Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stressed to a Fault!

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders describe how stress builds up in the Earth's crust by the movement of tectonic plates. In groups, they relate the three types of stresses to the types of plate movements and explain how the stress causes faults to form. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

RIDING THE WIND

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students locate the Trade Winds, Westerlies and Polar Easterlies on a map, explain the impact of the rotation of the Earth, and plot a route for a round trip voyage from New York to London.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Impact Craters: Holes in the Ground!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students simulate crater formation through a lab activity. In this space science instructional activity, students calculate how much energy is transferred during meteorite impact. They identify different factors affecting the size and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Creation of an Imaginary Species

For Teachers 3rd - 9th
Students explore the characteristics that distinguish different forms of animal life on Earth which are the results of natural selection and adaptations to their environment. The creatures are created using a game and then drawn by the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocket Me into Space

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students engage in a lesson that reinforces rockets as a vehicle that helps us explore outside the Earth's atmosphere by using the principles of Newton's third law of motion. Also, the principles that engineers deal with when building a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solar Energy Experiment

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Learners observe solar energy at work. In this science instructional activity, students watch two bottles, painted black and white, sit in the heat with balloons on the mouth of the bottles. They observe and discuss why the balloon of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mass Spectrometer

For Teachers 9th - 12th
In this mass spectrometer worksheet, students read about how a mass spectrometer determines the elements in gases around Earth. Students answer 3 questions and identify the elements in a graph found by a mass spectrometer.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Our Savage Planet in the News

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students research volcanoes, storms, atmospheric conditions and extreme environments. They collect information and create a simulation of a science newscast. They watch a video and write a letter as an eyewitness to an avalanche.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vermicomposting

For Teachers 1st
First graders investigate composting. In this biology lesson, 1st graders identify ways to use garbage as fertilizer. Students examine soil and compost matter as well as the role of worms in the dirt.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sorting and Using Materials

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students explore materials and their properties. For this matter lesson, students identify objects and describe their properties. Students test and sort materials using an interactive whiteboard, followed by a group discussion of what...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Intertidal Zone: Tide and How Creatures Survive

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students explore oceanography by completing science worksheets. In this tide pools lesson, students discuss the forces of the tide pools, the animals that live within them, and the impact they have on the rest of the ocean. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Density Challenge

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Students calculate the densities of several liquids that appear similar.  In this physical science lesson, students go beyond understanding the way liquids of different densities behave to researching how this knowledge applies in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Matter

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore chemical reactions and their products. They define a chemical reaction and describe the characteristics of a chemical reaction. Students classify chemical reactions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Saltwater Science

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students conduct an experiment that shows them how salt water allows things to float. In this salt water lesson plan, students mix ingredients together to create salt water and observe how it makes the oceans dense. They then interpret...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Summer Research Program for Science Teachers

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students analyze the optical region of the electromagnetic spectrum.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science of War

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders, from an environmental perspective, study the pros and cons of war. Distinctions between characteristics of biological, chemical and nuclear threats and the impact of economic development are considered.
Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Forms of Energy

For Teachers 6th Standards
The amount of energy Americans use doubles every 20 years. The first lesson in a 10-part series teaches scholars about different forms of energy. They rotate through five stations with hands-on activities or experiments at each in order...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Earth's Materials

For Teachers 1st
First graders compare and contrast water from different sources. After collecting water from various sources, 1st graders create a list of observable properties of the water. Students then pour the water into a filter and observe the...
Lesson Plan
Georgia Department of Education

Living Things/ Nonliving Things

For Teachers K
How can you tell if something is living or nonliving? Introduce a set of criteria which can be used to determine which things are alive and which are not. The class discusses the basic needs of all living organisms, checks out an...
Lesson Plan
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Science 4 Inquiry

Carbon and Climate

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The carbon cycle is natural and has happened for millions of years, so can humans change it? Young scientists play the role of carbon as they travel through the carbon cycle. They complete two rounds, once before the industrial...
Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Solar Energy

For Teachers 6th Standards
The solar energy industry in the United States added more jobs in 2015 than the oil and gas extraction and pipeline industries combined. With the field growing so rapidly, it's essential to understand what solar energy is and how it...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Performing Well Under Pressure

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students study the physical properties of minerals and illustrate their functions.  In this mineral lesson students construct models of some minerals.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot!

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students study the different types of volcanoes and how they erupt.  In this volcano lesson students identify where volcanoes are most prevalent and options for predicting eruptions. 
Lesson Plan
NASA

Photons in the Radiative Zone: Which Way Is Out? An A-Maz-ing Model

For Students 9th - 12th
Can you move like a photon? Young scholars use a maze to reproduce the straight line motion of a photon. The second in a six-part series of lessons on the sun has learners measure angle of incidence and refraction to determine the path...