Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Do You Define Spring?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students conduct surveys to determine when spring occurs in the minds of people in their area. They organize and interpret their data.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Wedding of a Mountain

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine the differences between weathering, erosion, and deposition as it pertains to mountains.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Penguin is a Bird

For Teachers K - 5th
Young scholars compare and contrast the ways that penguins are different to flying birds.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sea Turtle Savvy

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students explore sea turtles. They create paper plate sea turtles and brainstorm other organisms that live in the sea turtle's habitat. They role-play scenes from a nonfiction book, A Baby Sea Turtle's Journey. They play a game...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Into the Pond

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders use a pond to explore macroinvertebrates and other organisms. They use a dichotomous key to classify the organisms and maintain a journal recording their findings.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sunshine and Shadows

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students measure their shadows early in the morning, record direction of shadow, make marks in ground with chalk or tape, measure with ruler, and record results. Students repeat process at noon, and then later in afternoon. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cloud Databases

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students complete a unit on clouds and a report about one type of cloud. They collect data through observation about different types of cloud cover and then create a spreadsheet to reflect their observations over a 2 week period.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating daylight

For Teachers 6th - 12th
students investigate a natural factor affecting their everyday lives: daylight. First, they collect data on sunrise and sunset in their hometown, create a Microsoft Office Excel chart to help them understand the data pattern, and offer a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Russian View of Territorial Encroachment

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders produce a map illustrating the current NATO members, future nations, and nations that have applied for membership. They research current information regarding NATO, and the Russian viewpoint about the expansion of NATO....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mining Reclamation and Cookies

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders are introduced to the process of mining. In groups, they use the internet to research the effect of mining on the environment. They work together to create their own make believe mining company and discover the process of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

THe Trash We Pass

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Young scholars identify the sources of pollution and waste in their community. They examine the process of recycling and how to eliminate some of their family waste.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Trash We Pass

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students engage in a study of trash and how it is disposed of in the environment. They also research the impact of recycling and its effects upon the disposal amounts. Students calculate the advantages of recycling using real world...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Are the Good & Bad Aspects of Regional Shopping Centres?

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders study the impact of regional shopping centers and local ones, and create a TV/ video expressing the results of the research.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Let's Make a Map

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders draw maps of their playground, noting objects such as trees and play equipment. Working in groups, they make maps of different parts of the school and assemble them into a schoolwide map. They make maps on a field trip to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Space - In Your Face or Not?

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders, in groups, examine how it doesn't matter if they can see the planets in the solar system or not--they're there.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Erosion in an Outdoor Classroom

For Teachers 1st
First graders observe the effects of erosion. They work in groups to simulate erosion in a streambed, participate in class discussion, read books about fossils and rocks and then go on a fossil hunt.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bats Migrate South

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Pupils examine the life of bats in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the history of the bat in Illinois and describe the way they find prey by using echolocation. They report their findings to the class and answer any...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life on the Border

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers discuss different types of boundaries. They research the United States/Mexico border and answer questions about their findings. They create collages, posters, or multimedia presentations showcasing various areas of concern...
Lesson Plan
Writing Fix

Writing Fix: Compare and Contrast Lesson: Can We Help Save the Earth?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
The children will compare two texts: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton and Farewell to Shady Glade by Bill Peet, about an old house and an animal's home respectively, using a Venn Diagram. They should be guided to address the...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Mn Step: Rotation of the Earth

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
A KWL activity combined with a demonstration model. Students record their ideas and questions about why we have day and night. They then shine a flashlight (the Sun) on a rotating styrofoam ball (the Earth) and record their observations....