Discovery Education
Cushion It!
Sugar cubes, collide! Groups design protection systems using bubble wrap to protect sugar cubes from being destroyed by falling batteries in the STEM lesson. They consider how the experiment relates to collisions in real-world...
Curated OER
Simple Circuit: Electric Currents and Circuits
Through inquiry and exploration, 4th graders will learn and understand the functions of open and closed circuits. They will break into 2 groups, define vocabulary, hypothesize how to light a bulb, then test their hypothesis 4 different...
Curated OER
Toxicants and California Blackworms
High schoolers determine the normal behavior of California blackworms. They determine how various concentrations of assigned toxicants affect the worm's behavior. Students are introduced to testing of potential toxicants, an important...
Curated OER
What's The Big Deal About Accutane?
Students take on the role of epidemiologists. They investigate an "outbreak" in serious birth defects that occur in infants born to teenage girls. students discover a link between the use of the acne drug called Accutane and birth defects.
Salt River Project
How Do We Clean Polluted Water?
How do we clean up oil spills and other pollutants in the water? Explore water treatment strategies with a set of environmental science experiments. Groups remove oil from water, work with wastewater treatment, and perform a water...
Curated OER
Sort the Compost Bin
Students discover what compost is. For this composting lesson, students view a sample of a compost bin and define what the purpose of compost is. Students discuss what the compost bin consists of and sort the compost bin into the green...
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Recognizing Litter
When does trash become litter? Use this litter awareness lesson to help them understand the importance of trash disposal. Get learners engaged by reading Nancy Loewen's Lady Lulu Liked to Litter (not included). After discussing what...
Curated OER
Creeping Sheets of Ice
Students conduct scientific investigation in which they observe glacial
effects on landscape, develop and explain their own theories of how glaciers change land, and demonstrate understanding and explain basic motion and force principles.
Curated OER
Ocean Life
Mini-marine biologists use Scholastic Explorers website to learn about declining numbers of leatherback sea turtles and dusky dolphins. They fill out a K-W-L chart and observation journal worksheet, which are both provided in the lesson...
Curated OER
You Talkin' To Me?: Investigations in Animal Behavior
Young scholars investigate a variety of animal behaviors, examine various modes of animal communication, and develop a catalog analyzing, interpreting, and reporting their results.
Curated OER
Tetonic Plates and Faults
Students understand the basic properties of plate motion. They demonstrate what happens to a plate while faulting while using manipulatives. They demonstrate the Nature of Scientific Inquiry to solve scientific issues.
Curated OER
Classification of Cerealites
Middle schoolers create a dichotomous key. For this categorizing lesson, students create a dichotomous key for different types of cereal. Middle schoolers classify the cereal into groups such as flakes and cereal with holes. Students...
Curated OER
Modeling the Process of Mining Silicon Through a Single Displacement/Redox Reaction
Students study silicon and where it comes from. In this solar mining lesson students complete an Internet search of mining and a lab activity.
Curated OER
Principles of Flight
High schoolers explore the principles of flight. In this flight lesson, students construct a model plane and investigate the forces acting on the flier. They will measure the thrust and calculate the stored energy.
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Science: Entomology in Action
Students discover how coroners use insect life cycles to estimate the time of death in cases. they describe how forensic entomologists combine environmental factors with insect life cycles to note the changes. Students examine an...
Curated OER
Survival in the Land of Batzilla
Students experience a guided inquiry into the workings of an ultrasonic motion detector. They are led to study something they cannot see, hear, feel or taste. Students design strategies to avoid becoming prey of the predatory "Batzilla."
Curated OER
Life Science- Useful Waste
Fourth graders explore the topic of waste and recycling. In this useful waste lesson plan, 4th graders classify objects and sort them into most usable and least usable categories. Students complete an activity sheet and have a discussion...
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Mystery of the Matching Marks
Students view a Power Point and complete activities related to genetic evidence of human evolution. In this molecular evolution lesson, students view and discuss a provide presentation. They search for the "tell-tale telomere" and...
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The Nature of Mathematics
Students work in groups to describe plants using numbers. In this number lesson, students use numbers to define plants and then use numbers to write descriptions of themselves.
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Pet Rocks
Students complete a variety of activities related to the physical characteristics of minerals. They classify and group candy, classify rocks and complete a Pet River Rock worksheet. Students try to guess which rock goes with each...
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Science: Wind Power
Students build models of wind turbines and experiment with different designs that will improve efficiency. Students will understand the use of wind power as a renewable resource.
Curated OER
Water and Ice
Students perform experiments in pairs to visualize the changes in water during freezing and melting. In this properties of water lesson plan, students use their senses and inquiry tools to understand the changes in state of water....
Curated OER
Movement of Air Diorama Activity
Students make a diorama to illustrate the process of mechanical airflow. In this movement of air lesson, students discuss ventilation and air movement indoors. Students discuss ventilation systems and study pictures of the systems....
Curated OER
Understanding the Indoor Environment: The Movement of Air
Students discuss HVAC to assess prior knowledge. Students create a rubric to assess their modals of HVAC units, and build the models according to instructions and discussion by the teacher.