Discovery Education
Mood Music!
Grouchy? Sad? Here's a great resource that shows kids how music can be used to lift their spirits. Kids collect and chart data on the effects of music on emotions. After analyzing the results of their experiment, they develop their own...
Earth Day Network
Staying Green While Being Clean
Clean up the environment with a lesson that focuses on replacing hazardous cleaning supplies with green, environmentally-friendly products. Using a dirty patch of surface as a control area, kids clean other parts of various surfaces...
Curated OER
The Risks of Everyday Living
Students compare their perceptions of risk to the perceptions of scientists and risk professionals. in small groups, they evaluate risks on a scale of 1 to 10 for the average American on a yearly basis.
Curated OER
Cell Wall Recipe: A Lesson on Biofuels
Biotech engineers discover that changes in the DNA code for cell wall formation can help create crops better suited for biofuel production. They extract DNA from wheat germ. They decode paper strips with codes and relate the activity to...
Curated OER
Toxicants and California Blackworms
Students determine the normal behavior of California blackworms. They determine how various concentrations of assigned toxicants affect the worm's behavior. Students are introduced to testing of potential toxicants, an important...
Curated OER
Mark, Recapture, Sampling
Learners conduct a simulation to explore how scientists estimate the size of animal populations. They analyze a random sample and then extrapolate those results to a larger population. Additionally, they will apply the principals of...
Curated OER
Environmental Justice in Chester, PA
Over several days, learners communicate and defend an argument regarding environmental justice issues in Chester, PA. After discussing the issue and viewing a video about the location of several toxic waste facilities in Chester, they...
Curated OER
Backyard Bacteria
Students demonstrate safe ways to handle bacteria, prepare agar plates, and grow bacterial cultures. They identify different kinds of bacterial colonies, and devise a controlled experiment.
Curated OER
Recognizing Litter
When does trash become litter? Use this litter awareness instructional activity to help them understand the importance of trash disposal. Get learners engaged by reading Nancy Loewen's Lady Lulu Liked to Litter (not included). After...
Curated OER
Wildflower Beautification Project
Learners, in cooperative groups, design and create a wildflower garden for the community. They write letters to property owners requesting use of their land and then write invitations to their parents and to local, state, and federal...
Curated OER
Changing Planet: Fading Corals
Show the six-minute video, "Changing Planet: Fading Corals," and then demonstrate how calcium carbonate forms a precipitate in the presence of carbon dioxide. Separate your scientists into small groups to gather information about coral...
Curated OER
Bacterial Transformation
Young scholars discuss a bacterial experiment they previously performed and complete a pre-assessment. They participate in a lecture discussion given by the teacher through PowerPoint and then complete a cartoon worksheet and...
Curated OER
The Photoelectric Effect
After some online instruction, chemistry aces use their creative abilities to produce a poster describing the photoelectric effect and one type of imaging technology that uses electromagnetic radiation. This simple, straightforward...
Curated OER
Interplanetary Travel Guide
In groups of six, middle school space scientists create an imaginative travel brochure for attracting visitors to the planet Mars. Information must include surface features and atmospheric conditions. Although time-consuming, this is a...
Curated OER
When Are We Wasting Water
Students study water conservation. In this water conservation lesson, students participate in a water conservation experiment. Students discover how to conserve water while washing their hands.
Curated OER
Life Science: My Pyramid
Students examine how the school food program compares to the food pyramid recommendations. In this food pyramid lesson, students compile data regarding the food choices available in the school through the lunch program and vending...
Curated OER
Indoor Environment: A Magazine Publication Project
Students demonstrate knowledge of Indoor Air Quality by creating a class magazine. A link to order a free Action Kit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is provided so teachers can build background knowledge. Performance...
Curated OER
The Wonderful World of Waves (Wave Basics)
Students define amplitude, wavelength, frequency, and period, calculate period given frequency, and calculate frequency given period, define crest and trough and locate both on diagram of wave, differentiate between latitudinal and...
Curated OER
Bacteria: Friend or Foe?
Students examine a variety of environmental and industrial roles of bacteria. explore where bacteria can be found and distinguish bacteria from other organisms.
Curated OER
Hydro-Technology
Students create a design for water collection, sanitation, or supply. In this hydro-technology lesson, students learn about the global water crisis. Groups of students read water technology articles, draw or design a device or process,...
Curated OER
The Science of Weather
Young scholars read an article. In this seasons instructional activity, students discuss the seasons and seasonal affective disorder. Young scholars find an article that illustrates other ways that the environment negatively effects humans.
Curated OER
Communications
Learners incorporate different disciplines into this lesson plan. In this science lesson plan, students investigate the use of communicating without words, and how it is different than communicating with words. They discuss the pros and...
Curated OER
Water Filtration
Learners investigate our water system and how it is filtered. In this science lesson, students perform a laboratory activity to investigate the process that goes into filtering water. They relate this activity to other subject areas...
Curated OER
How Machines Help Us Stay Healthy
Students visit different departments at a local hospital to see how machines help peoples such as the CAT scan machine. They build a model of such a machine that shows how patients are moved in and out of the machine.