Curated OER
Out There: An Astronomical Project
Fourth graders complete a WebQuest involving astronomy and copyright laws. They conduct Internet research, complete the WebQuest, and design and publish a planet travel brochure.
Curated OER
Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest: Science, 4th Grade
Fourth graders investigate weather patterns in their home state of Utah. After creating KWL charts, they research weather and geographical data to locate the state's extremes. As an extension, 4th graders write and illustrate books about...
Mascil Project
Parachute Food Drop
Drop a perfect project into your lesson plans. Groups use different building materials to create models of parachutes for food drops. After testing out their prototypes, they make improvements to their designs.
Teach Engineering
Engineers Love Pizza, Too!
Help overcome challenges in eating pizza. Scholars work in groups to design a device that assists a physically handicapped person eat pizza. They build a prototype of such a device to test their designs before building. To...
Mascil Project
Packaging
Wrap up an engineering lesson with a worthwhile project. An engineering design task challenges groups to develop a package for a pharmaceutical company given constraints on the volume. Learners then create a presentation to highlight...
Mascil Project
Closed Greenhouses
Controlling the efficiency of a greenhouse is a mathematical task. A collaborative project challenges learners to create an efficiency plan for a closed greenhouse. Using algebraic equations, they consider a set of constraints, design...
National Institute of Open Schooling
Environmental Concerns
Every year, more than 14 billion pounds of garbage is dumped into the oceans of the world, most of which is plastic and toxic to ocean life. Lesson 32 in the series of 36 focuses on environmental concerns, specifically pollution. Under...
Magic of Physics
Loads Lab
Take a load off! Introduce junior engineers to the effects of load on structural design with an easy-to-use interactive. Individuals apply one of many load options, examine its effects, then learn about the safeguards employed during...
Curated OER
Windmill of Your Mind - Distributed Energy Goes to School
Students research the possibility and feasibility of installing a wind-turbine distributed energy system for their school. They conduct research, watch an online video, analyze the cost of the project and examine the benefits, and write...
Curated OER
For Your Eyes Only
Students complete several activities in a unit related to the eye. In this eye lesson, students work in groups to research information about the human eye and create a multimedia presentation. They research anatomy of the eye, how the...
Curated OER
Biology Biographies
Students create a project about a famous Biologist in order to appreciate the humanity of the people involved in doing science. They create scientist biography "cards" roughly modeled after baseball cards or create a scrapbook of a...
Curated OER
Virtual Geologic Field Trip to Griffith Park
Students explore the geological processes and research methodology involved in the evolution and development of Griffith Park. They justify the selection of a geologic hypothesis based on observations.
Curated OER
Sense of Place: No River Too Wide-Bridges
Fifth graders discover the history of their hometown Des Moines River. In this U.S. Geography lesson plan students speak with Iowans that tell stories of the settlers and early villages near the Des Moines River. Students...
Curated OER
Honing in on Hummingbirds
Young scholars explore ruby-throated hummingbirds. In this cross-curricular hummingbirds lesson, students listen to the book The Mystery of the Missing Hummingbirds and choose related topics to research with a partner. Young...
Curated OER
Sound Waves
Students explore sound. In this "sound" science lesson, students define sound and explain how sound travels. Students experiment with paper cups and string to conclude how sound travels. Students research a chosen aspect of sound with a...
Curated OER
A Day in the Life
Students research questions related to sports medicine. They write an essay from the questions and create professional email accounts to email a professional in their field of interest. In addition, they interview their professional and...
Curated OER
Gorillas In The Midst
Students consider the idea of the eco-tour, and examine different aspects of the Mountain Gorilla Project eco-tour in Rwanda. They synthesize their understanding by acting as expert panelists on a morning news show that focuses on the...
Curated OER
Insect Monitoring
Students practice the scientific method in the classroom, either in preparation or as a substitution for real-world field experience. They examine a simulated biodiversity research situation, using a "mini-plot" or
sampling square...
Curated OER
The Heat Is On- Spread the Word
Students research global warming. For this environmental lesson, students research global warming on the Internet and create a project to share their knowledge with others. Students present their projects to their peers.
Curated OER
Save the Animals!
Students research an endangered animal and share what they learned through the use of technology. In this interdisciplinary lesson plan on animals, students conduct research on an endangered animal. Then, students create a PowerPoint...
Curated OER
Middle Ages Timeline
Learners research a historical figure from the Middle Ages. In this Middle Ages lesson, students present important events of their characters life and of the time. Learners write a time card for each significant event. ...
Curated OER
How Texas is Planning To Manage Its Water
Students research water management strategies in Texas. They analyze projected demand for water in the year 2050, interpret graphs and tables and then discuss the data as part of a written report. They research and map the locations of...
Curated OER
Properties of Minerals
Students research properties of minerals. In this science lesson, students search the web, create a folder, and store information on properties of minerals. There are many excellent worksheets and study guides embedded in this lesson,...
Curated OER
Go Fly a ( Tetrehedral) Kite!
Students research the tetrahedral kites invented by Alexander Graham Bell. In this components of flight lesson, students examine the kites made by Bell and his team. Students create their own kite and add them together as a class to...