Curated OER
Exploring Ecosystems
Fourth graders create an ecosystem as a class. They have already produced smaller ones. They use a pond or something similar on school grounds to meet the needs of certain plants and animals of their ecosystem. Specifically created will...
Curated OER
Seed Diversity
Students explore agriculture by researching different seeds. In this seed identification activity, students collaborate in small groups to analyze a package of different seeds. Students utilize a magnifying glass to examine each seed...
Curated OER
Food Chain Chant
Young scholars memorize a poem using various reading strategies to reinforce the concept of the food chain and the terminology associated with it.
Curated OER
Dissolved Oxygen Activity
Young scholars explore why dissolved oxygen must be present for aquatic life to survive. They explain what dissolved means. Students discuss what dissolved oxygen is. They watch as the teacher lights two candles and place a jar over...
Curated OER
Powerful Potato
Students are introduced to the growth process of a potato. As a class, they place a potato on a plate and observe how long it takes for the eyes to appear. In groups, they follow a recipe to make potato soup that is shared with the...
Curated OER
Thematic Unit on Cats
Students discover in which climates the cats of the world live in. They review the different climates of the world and use maps and globes to help them locate continents.
Curated OER
Treasure Hunt
Learners actively search a the ground outside and find several types of leaves, lichen, feathers and trash. They place items into journals, write entries, draw pictures and ask questions about the items found on their exploration.
Curated OER
Knock On Wood
Students investigate the trees of the Mississippi Valley, specifically looking at the coniferous and deciduous forests. The research of the area is part of a field study when students conduct a survey of local forests in order to create...
Curated OER
Our Land: League Philanthropy Unit
Learners use the folk singer Woody Guthrie's song 'This Land is Your Land' to learn about the responsibility of every person to take care of each other and the land. In this land preservation lesson, students sing the song, learn...
Curated OER
Bean There, Done Plant
Students explain that events in nature follow an orderly progression when they plant seeds and observe the development of the seeds. They count seeds and find the likenesses and the differences of many seeds.
Curated OER
Aloha, Hawaii!
Students read the Hawaiian version of The Three Little Pigs, to study cultures and traditions of the island. They gather and study resources about the culture, people, and endangered species of Hawaii.
Curated OER
Natural Figures
First graders look for geometrical shapes in nature to help them appreciate the diversity of the natural environment.
Curated OER
BREAD IN A BAG
If possible, acquire a handful of wheat kernels from a local farmer or seed dealer. Hand them out so students can feel them and see what they look like. Share background information. 2. Draw a wheat kernel on the chalkboard, or use the...
Curated OER
What is Happening to Our Water?
Students compare and contrast Wisconsin's water resources to that of Puerto Rico. They research books about islands, particularly the Puerto Rican islands. Student view illustrations of island ecology. They discuss the illustrations and...
Curated OER
Living or Nonliving
Third graders brainstorm a list of the characteristics of living and nonliving organisms. Individually, they find four nonliving and living items and the characteristics that make them fit into one of the categories. To end the lesson,...
Curated OER
Fossil Adventure
Students work as a class to write a general definition of fossil based on their discussion and examine pictures of the different types of fossils. Once discussion is complete, they write and illustrate a book about a T Rex that has died...
Curated OER
Photosynthesis
Fifth graders work in small groups to brainstorm responses to a problem related to some disaster that wipes out half or all plant life on earth. Groups complete a graphic organizer to compare and contrast their ideas. Students select...
Curated OER
What Do Koalas Need to Survive?
First graders take a field trip and examine the Koala and his habitat. In this Koala lesson, 1st graders read Possum Magic and discuss the foods of Australia. Students view the habitat of a Koala and record what it eats, its...
K12 Reader
Displaying Data
It's important to learn how to display data to make the information easier for people to understand. A reading activity prompts kids to use context clues to answer five comprehension questions after reading several paragraphs about...
Wild BC
Maple Trees and Marmots
Kinesthetic activities simulate animal activity as the seasons progress in a lesson that introduces climate change to primary pupils. The kids role-play maple trees collecting what they need to survive, but as each year comes...
Curated OER
Bug Detective
What happens when a living thing dies? After reading a paragraph of background knowledge on the life cycle of bugs, third and fourth graders work through four clues to figure out which bug is which. When they finish, they can study the...
Curated OER
Environmental Justice in Chester, PA
Over several days, learners communicate and defend an argument regarding environmental justice issues in Chester, PA. After discussing the issue and viewing a video about the location of several toxic waste facilities in Chester, they...
Curated OER
All About Teeth
Chomp chomp! Learn which teeth perform which tasks with a thorough worksheet on molars, incisors, and canines. Based on descriptions of each kind of tooth, fifth graders label a diagram that points to particular teeth. They then color in...
Gecko Mathematics
Gecko Mathematics: Multiplying Unit Fractions
Make learning visible! Have your mathematicians follow along as you use paper strips to demonstrate the concept of multiplying unit fractions. Then, offer a different way of solving the problem using a number line. Finally, introduce the...