Florida Center for Reading Research
Phonological Awareness: Onset and Rime, Sound Detective
Play letter sound detective with your class, and snoop out sounds, onsets, blends, and rhyme. In pairs, children take turns choosing a card from the pile; as they sound out part of the word, their partner attempts to figure out which...
Calvin Crest Outdoor School
Survival
Equip young campers with important survival knowledge with a set of engaging lessons. Teammates work together to complete three outdoor activities, which include building a shelter, starting a campfire, and finding directions in the...
Curated OER
The Life Cycle of a Butterfly
A well-designed lesson plan on the life cycle of the butterfly is here for you. In it, young scientists spend 45 minutes a day, for one school week, engaged in their study. They take nature walks, participate in activities in centers,...
Curated OER
Spider Watching
Spiders are creepy, crawly - and interesting! Young entomologists learn about parts of a spider's body, their habitats, ways spiders catch their prey, and what they most like to eat. Some excellent art activities are included in the plan...
Curated OER
Anatomy of The Heart
In this health learning exercise, learners examine the human body and make mental connections to the target function highlighted in the sheet.
Curated OER
Animal Homes
Match animals to their environments with a cute lab activity. Kids draw a line between each animal, such as a fish, a rabbit, and an ant, to the place where it lives. For hands-on practice, a science investigation instructs learners to...
California Academy of Science
Notice and Wonder
Pint-sized zoologists practice the art of observation. They take notes, pictures or written, as they observe an animal for a period of time. This can be done at the zoo, with a visiting classroom animal, or perhaps at the humane society....
Virginia Department of Education
Weather Patterns and Seasonal Changes
Get your class outside to observe their surroundings with a lesson highlighting weather patterns and seasonal changes. First, learners take a weather walk to survey how the weather affects animals, people, plants, and trees during...
American Museum of Natural History
Draw a Monarch Butterfly: Scientific Illustrations
One doesn't have to be an artist to appreciate nature. A thorough resource shows pupils how to create detailed illustrations of a monarch butterfly. The lesson highlights the benefits of creating scientific drawings as opposed to simply...
American Museum of Natural History
Draw a Monarch
Five steps walk scholars through the process of drawing a Monarch butterfly. Participants research the insect, make observations, trace, then color.
K12 Reader
What Causes Reflections?
Your kids probably use mirrors every day, but do they know how they work? A reading passage about reflection and reflective objects can address both physical science and reading comprehension. Kids read the paragraphs and use context...
Curated OER
The Amazing Ant
Students explain that ants are an important element of nature's balance. Ants eat many insects and are food to other animals. They watch a video and conduct hands-on activities that give them an excellent overview of the ants role in...
Cornell University
Exploring Rocks and Minerals
Investigate the properties of rocks and minerals through a rockin' hands-on activity. Learners test rocks for various properties and, using a guide, attempt to identify different samples. They use various properties including hardness,...
Curated OER
Crystal Ice Art
This isn't just an art lesson, it's a science lesson too. Kids draw a lovely winter scene and then paint over it with a solution of epsom salts and water. They make predictions, then observe how crystals form as the water evaporates...
Curated OER
The See Family
Third graders examine photographs as primary source documents. Students are broken into groups and are given photographs of the See Family.
Curated OER
Let's Learn About Plants!
After listening to From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons, learners take a walk around their school looking for plants. They use digital cameras to photograph the plants, then construct a class book which has the identities of the plants,...
Curated OER
Dissecting Owl Pellets
Students watch the teacher model the dissection then in pairs, they dissect an owl pellet and identify its contents. They record the data about its prey on a graph.
Curated OER
Cycles of Life
Students explore the metamorphosis of an insect as it changes from an egg to pupa to an adult. the process of change is observed, recorded, and transformed into a life cycle picture.
Curated OER
Unidentified (Flying?) Arthropods
Beginning biologists learn the characteristics of the five classes in the arthropod phylum. A student handout lists characteristics to help them identify five specimens. You will need to collect an example of each: arachnida, crustacea,...
Curated OER
Signs of Change: Tree Rings
Students identify and experiment with dendrochronology (the study of tree rings to answer ecological questions about the recent past) and come up with conclusions as to what possible climatic conditions might affect tree growth in their...
Curated OER
Habitat Assessment
Third graders demonstrate the effects of varying environmental components on plants and animals: chemical, physical and biological characteristics of a habitat. They find chemical, physical and biological characteristics of the lake at...
Curated OER
Forming Plural Nouns
Everyone knows that a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea - but what happens when you have people, places, things, or ideas? Use this SMART board activity to guide your class through plural nouns. Several activities, including making...
Curated OER
Ant Bodies
Students name the three parts that comprise an insect body. In this ant lesson plan, students make connections regarding the curiosity of insects as it touches upon the students' personal perspectives. Students then observe ants in class...
Curated OER
Techno-shapes
Explore the concept of shapes by using tools in Kid Pix Deluxe 4 computer program. This techno-shapes lesson has pupils watching a video about shapes, and using the Kid Deluxe 4 computer program to draw shapes. They get to design their...