National Wildlife Federation
Get Your Techno On
Desert regions are hotter for multiple reasons; the lack of vegetation causes the sun's heat to go straight into the surface and the lack of moisture means none of the heat is being transferred into evaporation. This concept, and other...
Curated OER
Basic Excel
Students explore basic Excel spreadsheets. For this spreadsheet lesson plan, students enter Alaska weather information and perform calculations. Students title the columns on the spreadsheet and format the cells. ...
American Psychological Association
A Tasty Sample(r): Teaching about Sampling Using M&M’s
Here's a sweet activity! As part of a study of psychological research methods and statistic gathering, individuals develop a hypothesis about the number of each color of M&Ms in a fun-size package. They then count the number of each...
Curated OER
Sending Messages to Space
Students interpret a message sent to space using a radio telescope and draw inferences from the interpreted message. Working with a partner, they interpret data that scientists believe is a message from aliens. They work on organizing...
Curated OER
Clouds
Students explore clouds. In this weather lesson, students identify the steps in the water cycle, define condensation and evaporation, and relate this information to cloud formation. Students perform a cloud experiment,...
Curated OER
What Makes you Hot?
Learners manipulate different variables in a model and make inferences about the temperature on Earth. In this heat lesson students calculate the blackbody radiation of an object at a certain temperature.
Curated OER
The Milk Bottle Quiz
In this scientific statements worksheet, students identify statements as an observation, inference, question, prediction, or factual. This worksheet has 7 matching questions.
Curated OER
Red, Green, and Blue Mystery Liquids! Hypothesis or Inference?
Eighth graders are actively involved in the scientific method and inquiry as they form quick hypotheses based upon a teacher set of mystery liquids. They determine the need to make additional observations of the liquids.
Curated OER
The Making of an Organ
Students examine and research how cells make up our organs. They create a model of a tongue showing cells, tissues and the organ.
Curated OER
Make a Snowflake
Learners study the design of snowflakes. In this snow lesson, students discover the different shapes of a snowflake, and their similarities. Learners study snowflakes outside, then create their own with popsicle sticks...
Curated OER
Civil War: The North History Lesson
Young scholars demonstrate their reading comprehension skills, including reading strategies, inference, literal meaning, and critical analysis.
Curated OER
temperature and the Scientific Method Lesson Plan
Sixth graders study heat, temperature, and heat transfer. Using probeware, the teacher demonstrates boiling points. Students participate in experiments and record the beginning and ending temperatures and mass of objects. After...
EngageNY
Using Sample Data to Compare the Means of Two or More Populations II
The 23rd segment in a series of 25 presents random samples from two populations to determine whether there is a difference. Groups determine whether they believe there is a difference between the two populations and later use an...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Theme Analysis in A Christmas Carol
Why does Charles Dickens have Ebenezer go from scrooge to light-hearted and generous? From "Bah, humbug!" to "God Bless Us, Every One!" After rereading Dickens' preface to A Christmas Carol, learners analyze quotations from the tale that...
Curated OER
Multi-dimensional Modeling of Ore Bodies Making Sense of Empirical Data
Math scholars identify four different rock types in that strata and use this identification and data to construct a two dimensional geologic cross-section. They use data tables to construct a three-dimensional geologic cross-section.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Lactase Persistence: Evidence for Selection
What's the link between lactase persistence and dairy farming? Biology scholars analyze data to find evidence of the connection, then relate this to human adaptation. Working individually and in small groups, learners view short video...
Channel Islands Film
Cache: Lesson Plan 4 - Grades 4-5
After viewing the West of the West's documentary Cache, individuals craft either a newspaper article chronicling the discovery of the cache on San Nicolas Island, a historical narrative of the placement of the cache in the cliff side, or...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Was Bias A Factor? Make an Argument
The ability to analyze an argument is a skill emphasized by the Common Core standards. Offer your class an opportunity to develop and hone their skills by providing them the testimonies in an Oregon court case. After reading the facts of...
Curated OER
Go Fish!
So much science in one tiny fish! Introduce young biologists to the zebrafish, a common aquarium inhabitant. The small, unassuming organism presents an opportunity for learners to study habituation using an easy-to-care-for species. Lab...
K20 LEARN
The Cold, Hard Truth
Things are really getting heated in the lab! Science scholars scope out the facts about heat energy transfer using a simple lab from the K20 Center. Groups collaborate to observe temperature changes between hot metal and water, then use...
K20 LEARN
Considering "Charles": Pictograms, Annotations, Reading Strategies, And Multimodal Responses
Shirley Jackson's short story, "Charles," provides middle schoolers with an opportunity to practice their close reading skills. Using the provided list of prompts, scholars read and reread the story, then create a multimodal response to...
Star Wars in the Classroom
"Shakespeare and Star Wars": Lesson Plan Days 13 and 14
How important are sound effects in films? In stage plays? In radio programs? To gain an understanding of the impact of these special effects, class members watch a short video spoof of the sound in a scene from Star...
Curated OER
Scientific Thinking
Middle schoolers participate in four different activities which reinforce an understanding of they way scientists think about the world. They make careful observations of two different pennies, write the procedure for making a peanut...
Curated OER
A is for . . .
Students discuss the difference between making inferences and observations. They practice making observations and inferences regarding an apple.