Curated OER
The Good, the Bad and the Nasty Tasting
Students examine the effect of chemicals from marine plants or animals on predator's preferences. In this ecology activity, students conduct taste tests and collect necessary data. They write their conclusion after analyzing...
Michigan Sea Grant
Sea Lamprey
Learners discuss the types of technology that are used to control the population of sea lamprey in the Great Lakes. They explain the parasite/host relationship and understand the devastating impact invasive species have on ecosystems....
Curated OER
Acceleration 2
In this acceleration instructional activity, students experiment with varying amounts of mass to observe the effects on the force needed to move an object. Students apply Newton's Second Law of Motion to describe the relationship between...
Curated OER
Patterns in Nature
Students examine places in nature where patterns can be observed by looking through a number of books after watching a teacher PowerPoint presentation. They illustrate a pattern in nature.
Curated OER
Designing Musical Instruments
Students examine musical instruments as main part of the study of sound energy. In this designing instruments lesson plan, students focus on the elements of an instrument that cause sound to be created and design a unique musical...
Curated OER
Bottle Habitat
In groups of four, students construct aquatic habitats in pop bottles. They create charts and record data from observations over a four week period. Then they graph their data and write explanations for what they observed.
Curated OER
Bermuda Reef Diorama
Students build a Bermuda coral reef to gain a better understanding of this ecosystem.
Curated OER
Ocean World
For this components of the ocean worksheet, students answer 20 questions about various species in the ocean such as plankton, different types of whales, sharks, and herring. Students also answer questions about the volume of water in the...
Curated OER
Powerful Pulleys
Learners explore the building of a pyramid and how pulleys were used to change the direction of applied force. They demonstrate the mechanical advantage of using a pulley and apply it to modern engineering.
Curated OER
How Strong is Your Magnet?
Young scholars measure the strength of a magnet and graph how the strength changes as the distance from the magnet increases.
Michigan Sea Grant
Food Web II
A food web consists of complex food chains and the more complex the web, the better likelihood of survival. Learners compare and contrast food webs and food chains and discuss concepts like the predator-prey and consumer-producer...
Curated OER
Ring Around the Rosie
Students examine the concept of angular momentum and its correlation to mass, velocity, and radius. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, conduct an experiment with rotational inertia, angular momentum, and rotation speed by making...
Curated OER
Valued Animals - Colored Pencil and Crayon
Second graders see that pressure of crayon create range of values. They show value range with crayons in an art work. They see how value is used in works of art and explain the importance of animals and their environment.
Curated OER
Is It Slimy? Does It Have Fur? Is It Really a Bird?
Sixth graders identify the different types of vertebrate animals based upon their major characteristics, as they create collages in groups. Collages show pictures of vertebrate animals labeled with the appropriate structural...
Curated OER
Land Use Decision
Students identify social and ecological considerations where human uses of land and trees conflict with each other and ecosystem needs, and describe importance of land-use management and planning through role play.
Michigan Sea Grant
Wetlands
Wetlands may not sound particularly ornate, but they are as important as any habitat! With a hands-on activity, young scientists build a wetland model and observe its many functions in action. They discover the importance of wetlands to...
Curated OER
Hazardous Chemicals in Your Neighborhood
High schoolers examine the effect of hazardous chemicals on humans. They discover how the chemicals are cleaned up and the facilities in their neighborhood. They identify federal and local agencies that oversee environmental hazards
Curated OER
Balloon Rockets
Students, after reviewing and analyzing Newton's third law of motion, make balloon rockets and experiment with a variety of models. After the experiment, they chart the results and form conclusions. In addition, they compare/contrast...
Curated OER
Topographic Maps
In this topographic map worksheet, students learn how to read a topographic map and create a topographic map of their own using clay or Play-Doh. Students include contour lines by layering the clay. Students answer 6 questions about...
Curated OER
Fossils and our Past (part 1 of 3)
Third graders investigate how some extinct organisms resemble organisms that are still alive today. They watch and discuss the Magic School Bus video about fossils, then create clay fossil imprints, matching the imprints to plaster of...
Curated OER
Animals In Winter
Students read story Animals in Winter, and explore similarities and differences in how humans and other animals prepare for survival in winter. Students create class book that compares and illustrates different ways humans and animals...
Curated OER
Migration Nation
Students study the concept of animal migration. They explore the migratory patterns of four different animals. Specifically, they search for on-line information about the natural history of animals and explore reasons why animals might...
Curated OER
Smart Consumers
You can help students cut through the hype and find out for themselves which brands are best by becoming consumer scientists.
Curated OER
Pond Water Survey
High schoolers identify and describe various organisms living in a pond water environment. They describe the characteristics of living things. Students compare and contrast organisms created by asexual reproduction and sexual...