Curated OER
Secrets in a Grain of Sand
Learners working in small groups examine beach sand to discover signs of erosion, weathering, ocean currents and waves. They present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
Static Cling
Fifth graders examine the principles of static electricity and positive and negative charges. They observe and then perform experiments with static electricity. They record examples in their journals.
Curated OER
Animal clues
Fifth graders use general knowledge to make educated guesses about the habitat and survival strategies of animals from Australia, Antarctica and Africa. They research to confirm and check ideas and group animals in a variety of ways.
Curated OER
Let's Think About Air
Students explore the concept that air is all around us and identify ways that we can use air, and what air can do. They watch a short video that illustrates some of their findings.
Curated OER
Let's Think About Water
Students explore the different forms that water can take and conduct simple experiments to demonstrate some of its properties in each state. They watch a short video that illustrates some of these concepts.
Curated OER
Let's Think About... Change
Students observe various examples of "change." They mix paint to cereate new colors, eat bread and then toasted bread, and match baby pictures with pictures of how the same people look in the present. Finally, they watch a bouquet of...
Curated OER
Lets Think About...Plants
Students bring in various vegetables and make friendship soup. They plant seeds and discuss the things plants need to grow and thrive.
Curated OER
Observing Fall Migrants
Students keep a detailed data collection log of the different types of monarch behavior. They track the weather conditions daily and link it to the migration of the monarchs. They summarize their data using either a graph or a computer...
Curated OER
Rocks and Minerals
Students research a rock or mineral on the Internet. They perform the research with a partner to find out properties such as, color, hardness, and opacity. They look for pictures on the Internet in order to prepare for their slideshow...
Curated OER
TECH:Robotic Hazardous Materials Squad
Students use a remote controlled robot to simulate a hazardous materials removal exercise. They are introduced to the following career: Robotics, Hazardous Materials Specialist, Robotic Technician, Environmental Scientist, Manufacturing...
Curated OER
An Alphabet Journey Through Space
Third graders author a book about the universe to be shared with a younger audience. After compiling an alphabetic list of words related to the universe, 3rd graders research a definition for each word and put them in book form. Books...
Curated OER
Visiting the Arctic Circle
Students familiarize themselves with the Arctic Circle by locating it on a globe and wall map. They discuss they climate in the North Pole and the reasons for its low temperatures. They compare and contrast the climates of the Arctic...
Curated OER
Forces And Energy
Middle schoolers investigate the atom and how it is formed. They conduct research using a variety of resources and then construct a model of the atom. Then students have class discussion. The lesson includes background information for...
Curated OER
Sports in Physics: Measuring Velocity in a Mini-Olympics
Eighth graders examine the difference between speed, velocity and acceleration. In this velocity lesson students read and construct a line graph and a bar graph to show information about velocities of sports activities.
Curated OER
Coefficient of Restitution
Students investigate variables that influence the bouncing of balls. In this exploratory lesson students observe how the manipulated and control variable are correlated by graphing the data.
Curated OER
What Shape Is It?
Pupils predict the shape of an unknown object by bouncing a ball on it. In this physics instructional activity, students relate this activity to how dolphins use echo-location to navigate. They analyze their lab result and discuss findings.
Curated OER
Show Me the Way To Go Home
Middle schoolers place a pencil perpendicular to the ground and trace its shadow between 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM. They measure the length of the shadow, periodically over several hours, in either English or Metric units. Using the data,...
Curated OER
What Is Electricity?
Students investigate vocabulary words associated with electricity. In this electrical lesson plan, students utilize the Internet to research what electricity is and how it works. Students create an actual circuit in class...
Curated OER
Planetary Place Value
Third graders explore place value to the ten thousands place. This incredibly thorough, 24-page lesson has learners construct, order, and compare numbers to 9,999. This three-day lesson includes reteaching and extension activities...
Curated OER
Smart Cookie Factors
Learners examine the concept of finding the greatest common factor. They complete number of activities as they practice identifying prime and composite numbers. Pupils apply rules of divisibility and find the greatest common factor while...
Teach Engineering
Archimedes' Principle, Pascal's Law and Bernoulli's Principle
What do Pascal's law, Archimedes' Principle, and Bernoulli's Principle have to do with fluid mechanics? The included PowerPoint presentation provides the basic definitions and equations associated with the three. A set of homework...
Curated OER
About Life: The Photographs of Dorothea Lange Going to the Promised Land
To better understand the migrant experience during the Great Depression, pupils analyze two primary resources: photographs by Dorothea Lange and a U.S. Map that shows the Dust Bowl. They compare and contrast Lange's images to Steinbeck's...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Gifts from Land and Water
With a series of fun hands-on simulations, young children can learn about conservation and natural resources. Your learners become land detectives, discussing and investigating the gifts that the land and water provide them. They then...