Serendip
Evolution of Fur Color in Mice – Mutation, Environment and Natural Selection
Most species of animals include a variety of fur or hair color, but why? Scholars watch a video about a changing environment for mice. As the rocks around them change hues, different colors of mice begin to thrive. Discussion questions...
DiscoverE
Bridges, Buildings and Beyond Activity Packet: Grades 3-5
The road to a better understanding of engineering lies with bridges and tunnels. A set of four engaging activities teaches learners about engineering concepts related to construction projects. They perform an experiment to find the...
Cultures of Dignity
Equity and Equality Lesson
Equality does not equal equity and this lesson explains why. Class members compare two images--one labeled "Equality" and the other "Equity." Using the provided discussion questions, they then develop definitions that distinguish between...
West Contra Costa Unified School District
Interest and the Number e
Mary, Mary, quite continuously, how does your money grow? Uses examples to examine the difference between simple interest and compound interest, and to take a look at different rates of compounding. Learners explore what would...
EngageNY
Interpreting and Computing Division of a Fraction by a Fraction—More Models
Use a unit approach in developing a fraction division strategy. The teacher leads a discussion on division containing units, resulting in a connection between the units and like denominators. Pupils develop a rule in dividing fractions...
Lewiston High School
Weight and Mass & Forces in Equilibrium
I would weigh less on the moon? Send me there, then! On the top of the first page, a cartoon image demonstrates the difference between Earth and the moon. It then goes on to describe weight and mass and provides five practice problems...
Nuffield Foundation
Perimeter and Area
Use several shapes to practice finding the perimeter and area. Each page presents examples of different items, including money, the floor plan of a room, and a parking lot.
Nemours KidsHealth
Bones, Muscles, and Joints
What is the hip bone connected to? Learn about body parts and the human skeleton with a game of Simon Says, skeleton puzzle, and five question quiz.
PBL Pathways
Doctors and Nurses
How many nurses does it take to support one doctor? A project-based activity asks learners to analyze state data to answer this question. Classes create polynomial functions from the data of doctors and nurses over a seven-year...
Serendip
Homeostasis, Negative Feedback, and Positive Feedback
So many bodily activities depend on homeostasis! Give learners a solid background to understand the basic process of the human body. Scholars first examine negative feedback loops contributing to body temperature regulation and then a...
Curated OER
Odd One Out
One of these animals is different, but which one is it? Pre-readers examine four sets of objects to determine and circle the one that is different. This isn't designed to trick your eye; scholars are looking for a horse standing amidst a...
Louisiana Department of Education
Fractions, Decimals, and Percents
Fractions, decimals, and percents all say the same thing! Show your classes how to convert between the three forms using visual and numeric representations. Then lead them to an understanding of scientific notation.
Illustrative Mathematics
Price per Pound and Pounds per Dollar
Help learners understand the concept of unit rate as it is applied to buying beans at a grocery store. The objective is to determine the unit rate in two ways, and then apply each ratio to an additional problem. The attached commentary...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Got Lactase? The Co-Evolution of Genes and Culture
Does the human body evolve as quickly as human culture? With a stellar 15-minute video, explore the trait of lactose intolerance. Only about 1/3 of human adults seem to still have the enzyme lactase and therefore, the ability to digest...
American Chemical Society
Changing the Density of a Liquid - Heating and Cooling
During a unit on density, pupils ponder whether or not temperature affects this property. By carefully inserting blue cold water and yellow hot water into a room-temperature sample, they will see the answer. Make sure to have done the...
American Chemical Society
Heat, Temperature, and Conduction
How does heat move from one item to another, even when the items are in different states of matter? Pupils experiment with adding washers to hot water and adding hot washers to room temperature water to observe the heat transfer.
Personal Genetics Education Project
Genetics and Reproduction
Disease prevention or designer babies? Use a set of slides to introduce the growing practice of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD. Teens read related articles and then break into groups to address different scenarios. Afterward,...
Captain Planet Foundation
Which Plant Is Which?
Learn about dichotomous keys, plant identification, and how to care for the planet with a lesson that includes several hands-on and innovative activities. Kids go on a plant scavenger hunt and classify the plants that they find...
Wordpress
Paper Doll Project
Explore self and social construction with a hands-on art project. After studying and discussing bullying and other social experiences, individuals create three paper dolls that represent specific social constructions. Included here is a...
Polar Trec
Where in the World Is Our Teacher?
Kirk Beckendorf, a middle school teacher, joined researchers at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica to help maintain automatic weather stations. The lesson encourages pupils to track his travels around the region. They connect with the...
American Chemical Society
Using Chemical Change to Identify an Unknown
If you discover an unknown powder, how do you determine if it is safe? Lesson uses four different tests to identify the properties of various powders that appear the same. Then scholars get an unknown powder and have to determine which...
Perkins School for the Blind
Volume, Mass, and Density Boxes
Mass and density are difficult topics for kids to understand, and even more difficult when you have visual impairments or blindness. Learners will make boxes and fill them with cotton, sand, or crushed paper. They will feel the density...
Curated OER
Mixed numbers and Improper Fractions
What do you get when you combine chocolate bars and math? The answer: A great lesson on improper fractions and mixed numbers! Learners discuss the differences between whole numbers and fractions, then use images of scored chocolate bars...
EngageNY
Polynomial, Rational, and Radical Relationships
This assessment pair goes way beyond simple graphing, factoring and solving polynomial equations, really forcing learners to investigate the math ideas behind the calculations. Short and to-the-point questions build on one another,...