Curated OER
Volcano Lava Recipe--Experiment and Model
Students build a volcano of clay around a container that is thin and tall. They experiment with two containers with different mixtures in each. Students write out their findings and use strong adjectives to describe how the two mixtures...
Curated OER
The Vietnam War: Music of the Era
Students listen to famous songs of the Vietnam War Era. They complete a worksheet covering the ideas advocated/fought against therein.
Curated OER
What's Below the Earth's Surface?
Students identify the geological layers of the Earth. They graphically depict each layer's characteristics. Students label and develop a color key for their exhibit. They create a down-to-Earth 3-D display with Erasable Markers.
Curated OER
Water Wars
High schoolers investigate the water wars taking place in East Africa. In this global issues lesson plan, students watch video clips and read selected articles about the water shortages in East Africa. High schoolers estimate their own...
Field Museum
The Case of Darwin's Finches
One of the most striking pieces of evidence for Darwin's Evolution of Species was his observations of finches and how their beaks differed from island to island, depending on their primary food sources. So what would happen to the theory...
Common Sense Media
Going Places Safely
How can places on the Internet be dangerous? Youngsters draw important connections between traveling online and staying safe in the real world. They also discover three key online safety rules to guide them throughout their online...
Curated OER
The Effect of Natural Selection on Genes, Traits and Individuals
Rotating through five stations, evolutionary biologists explore the question of how changes in DNA facilitate the changes in a population over time. High-quality, colorful cards of animals, skeletons, skulls, and DNA sequences can all be...
Curated OER
Rocking the Boat
Students work together to discover the concepts of stability and equilibrium. They examine how equilibrium is related to an item's center of mass. They create their own action scene in a literacy activity.
Curated OER
Dishing the Dirt Part 1
Students create a soil center on their school grounds. They begin to write in their science journals. They participate in an experiment that helps the community begin their own gardens.
Curated OER
Balance and Gravity
Students examine the concepts of balance. In this balance and gravity lesson students view a demonstration of a leaning tower and see how to find the center of gravity.
Curated OER
Spiders
First graders complete a variety of center activities to study spider characteristics and facts. They solve math problems, identify spider body parts, and study vocabulary words to use in creative writing about spiders.
Curated OER
Winter Animal Match
Students play a game. In this matching lesson, students learn about animals and their winter homes. Students match cards of animals with the cards of winter homes.
Curated OER
Let's Go Fly a Kite
Students complete activities to learn about wind. In this wind lesson, students study wind in an open field and use a kite to complete their observations. Students make a series of drawings to show how they flew their kites and explain...
Curated OER
Please Ex-Planet
Seventh graders create a model of an earth centered solar system and a model of the sun centered solar system. As a class, they discuss why the earlier astronomers believed their model and why it changed when evidence arose that this...
Curated OER
The Tilting Earth
Fourth graders use a styrofoam ball on a stick to represent earth and a light bulb in the center of the room to represent the sun. They walk around the light, holding their sticks at an angle to show the tilt of the earth's axis. They...