Curated OER
Make a Tally
In this tally chart activity, students read the word problems and use the information within the problem to make a tally chart. Students use the tally charts to help them finish and solve the word problem.
Curated OER
Graphing Data - Temperature
Seventh graders measure and record temperature over a given time period. They compare the recorded temperatures to the 40-year recorded normal average temperatures for the same area. Students display and interpret their findings in a graph.
Curated OER
Science: Hurricanes As Heat Engines
Students conduct Internet research to track the path of Hurricane Rita. They record the sea surface temperature of the Gulf of Mexico during and after the hurricane and draw conclusions about how hurricanes extract heat energy from the...
Curated OER
Science: Bugs and Body Parts
Students determine the function of various insect parts they have observed. Using descriptive words, they explain the insects' characteristics and draw pictures of them. The lesson concludes with students writing short sentences...
Curated OER
I'm Inclined to See; Physics, Math, Science, Experiments, Graphs
Students discover the motion of a sphere on an inclined plane and discover basic relationships involving distance, time, speed(velocity), and acceleration.
Curated OER
A Steep Hike
Young scholars explore slope. In this middle school mathematics lesson, students analyze and interpret graphs as they investigate slope as a rate of change. Young scholars use a motion detector to collect data as they walk at...
Curated OER
Past and Present
Students compare fossilized specimens to contemporary specimens. They use a computer and a Proscope Digital USB Microscope to collect and compare images of ferns, sand dollars and sow bugs to those of similar fossilized samples.
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Growing Up With A Mission
New Horizons began its journey to Pluto in 2006. Ten years later, it continues its mission. In that time, scholars have surely grown, but how much more will they grow by the time New Horizons reaches its destination? Find out with an...
It's About Time
Conservation of Momentum
Assist your class with understanding collisions as they apply the Law of Conservation of Momentum. Pupils measure the momentum before and after manipulation of two objects so that one strikes another in an inelastic collision. The lesson...
Curated OER
What's The Big Deal About Accutane?
Students take on the role of epidemiologists. They investigate an "outbreak" in serious birth defects that occur in infants born to teenage girls. students discover a link between the use of the acne drug called Accutane and birth defects.
Curated OER
The Slant on Slides Lab
For this inclined planes worksheet, learners investigate the effort force needed to move a 1 kg weight up a ramp to different distances on the ramp. Students calculate the work input and output for each trial as well as the...
Texas State University
Earth: Deposition and Lithification
Geology geniuses analyze sediment samples with a hand lens and sort according to physical characteristics. They also learn about the processes of cementation, compaction, and lithification within the rock cycle. The lesson plan is...
Curated OER
Experimenting with Pressure and Volume
High schoolers explore the relationship between temperature and pressure using a paper-pencil laboratory activity and software. The nature and behavior or gases with respect to temperature is the focus of this lesson.
Curated OER
Lab Activity: Model of the Planets
This worksheet leads the class through the calculations needed to construct circles to represent the planets of our Solar System. The actual values are provided, as are suggested calculations to create the scale diameters. The ten...
It's About Time
Mass and Volume
Don't be so dense that light bends around you; study the relationship between mass and volume instead. Young chemists measure the density of a variety of liquids and solids. A reading passage and analysis questions introduce pupils to...
Beyond Benign
PPM
The 15th lesson plan in the series of 24 helps your classes understand the ppm (part per million) unit of measure. First, scholars experiment with food coloring to determine concentrations before applying their findings to calculate...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Planetary Distances on the Playground
There's no need to stay inside; get out of the classroom and create a scaled map of the solar system on your playground field! In collaborative groups, scholars identify the distance between the sun and other planets, place planet...
University of Colorado
Planetary Distances on the Playground
Earth is 149,600,000 km, or 92,957,130.4 miles, from the sun. Young astronauts create an interactive model to learn the distances between planets. Nine groups, each representing a different planet, are spread around at class-calculated...
Physics Classroom
All Work and No Play Lab
Don't let the term, "slotted wood board" detract you from the value of this experiment. Class members tie a string to a cart and, with even horizontal force, drag it up an inclined plane. The objective is to compare the work done with...
PHET
Where to See an Aurora
Where can you see an aurora in North America? After completing an astronomy activity, scholars can locate the exact coordinates. Pupils plot points of the inner and outer ring of the auroral oval and answer questions based on...
NASA
What's the Frequency, Roy G. Biv?
While all light travels at the same speed, each color in the visible light spectrum contains a different wavelength and frequency. Scholars determine the relationship between frequency and wavelength as they complete the activity. They...
Curated OER
When Ants Fly
Here is a great lesson on constructing line graphs. Learners identify common characteristics of birds, ants common needs of all living things. They also write a story from the perspective of an ant or a bird that has lost its home and...
Cornell University
Beam Focusing Using Lenses
Explore optics using an inquiry-based experimental approach! Young scholars use a set of materials to design and build a unit capable of focusing a beam of light. They experiment with different lenses to determine the best approach to...
Curated OER
Comparing Animal and Plant Cell Structure
Students work as a team to use the ProScope Digital USB Microscope and a computer to collect microscopic images from a variety of organisms. When they compare these specimens, they are able to determine how they are alike and different...