NASA
Geographical Influences
"If global warming is real, why is it so cold?" Distinguishing the difference between weather and climate is important when it comes to understanding our planet. In these activities, young scientists look at the climate patterns in a...
Teach Engineering
Energy Perspectives
The data says ... the resource is great to use. Using Microsoft Excel, pupils analyze data from the US Department of Energy in the fifth lesson of a 25-part Energy Systems and Solutions unit. Each group looks at a different data set and...
Curated OER
M&M's and the Scientific Method
Sixth graders explore the scientific method by conducting an in class experiment. In this scientific averages lesson, 6th graders discuss the concept of the scientific method, and define the different mathematical averages, mean, median...
Curated OER
Using a Statistical Procedure To Search A Database For Out of the Ordinary Values
Students develop a spreadsheet containing formulas and find summaries for them. For this investigative lesson students choose a topic, investigate it and use MS Excel to sort data.
Curated OER
Graphing in an Experimental Context
Seventh graders discuss the importance of being able to represent scientific data in the form of graphs. They comprehend the differences between a bar graph and a line graph. Students identify the type of data with which each graph...
Science 4 Inquiry
Atmospheric Layers
Space diving refers to the act of jumping from outer space and falling through Earth's atmosphere before parachuting to land. Scholars learn about this extreme activity and study the layers of the atmosphere they must conquer in the...
Curated OER
Water Conservation
Open learners' eyes to the challenge of finding safe drinking water – something we often take for granted in our country. The PowerPoint presentation includes images, graphs, diagrams, and even a video to stimulate discussion on how we...
Curated OER
Fishy Frequencies
Tenth graders demonstrate that natural selection is an agent of evolution. They quantitatively apply the Hardy-Weinberg Principle to an imaginary population of fish. They utilize math and graphing skills, collecting and analyzing data,...
US Environmental Protection Agency
Getting to the Core: The Link Between Temperature and Carbon Dioxide
Polar ice samples provide scientists with valuable information about the condition of the atmosphere for hundreds of thousands of years in the past. Of particular interest is the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and its...
Curated OER
Get a Half-Life Student Worksheet
Young scientists use a learning exercise to help them perform a lab on the decay of a radioactive element. The learning exercise serves as both a task guide and a lab sheet for pairs of learners. This activity requires a calculator and...
Curated OER
Radioactive Decay
Students generate a radioactive decay table for an imaginary element, use their data to plot a decay graph, develop the concept of half-life, and use the graph to "age" several samples.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Color Variation over Time in Rock Pocket Mouse Populations
A species-specific look at natural selection, the resource herein examines how adaptations have helped the population of rock pocket mice survive in a changing landscape. To begin, middle or high schoolers watch a 10.5 minute video,...
Tech Museum of Innovation
Human Body Exhibit
Explore human anatomy and physiology using models. Scholars study systems of the human body and design a display for a museum exhibit. To complete the activity, individuals create analogous models of their chosen human body systems.
Curated OER
Graphing and Analysis of Water Quality Reports
Students practice making graphs and interpreting them. They compare and contrast different sets of data. They use Microsoft Excel to create different types of graphs.
Curated OER
Teaching Radioactive Decay: Radioactive Half-life And Dating Techniques
Students generate a radioactive decay table for an imaginary element using a box filled with pinto beans and M&M's. They use their data to plot a decay graph, develop the concept of half-life, and use the graph to "age" several samples.
Curated OER
Exponential Decay
Learners study exponential decay and its application to radiocarbon dating. In this exponential decay lesson, students use candy to model the time it takes for something to decay. Learners also graph the data they collect and...
Curated OER
Migration of the Neo-Tropical Songbirds
Fifth graders plot the migration of birds using Google Earth. For this lesson on bird migration, 5th graders work in groups to plot the migration of a group of birds using Google Earth. Students present and discuss their findings and...
Curated OER
Cookie Mapping
Students study the components of a bedrock geology map through a hands-on activity involving a cookie and graph paper.
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Students explain how simple machines work and design their own machine. They use the Internet for research.
Curated OER
Weather Conditions During the Fall Monarch Migration
Students keep detailed weather records during the fall migration of the monarch butterfly. They compare weather conditions to the days they do and do not see monarchs. As a class, they graph and analyze data and send it to a university...
S2tem Centers SC
Seasons
Winter, spring, summer, and fall—take the learning of the seasons beyond the elementary level to the middle school classroom. Curious learners begin by watching videos about the seasons and the rotation of planet Earth. Then,...
Curated OER
How Can You Study Things You Can’t See Like: Atoms?
Students simulate how scientists studied things they can't see like atoms. In this chemistry lesson, students predict what is inside the numbered obsertainers. They design a way to investigate what's inside without opening it.
Curated OER
Classification Introduction
Learners simulate classifying rocks using different colored skittles. In this earth science lesson, students create a Venn diagram according to their compiled information. They share this diagram in the class.
Curated OER
Measurement: Stream Flow & Stadium Capacity
Eighth graders study the scientific fields and how information can be monitored and recorded. In this scientific inquiry lesson students view a PowerPoint presentation and complete a hands on activity.