Curated OER
Field Guide to Schoolyard Insects and Their Relatives
Your entire class works together to create an illustrated insect field guide. The intent is that they venture outside of the classroom, find a critter, and then research it using reference materials, insect books, and the Internet for...
Curated OER
The Greenhouse Effect
Eighth graders research the Greenhouse Effect on the Internet. They use a variety of sources and take notes on the topic. They use ClarisWorks to type a report, use spellcheck, proof and edit. They can create a class bulletin board.
Curated OER
Team Building Activities
You can try these fun team building exercises to encourage class spirit and unity this fall.
Michigan Sea Grant
Fish Identification
Using a dichotomous key, pupils identify characteristics of fish who live in the Great Lakes and explain how these features help them survive. In small groups, class members discover what features scientists consider important and...
Curated OER
The Effects of Ultra-Violet Light on Yeast
Pupils work in small groups collecting and analyzing data as they learn how to best grow yeast. This lesson plan allows students to conduct several student-created experiments as they continually generate questions and hypotheses. ...
Curated OER
Animal Safari on the Internet
Students verbalize, analyze and practice various research steps including using the Internet for searches and how to use bookmarked sites. They use these skills to research animals.
Curated OER
Flipping Butterflies: Triadic Colors and Symmetry
Second graders create symmetrical butterfly wings. In this symmetry lesson, 2nd graders observe butterfly wings and create their own. They make both sides symmetrical and mix primary colors to make secondary colors.
Curated OER
Harvesting Mosaics
Students use pieces of farm pictures to investigate the elements of art. In this farm art lesson, students use pieces of pictures to create an original artwork. Students use the Internet to find images. Students create a...
Gobal Oneness Project
Building a Community of Trust
Barrio de Paz is the story of Nelsa Libertad Curbelo, a nun, who works with the gang youth of Guayaquil, Ecuador. The 17-minute documentary focuses on her explanations for the rise of gangs and for how gang culture reflects...
EngageNY
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 15
What do a cheetah, Audi commercial, and air have in common? They're all topics of an engaging inquiry-based, hands-on workshop for educators about background knowledge, reading strategies, the CER model, and argumentative writing. The...
Curated OER
Spreadsheets in Science
Fourth graders create spreadsheets, explore patterns and make predictions based on the information. They select the appropriate graph to display the spreadsheet data. They search and sort prepared data bases to gain knowledge for...
Curated OER
Looking at French Decorative Arts: The Science of Good Design
Students examine the style of an 18th-century compound microscope and its case. In this scientific design lesson plan, students look at Jacques Caffieri's, "Compound Microscope and Case" before comparing the design to a modern...
Curated OER
Tree I.D.
Students explore various tree species. In this tree species instructional activity, students collect leaves on nature walks and use Internet sources to identify the trees that the leaves belong to. Students graph their data as well.
Curated OER
Classification
Young scholars investigate how to classify items based on similar characteristics. They study the scientific system of classification.
Curated OER
Classifying Living Organisms into Kingdoms
Pupils create a flip book that describes the basic characteristics of the five main animal kingdoms. They research the animal kingdoms, include examples of organisms for each kingdom and illustrate the finished text.
Curated OER
Fish Haunts
Students examine some of the different ecosystems that fish live in. While doing this they identify the species of fish and the ecological conditions needed for survival. Students use research resources to make fish cards that have...
Curated OER
Knock On Wood
Students investigate the trees of the Mississippi Valley, specifically looking at the coniferous and deciduous forests. The research of the area is part of a field study when students conduct a survey of local forests in order to create...
Curated OER
Digging Into the Past
Fifth graders study fossils and how they are charted. In this fossil lesson plan, 5th graders research the excavation process of discovering fossils, and view fossils. They then do a hands on activity that involves plastic fossils that...
Curated OER
Exploring Limu Diversity
Students explore limu diversity. In this ocean ecosystem lesson plan, students classify limu according to its physical properties. Students work in small groups to generate scientific observations and sort limu by characteristics.
Curated OER
What's Driving Us?
Students determine what the people in their community are driving. Using traffic flow information, they develop recommendations on how to achieve sustainability. They calculate the carbon dioxide emission index for various sites and...
Curated OER
Classifying Organisms within Kingdoms
Learners examine animal kingdom classifications. They discuss how animals are placed into kingdom classifications and compare similarities and differences of animals within a kingdom.