National Library of Medicine
Your Environment, Your Health: Chemicals in Your Home
Many people know about chemical pollution, but are all chemicals bad? The third unit in a series of six addresses chemicals common in everyday life. Scholars learn about the chemicals found in their own homes, chemical safety, and...
Curated OER
Minerals Commonly Found in the Home
In this mineral learning exercise, students collect 5 common household items that contain minerals and analyze them. After filling in a data table, students complete 3 short answer conclusion questions.
University of Georgia
Would Your Cat Eat This Stuff?
Processed foods use inorganic compounds for flavoring and preservation. This take-home laboratory challenges scholars to find 20 different compounds identified on the labels of foods to list on their data collection sheet. The activity...
WakeGOV
Plastic Sight Words
Plastic math? Have young learners count and name the number of plastic items in their centers. Kindergartners match sight word cards to the number of plastics in a given group, while learning that plastics come in all different shapes,...
Curated OER
It May Be Yucky, But Someone Has To Teach It. . .
Fourth graders study the names and parts of the excretory system in this hands-on activity. They use common items to make a model of the system.
Curated OER
What Contains Carbon?
Students explore elements by analyzing everyday objects and materials in class. In this carbon lesson plan, students define several vocabulary terms such as carbon dioxide, hydrocarbon, and carbonate. Students view a group of items,...
Scholastic
Hill of Fire Teaching Plan
Some books are perfect for drawing connections between multiple subjects. The book Hill of Fire becomes the hub for three very different, yet related activity ideas. First the class hones their oral language skills by creating an...
Curated OER
Classifying Items
In this classifying worksheet, students read about grouping similar objects into categories based on similarities. They determine how the groups are related and they draw a diagram showing categories and subcategories.
Curated OER
Creative Classroom Creatures
Students are introduced to the five kingdoms and discover why there is a need for a classification system. Using the internet, they examine how scientific names are created and practice putting animals into their correct classification....
Curated OER
Critical Thinking Strategies
Teach your readers to be critical thinkers. A strategy is outlined that can be used to compare and contrast entities. An example lists four states. The learner removes one state that "does not belong" in the list for some reason, and...
Curated OER
Sometimes, solid + liquid = gas
Third graders experiment with common household liquids and solids. In this chemical reaction lesson, 3rd graders discuss phase changes and experiment to find other ways to create gases. They use water, vinegar, lemon juice, flour, baking...
Curated OER
Many Uses of Plants
Learners research and discuss non-food plant products that are in common use, and mark on a world map the name of the country where the plant is grown.
Curated OER
Mollusk Matching
Students look carefully at shells and observe the differences between
species and the names of common shells. Then they identify and complete a Mollusk Matching handout included in the lesson and write the letter of each shell in the...
Curated OER
Silly Science
In this science worksheet, students use the dichotomous key to identify common objects listed on the sheet. Then they write the scientific name of each object.
Curated OER
Digestive System Analogies--A Group Activity
Learners study the human digestive system in order for the students to relate common kitchen items to the function of specific digestive organs. They list major organs on one side and find the item or appliance most analogous to the...
Curated OER
Forester
In this forester instructional activity, students illustrate a map that shows the types of forests growing in various parts of the country. They also identify six forest trees common to the area where they live and explain how both...
Curated OER
Minerals
Students define the characteristics of a mineral. In this geology instructional activity, students are given out various materials to observe such as a chicken bone, salt shaker, white paint, and chalk. Students categorize the items and...
Curated OER
Reduce, Re-use, Recycle
Students determine the importance of recycling to reduce waste, to employ trash in useful ways, and to save the environment. They estimate the percentages of landfill waste that items constitute, based on what they found in their own...
Curated OER
Observing Properties of Matter
Third graders explore matter. In this physical science lesson, 3rd graders observe several items and use their five senses to describe their properties. Students record their observations and share with the class.
Curated OER
Clothesline Sleuth
Third graders discover the origin of an item of clothing. In this clothing lesson, 3rd graders navigate the net to locate information related to various fabrics. Students answer questions and define vocabulary about...
Curated OER
Create a Display
Students identify mollusks, create a display, research a particular species, and present their findings to the class. They collect and bring in a shell of choice from their local beach. Then, students label his or her shell with the...
Curated OER
Mollusk of Interest
Student choose a mollusk that they are interested in and research it. They present their research to the class and compile all the information on mollusks in a packet. Information must include common and scientific name, family,...
Curated OER
Bivalve or Univalve (Clam or Snail)?
Fourth graders explore the meaning of the prefixes "bi" and "uni." In groups, 4th graders observe pictures of shells and handle real shells. Students create a chart to classify each shell as a bivalve or univalve. They identify the...
Curated OER
Rain Forest Products
Students move from lab station to lab station observing samples of products from the Rain Forest. At each station they record the name of the product, write a description and sketch a diagram of the product.