Curated OER
Prairie Plant Investigation
Students carefully observe prairie plants and record their observations in a science journal. They examine the root systems of grasses and flowers and surmise how these plants can grow together on the prairie.
Curated OER
Cooler In The Shadows
Students investigate the concepts of shadows and how they are projected with objects different positions in relation to the sun. They conduct an experiment by observing objects in different positions. Then students record the observations.
Curated OER
Weather Lesson
Students discuss the weather conditions. They read thermometer, rain gauge, barometer, and wind direction and speed. They record observations of weather conditions and enter information into data base on the computer.
Curated OER
Make a Sundial
Students explore space science by conducting a sun experiment in class. In this time telling lesson, students discuss how the sun sits in our sky at exact times each day and how astronomy is based on our perspective of the solar system....
Nuffield Foundation
Biodiversity in Your Backyard!
Take your enthusiastic ecologists outdoors to explore the biodiversity right in their own schoolyard! In preparing for this activity, it may be worthwhile to research websites with local flora to help in the plant identification portion.
Curated OER
Looking at Leaves Lesson 1
Fourth graders visit an outdoor area and compare/contrast two different leaves using Venn diagrams. They create tree leaf rubbings from their leaves and examine their vein structures or needle patterns.
Wild BC
Carbon - The Short and the Long
For this complex game about the carbon cycle, the playing field is divided into air, living, and earth zones. Children are assigned to be either plants or animals, and collect carbon tokens as they proceed from zone to zone. While the...
Curated OER
Stanley Park and Aquarium Field Trip
Learners explore the beauty of British Columbia by participating in a class field trip. In this ecosystem observation lesson, students investigate the Vancouver Aquarium and Stanley Park, one of the largest parks in North America....
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Investigating Evidence
Explore the scientific process through nature. Scholars become scientists as they develop a question, design an experiment, collect data, and analyze their results. A two-week lesson guides your classes through the process and provides...
California Academy of Science
Which Way is North?
Who needs a compass to find cardinal directions? Just place a stick in the ground and record the movement of its shadow over the course of a day. Then, measure the shadow lengths in order to determine a north-south line. A simple...
Wild BC
Weather Where We Live
Over a span of two weeks or more, mini meteorologists record weather-related measurements. What makes this particular resource different from others covering similar activities are the thorough details for the teacher and printables for...
Curated OER
Outdoor Art
Students create art projects outside. In these outdoor art lesson plans, students use items in nature to enhance their creativity. They are encouraged to paint rocks, use fences for collages, weave sticks/feathers through picket fences,...
Curated OER
Flying The Friendly Skies
Students investigate the science of flight while creating their own gliders and test them with the lift supplied by wind in the outdoors. They create a chart to make observations of the flight patterns of different gliders taking note of...
Curated OER
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? Lesson Plan
Students use technology and listening skills to explore the sounds of their environment. In this environment observation lesson, students read Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? in order to identify the sounds in the story; these...
Curated OER
Animal Diversity
Students explore the outdoors. In this animal diversity lesson, students observe nature and identify various species of animals, both small and large. Students discuss animal habitats and how humans influence their living conditions.
Curated OER
Learning To Look
Sixth graders investigate a flower plant and the plant cycle. They extend observational skills when looking at a tree by observing, questioning and sharing ideas. They observe a living and nonliving flower and compare and contrast how...
Curated OER
Piece of the Sky: Introduction for Making S'COOL Observations
Young scholars observe and discuss cloud cover. They identify percent of cloud cover, calculate cloud cover by fraction and convert to a percent, and compare their models with the current real sky cloud cover.
Curated OER
Investigating Erosion in an Outdoor Classroom
First graders observe the effects of erosion. They work in groups to simulate erosion in a streambed, participate in class discussion, read books about fossils and rocks and then go on a fossil hunt.
Curated OER
Science: The Shape of Clouds
Students observe cloud formations during a trip outdoors prior to reading Tomie dePaola's , "The Cloud Book." Using cotton, they make models of the four main cloud shapes and mount them on blue construction paper. As an ongoing project,...
Curated OER
Computer Science: Temperature
Students conduct an experiment on heat transfer and how it works. They record the temperature in whatever environment is surrounding the container and run experiments that use at least two different ambient temperatures. Students...
Curated OER
Outdoor Explorations: Mystery Plot Vacant Lot
Students utilize observations skills as they work together in groups to solve a mystery. They discuss and perform strategies to solve mysteries that occurred on a vacant lot. Students use a field guide to identify plants and animals...
American Museum of Natural History
Keeping a Field Journal
Young scientists begin a field journal by following four steps. A real-world example of an entry showcases the different parts, including location, date, drawings, and more.
Curated OER
Investigating Animals in Soil
Students investigate and observe small animal activity on a plot of land on their school grounds. In small groups they identify the five kingdoms of animals, stake out a small plot of ground, collect samples, record and analyze any data...
Curated OER
Living and Nonliving
Students use their senses to record and collect data. In How Do I Classify Things in My World?, students practice classifying objects as living or nonliving. In Is it Real Or Pretend?, students group objects as real or pretend. In What...