NOAA
Invent a Robot!
Wait til your class gets their hands on this! Aspiring engineers design a working robotic arm in the fifth and final installment in a series of ocean exploration lessons. Pupils learn about the use of underwater robots in ocean...
Agriculture in the Classroom
Roll of the Genes
Animal reproduction in sheep and cattle is explored with the help of Punnet squares. Scholars employ tools using probability to conclude the color of wool a sheep's offspring will have. Acting as animal geneticists, pupils then take...
Curated OER
Alka-Seltzer Cannons
The scientific method is emphasized in this engaging and exciting chemistry lesson. Learners get to create Alka-Seltzer cannons out of film cannisters, water, and Alka-Seltzer tablets. Carbon dioxide gas builds up inside the cannister,...
Curated OER
Light
Light is such a fascinating subject. This lesson does a great job of illuminating the mysteries of light for your young scientists. A series of demonstrations which are explained in the plan should help your charges to understand how...
Education World
Pumpkin Puzzler
Light the Halloween festivities with an exercise that connects math, physical science, and language arts. After watching a demonstration of a burning candle, learners use division, multiplication, or algebra to determine how many boxes...
Curated OER
Motion Basics
Quiz those kids to assess what they've gleaned from your last lesson on Newton's laws of motion. There are 10 questions that have learners define force, acceleration, velocity, and speed. A bonus question has them write a motion story...
Curated OER
Deep Inside a Cavern
Students describe how different types of caves and their physical features were formed. They distinguish between stalactites and stalagmites (stalactites grow down from the roof of a cave and stalagmites grow up from the floor)....
Magic of Physics
Loads Lab
Take a load off! Introduce junior engineers to the effects of load on structural design with an easy-to-use interactive. Individuals apply one of many load options, examine its effects, then learn about the safeguards employed during...
Science Matters
Magnetic Fields: The Earth Acts as a Giant Magnet
Attract learners to an interesting lesson! The third in a 14-part series of lessons on electricity and magnetism uses a hands-on approach to exploring magnetic fields. Scholars experiment with a compass to test Earth's magnetic field and...
Science Matters
Electromagnets
Classes are sure to get all wrapped up in an attractive lesson plan! Young scientists learn how to combine electricity and magnetism as they create electromagnets. They create their own electromagnets and collect data on their strength...
Curated OER
Are You the Bug or the Windshield
A fun slide show which illustrates different size bugs hitting car windshields. Your junior highers should be amused while they learn the relationships between mass, velocity, and force of an impact. Scientific terminology is used, but...
Science Matters
Static Electricity
Working with static electricity is sure to give the class a charge! Budding scientists experiment with balloons and different materials to discover how to create static electricity. They learn about the transfer of electrons and the...
Science Matters
Series Circuit and Switches
Lights out! Scholars build on their understanding of a simple circuit by adding a switch and creating schematic drawings. The eighth lesson in a series of 14 has pupils use everyday materials to create circuits and make observations as...
Science Matters
Parallel Circuits
The lights don't always go out when the switch is flipped. The 10th lesson in a series of 14 helps learners build a conceptual understanding of the flow of electricity through a parallel circuit. They then build their own parallel...
Science Matters
Hot Wire S’mores
The proof is in the marshmallows. Believing that electric energy can transform into heat energy can be abstract, but a hands-on lesson gives pupils a concrete example. Young scientists cut marshmallows with copper wires before and...
Science Matters
Motors
It's time to get moving! The 13th lesson in a 14-part unit on electricity and magnetism explores the relationship between electricity and mechanical energy. Budding scientists build motors and experiment with different components to...
Science Matters
Post Assessment: Magnetism and Electricity
Time to know what they know! The final installment of a 14-lesson unit assesses the class's understanding of magnetism and electricity concepts. Items include both multiple-choice and open-ended questions on magnetic fields, electric...
Curated OER
Change It
Fourth graders expand their knowledge about how the physical properties of a substances can be changed. They are given multiple opportunities, using first-hand experiences and familiar objects in different contexts, to identify...
Curated OER
Weathering
Second graders explore weathering and how the water cycle plays a part in weathering. In this weathering lesson plan, 2nd graders put gravel and sugar cubes in a jar and shake, simulating weathering. Students use the scientific method to...
Curated OER
A Rock Cycle Shower
Students classify rocks as sedimentary, igneous or metamorphic based on physical properties. In this earth science lesson, students recreate the rock cycle using a set of stones placed on labeled shower curtain. They explain the...
Curated OER
Rock Candy
Fourth graders observe and demonstrate the physical change of dissolving sugar in water and evaporating the water to examine the physical change that has occurred. They discuss physical changes and solutions, and make rock candy,...
Curated OER
Fun With Chemical Changes
Fifth graders observe and identify the differences between chemical and physical changes. In small groups they mix different substances together in glass beakers, and identify which had a chemical change, supporting their statements...
Curated OER
Chemical Fun
Fifth graders observe and conduct a variety of experiments to differentiate between physical and chemical changes. They mix cabbage juice with different liquids and record their observations on a chart. Students write down their...
Curated OER
The Changing Earth
Students observe and analyze weathering. In this earth science lesson, students demonstrate physical and chemical weathering in two experiments, then write questions for a class Jeopardy game.