyser! What's the Fizz Factor?
What is it that makes Mentos candy and cola such an explosive combination? Find out through scientific inquiry and experimentation. This presentation walks learners through the scientific process and allows them to speculate whether it...
Curated OER
Name that animal
A great way to classify organisms, is by counting the number of legs it has or how it moves. Little ones count the legs on five different creatures, then match the leg count to the proper animal name. Tip: Have them come up with other...
Curated OER
Living it up with plants
Have kids in grades K-2 discuss how they know a tree is alive. The worksheet provides simplistic background information and an observation check list. They check off the ways that they can tell an oak tree is a living thing. Note: The...
Curated OER
Nearsightedness
Examine the processes scientists go through to develop their conclusions. Using the internet, research the problem of nearsightedness and identify anyone they know with the condition. Discover the debate in the science world on this...
Curated OER
Environmental Studies: The Environment Rocks!
Rock exploration, so exciting! After reading the book Everybody Needs a Rock, the class makes sandwiches to better understand that the Earth is made in layers. They then use a description of the 3 types of rock to conduct an observation...
Curated OER
Gravity: What is it?
What is gravity and how do you explain it? Use this presentation to guide an inquiry-based lesson centered on understanding gravity through hands-on experience. Each slide provides a definition, example, or activity for students to...
Curated OER
Introductory Module
Third graders examine the non-standard method of measurement and compare it to the metric system of measurement. In this introductory module lesson, 3rd graders discover the scientific observation. Students also develop communication...
Curated OER
Meeting an Earthworm
Students inspect the anatomy of earthworms. In this earthworm lesson, students participate in a hands-on experiment as they analyze the structure of earthworms. Students demonstrate mastery through differentiated products. Lesson...
Curated OER
Monk Seal Research Expedition
Learners study data. In this seal research lesson, students act as scientific researchers observing Monk seals in their habitat. They work in small groups to record data from a video and when through they share a piece of information...
Curated OER
Growing A Coral Skeleton
Students research the growth of coral. In this coral polyps lesson, students simulate the growth of coral by using available materials to grow crystals. Students record observations in a scientific journal.
Curated OER
Mystery Bird Challenge
In this mystery bird challenge worksheet, students use geographic information, feeding habits and a picture to identify a bird, with numerous links to web resources for help.
Curated OER
Milk and Monarch Butterfly Mania Journal Entry
In this milk and monarch butterfly mania journal entry instructional activity, students write a scientific journal entry about the milkweed plant, using the information from another linked website. This instructional activity includes...
Curated OER
Learn about snails and then race them!
Students examine snails and make observations about where their eyes are located, how they eat, and how they move. In this snails lesson, students discover information about snails by observing them. Students use magnifying glass, a...
Curated OER
Cut Ice Cubes in Half Like Magic
Students explore the process of melting or cutting ice. In this scientific observation instructional activity, students discover that the pressure from two weights will pull a string through an ice cube by melting the ice directly under...