Teach Engineering
Super Slinger Engineering Challenge
How well can you launch a ping-pong ball? Small groups design launchers that can launch a ping-pong ball 20 feet into a target. The teams follow the engineering design process as they develop a solution that meets the design...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Leaf Litter Ecology Lab
Some organisms spend their entire lives in leaf litter. The third in a series of six is a great lesson exploring the community of leaf litter. Groups gather and then spread leaf litter over white paper and remove leaves/twigs while...
Curated OER
Alka Rockets
Students design a paper rocket propelled by Alka-Seltzer and water to demonstrate Newton's third law of motion. They, in pairs, determine the best combination of Alka-Seltzer and water to produce the maximum launch height and record...
Discovery of Sound in the Sea
How to Build a Hydrophone
The materials and procedures for building a hydrophone, an underwater sound collecting device, are provided in this resource. Have high school oceanographers construct the underwater microphone to pick up sound waves. Then take them out...
Curated OER
Finding Circumference and Area of a Circle
Young geometers explore the concept of circumference and area of circles. They discuss what information is needed to find circumference and area. The resource employs several instructional methods: Frayer Model for Vocabulary, literature...
Curated OER
Cylinders and Scale
Students review what a cylinder is and how a cylinder is measured. They build a variety of cylinders with different heights and radii. They compare the surface area and volume of each cylinder and discuss anything that surprises them...
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Hovercraft
Students assess human impact on water quality. They determine how the force of friction retards motion. Pupils describe and measure quantities that characterize moving objects and their interactions within a system: Time, Distance,...
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3-2-1 Pop!
Students explore rocketry and demonstrate how rocket liftoff is an application of Newton's Laws of Motion. They construct a rocket powered by the pressure generated from an effervescing antacid tablet reacting with water.
Curated OER
Lesson Plan Seven: Sensorama
Young scholars identify five senses, and use their senses of touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste to distinguish different objects, sounds, smells and tastes, and write their answers in the booklet.
Curated OER
What Is in a Rock?
Young scholars identify, sort, and classify mineral samples that make up a common rock.
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Fun With Chemical Changes
Fifth graders observe and identify the differences between chemical and physical changes. In small groups they mix different substances together in glass beakers, and identify which had a chemical change, supporting their statements...
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The Magic School Bus Makes a Stink
Students learn along with Ms. Frizzle's class. In this Magic School Bus lesson plan, students discover the secret to what makes things smell through their own investigations.
Curated OER
An Archaeological Adventure in Athens
Young scholars review map skills and practice finding locations on a map. In groups, they create maps with mystery locations identified by hidden stick-on magnets. Other groups attempt to find the mystery locations and then check their...
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Mystery : Structure of the Atom-A Case for Indirect Evidence
Young scholars investigate the structure of the atom through hands on activities. In this atomic structure instructional activity, students perform 4 activities showing indirect evidence of the structure of the atom and the parts of the...
Curated OER
Use Your Nose
Young scholars explore how their senses work. In this senses lesson, students use the sense of smell to observe various spices. Young scholars discuss their findings.
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Smells Like Christmas, Exploring the Nose
Students discover that the sense of smell helps us to enjoy life and explore unsafe conditions. They smell Christmas by making gingerbread ornaments.
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"Space" Exploration
Fourth graders identify the attribute of volume of an object. Units of measurement are reviewed and utilized in this lesson.
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Rockets on a Shoestring Budget
Learners, operating under simulated budget constraints, build pop-rockets and launch them. Working in pairs, they complete budget worksheets and use their "Blast Off Bucks" to pay for the construction. They then redesign their rockets...
Curated OER
Chemical Fun
Fifth graders observe and conduct a variety of experiments to differentiate between physical and chemical changes. They mix cabbage juice with different liquids and record their observations on a chart. Students write down their...
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Alka-Seltzer Cannons
Fourth graders observe what is happening when an Alka-Seltzer tablet is placed in a clear cup of water. They observe the release of carbon dioxide gas. Pupils answer the question of how much as is released by observing the experiment...
Curated OER
A Whole Lotta Shakin'
Students read first hand accounts of earthquake survivors in order to begin the describe the different types of earthquake waves and the order in which they arrive. They engage in using earthquake waves as a means to indirectly study the...
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Adopt A Constellation
In this space science worksheet, learners discover and write the name of their favorite constellation. Then they describe the history of it and draw a diagram, labeling the major stars and providing lines to show its shape.
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Adopt a Constellation
Young scholars adopt a constellation and find detailed information about their constellation. In this constellation lesson plan, students use the web to find information about a constellation of their choice. They identify the history of...
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The Magic School Bus Gains Weight
Students learn along with Ms. Frizzle's class. In this Magic School Bus lesson plan, students test whether gravity makes heavier things fall faster than lighter ones.