Curated OER
Sustaining Life Under the Ice
Students design and conduct experiments in order to identify the components of lake water environments that are affected by winter ice cover. They use the experiment results to propose effective human management of these ecosystems.
Curated OER
Mythical Animals
Learners create imaginary animals by assembling pictures of body parts from pictures of real animals. This is one of three linked tasks. The others are "Who's Parts Do I Have?" and "Animals Piece by Piece."
Curated OER
Designing a Real Life Ecosystem!
Students research abiotic and biotic factors concerning the concept of an ecosystem. Record and analyze data collected. Write a lab report in proper and scientific format with thinking and analytical skills. Work as a cooperative team.
Sea World
Endangered Species
Study different endangered species with several activities that incorporate math, science, language arts, and research strategies. A great addition to your instructional activity on conservation or Earth Day.
PHET
Mapping the Field of Multiple Dipole Magnets
So you built a magnetometer, now what? High school scientists use their magnetometer made in a previous lesson to map the union of magnetic fields of dipole magnets. They experiment with different alignments and draw conclusions about...
Curated OER
The Five Classes of Vertebrates
What a terrific lesson! Learners discuss the animal kingdom, and classify them as vertebrates and invertebrates. They also identify them as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. There is even a taxonomic breakdown of popular...
Discovery Education
It's Getting Hot in Here
Class members engage in a STEM experiment and investigate how materials affect heating in a house by creating models of houses and using different top surface materials. They record the temperature inside the models and consider what the...
Curated OER
Vacancy: Habitats Available!
Sixth graders pick a native animal and write a classified housing ad to match the animal's habitat requirements, paste it on posterboard and then try to match each habitat with the animal it represents.
Curated OER
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry
With The Great Kapok Tree, by Lynne Cherry as the hook learners discuss the rainforest, the animals that live there, and conservation efforts. Then, students write a letter to the man in the story asking him not to cut down the Kapok...
Curated OER
Antibiotics: Will They Work?
Students examine why antibiotics are important in everyday life. They examine the decisions that people make and how these decisions can artificially speed up natural selection in bacteria that cause infections such as group A...
Curated OER
The Hispanic Migration into Iowa
Sixth graders examine the positive and negative effects of the migration of people of Hispanic descent in the state of Iowa. They examine and interpret census data using maps before comparing the positives and negatives. They read...
Curated OER
What makes up YOUR Environment!
Students create their own land or water environment. They make their environment livable for all the different animals they collect to put in it. Students research the types of animals that they can have in their environment, and how...
Curated OER
The Birds and the Beaks
Students explore the adaptations that birds have. In this adaptations lesson students view a video and create a concept map of birds and their adaptive traits.
Curated OER
Critter Museum
Students act as directors of a new science museum where they have decided to set up a display of animals without backbones that are found in the area. To organize their display, they need to sort and classify a collection of animals and...
Curated OER
Check Out Lights and Shields with Beads
Students explore Ultraviolet detecting beads and conduct several investigations with them. In this investigative lesson students participate in an experiment to see the harmful effects of UV light and discuss their findings.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Wind and Water Wheels
Learners identify wind and water as natural resources that create energy. In this natural resources and energy use lesson, students work in groups to construct a pinwheel, then explore the effects of wind and water on the pinwheel....
Curated OER
Whose Parts Do I Have? (Wings and Things)
Learners identify an animal and a body part and then matches a body part to a specific animal. This will assess their ability to sort organisms and objects into groups according to their parts and describe how the groups are formed and...
Curated OER
Yeast Fermentation
Students measure the temperature change involved in the production of carbon dioxide by yeast. They also identify products and reactants in a chemical and balance the equation.
Curated OER
The Dust Bowl
Eleventh graders develop an understanding of the Dust Bowl. In this 1930's America lesson, 11th graders respond to questions regarding the songs and literature about the era. The primary sources should be gathered by the instructor.
Curated OER
Household Pests
Sixth graders discover the various habitat requirements for assorted household pests from ants to wasps. They conduct various activities including researching the life cycles moths, cockroaches, and mosquitoes
Curated OER
Introduction To Pests
Students investigate common pests and match pests to their respective pictures. In a group discussion, students explore the basic needs of pests and share personal pest stories. They examine common self-protection measures. Using the...
Curated OER
People Interacting with the Environment
Learners explore an arctic, temperate, and tropical environment and then decide what people need in each environment to help them live comfortably and what their lives would be like.
Curated OER
What Kind of Insect is That?
Fifth graders characterize insects and classify insects according to the Linnaean system. They use hand lenses or microscopes to examine insect body parts.
Curated OER
Pulse
Students determine a baseline pulse rate then chart the changes in rate with exercise. They describe the changes and develop a rationale for their observations. The task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations, determine...