Illustrative Mathematics
Weather Graph Data
Teaching young mathematicians about collecting and analyzing data allows for a variety of fun and engaging activities. Here, children observe the weather every day for a month, recording their observations in the form of a bar graph....
Curated OER
Transforming Energy
Super detailed, this lesson will educate physical science learners about the flow of electrons. Begin by reviewing potential and kinetic energy with a moving pendulum, and then get them online to observe interactive websites about...
Curated OER
How Soluble Is It?
Is sugar more soluble than salt? Experiment with water and solubility with an elementary science activity. After interpreting data from a bar chart, fifth graders use different types of sugar to determine if the size of sugar particles...
Curated OER
Learning about gravity
Learn how to measure weight with newtons in a science experiment about gravity. After they read a short paragraph about force, fifth graders draw an arrow to indicate which way a spring is being pulled. Next, they survey their family...
Curated OER
Name That Critter
Young learners classify five different animals into their proper category. The animals pictured are a pigeon, a lizard, a cat, a frog, and a goldfish. Pupils are also asked to tell why they know it's a certain kind of animal. An...
Curated OER
My Shadow and Me
Practice making shadows with a kindergarten science experiment. After deciding which picture would represent the biggest shadow, kids use a flashlight to experiment with their own shadows. For extra fun, have kids mark their shadows...
National Wildlife Federation
Branching Out – Exploring Dendrochronology
Tree rings from North America give a continuous history of El Nino intensity over the last 1,100 years. Scholars learn how scientists use tree rings to create timelines demonstrating variations in weather patterns. The cumulative...
American Chemical Society
Colors on the Mooove!
It does a mind good! Learners experiment with a combination of food coloring, detergent, and milk. They observe how the food coloring reacts with the different liquid combinations and relate their observations to the charges on the fat,...
Serendip
How Do We Sense the Flavors of Food?
We taste with our taste buds, so why do flavors change when we have a stuffy nose? Scholars experiment with taste testing while holding their noses and then while smelling. They record their observations in pairs and come together to...
Curated OER
Water 1: Water and Ice
Learners experiment with states of matter with water and ice. In this states of matter lesson, students experiment to discover what happens to water as it freezes to become a solid, ice. They observe what happens when ice melts back to...
Middle Tennessee State University
The Invention of the Telephone
All of the people in your class would agree that life would be different without the invention of the telephone! Study Alexander Graham Bell's most famous and influential invention through the primary source document of his...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "My Skeleton" by Jane Hirshfield
Jane Hirshfield's poem "My Skeleton" asks readers to pause and think about the amazing, often taken-for-granted structure that protects and gives form to human bodies. After observing the human skeleton's image, class members read the...
University of Connecticut
More Than Just Dust Bunnies
Teenagers will never complain about cleaning their rooms after this activity. In the first activity of a four-part series, budding scientists collect samples of dust, chalk, and other particulates from various areas of the...
University of Minnesota
Manduca sexta: Caterpillar Dissection
Caterpillars have an amazing, yet tough job to perform in their short lives — eat much, avoid predators, and try not to let all those comments about being the unattractive stage of the life cycle get to them. How do they handle it all?...
K5 Learning
How Franklin Found Out Things
Franklin learns about the world by making observations, and so do we! A short reading assignment prompts fourth graders to answer comprehension questions about a curious boy and what he notices.
Physics Classroom
What's Up (and Down) with KE and PE
Physics class has its ups and downs ... especially when it involves energy concepts! Scholars analyze information to determine changes in kinetic and potential energy using an interactive resource. Realistic scenarios make connecting...
Curated OER
Modeling changes to Ecosystems Part 1
Students record changes in an ecosystem. In this science lesson students make a hypothesis about changes in a terrarium. They record their observations. The students conduct an experiment to test their hypothesis.
Colorado State University
Why Does the Wind Blow?
Without wind, the weather man wouldn't have much to talk about! Blow away your junior meteorologists with a creative demonstration of how wind works. The activity uses an empty soda bottle and compressible Styrofoam peanuts to illustrate...
Royal Society of Chemistry
Electrochromic Polymer—Chemistry Outreach
From windows that tint themselves to OLED technology, electrochromic polymers are redefining our ideas about conducting materials! Introduce your chemistry class to the emerging trend with an exciting lab activity. Budding materials...
K20 LEARN
Shanking A Shark: Shark Dissection
Sharks are so cool, they have their own week! Take young zoologists on a journey into one of the most amazing creatures on the planet. A lesson plan the from K20 Center engages them in a full dissection. After the lab, participants...
Physics Classroom
Waves - Case Studies
What can your class tell about a wave just by looking at it? Using a simulation, physics pupils work through a series of case studies to determine the effects of speed, frequency, and density on waves. Part of a larger playlist on waves...
Curated OER
Problem-Solving Methods in Biology
In this problem-solving worksheet, students will read a biologist's observations about elephant communication. Students will write down what the biologist observed, what facts she knew about elephants, and her hypothesis. Students will...
Curated OER
Summer Science Lesson Plans
You can use these lesson plans to incorporate some science into your summer.
National Library of Medicine
Electricity, Frankenstein, and the Spark of Life
Shocking! After viewing a short clip from the 1931 movie, Frankenstein and reviewing electricity references in Mary Shelley's novel, class members examine Luigi Galvani's and Alessandro Volta's observations on electricity and muscle...