Curated OER
Changing Planet: Rising Ocean Temperatures - Rising Sea Levels
As an anticipatory set, young environmental technicians watch a video about how ocean temperatures seem to be changing along with the global climate. They perform a laboratory demonstration with the purpose of observing what happens to...
Curated OER
Exploration of 'pill bugs'
Fifth graders define words. They create a dichotomous key. After carefully examining pill bugs, 5th graders record observations. They compare and contrast habitats of pillbugs.
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...
Intel
Starquest
Almost every ancient culture observed the stars and saw pictures in the patterns. Studying stars allowed them to guide travelers, determine when to plant crops, when to harvest food, and the stories surrounding the images include some of...
Kenan Fellows
Sustainability: Learning for a Lifetime – Soil
Do great gardeners really have green thumbs—or just really great soil? Environmental scholars discover what makes Earth's soil and soil quality so important through research and experimentation. Learners also develop an understanding of...
Curated OER
Classification
Students explore the observable properties of matter and utilize them in classification. They use a binary classification system to divide objects, then justify their scheme.
Curated OER
Star Light, Star Bright: Exploring How Stars are Classified
In this star classification worksheet, students are given laminated star charts to make observations about stars. They work in groups to classify groups of stars based on different characteristics. For each group of stars they list at...
Curated OER
Food Classification
Learners are introduced to classification and some of the difficulties surrounding classification and how classification systems need to be able to adapt and how they may need to be changed when new information is discovered. They...
Curated OER
Seaside Science
Learners research sea life using laptop computers. In this sea life lesson plan, students participate in a field trip to the beach and enter observations into their laptop computers. Learners classify shells and sea life.
Curated OER
Buzzing is BEE-lieving
Students investigate insects. In this insect lesson, students explore various insect models and identify the characteristics of each. Students observe insects outside and tally how many insects they observe.
Curated OER
The Key To Classifying Animals
Explorers of the environment construct a dichotomous key for a variety of organisms and design a key to classify Galapagos animals based on descriptions and images. The lesson includes a link to an animal gallery and the worksheet for...
Curated OER
Turning the Tide on Trash: Marine Debris Curriculum
Seven pages of fascinating reading on marine debris preface the activities in this lesson plan. Four different activities are employed to simulate how the debris is distributed in the ocean and along beaches. Early ecology learners...
Curated OER
Calculating Sales Tax
Observe and demonstrate how to calculate state sales taxes. Learners create a sales tax chart by calculating the sales tax amount and tax inclusive retail price for school store items, then calculate the subtotals, sales tax amounts, and...
Serendip
Is Yeast Alive?
Through two investigations, life science learners determine whether or not yeast is alive. They perform tests for metabolism by providing sugar and observing if gas is produced as a byproduct. They incubate some of the sample for at...
Center Science Education
Investigating the Climate
What do graphs of atmospheric gases over time show us? Do they indicate that carbon sources and carbon sinks are not in balance? Up-and-coming meteorologists watch video clips, read information, and analyze data from the HIPPO...
American Chemical Society
Exploring Moisture on the Outside of a Cold Cup
As a stand-alone or as part of the intended unit, this is a valid investigation of what causes condensation to occur. By limiting the amount of air around a cold cup of water and comparing it to one out in the open, they find that...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Historical Climate Cycles
What better way to make predictions about future weather and climate patterns than with actual climate data from the past? Young climatologists analyze data from 400,000 to 10,000 years ago to determine if climate has changed over...
California Academy of Science
Color Vision Genetics Evolution Simulation
At one point, all mammals carried only two color receptors, but now most humans carry three. An informative presentation and hands-on activity demonstrate how this evolved through genetics. By participating in the activity, pupils...
Curated OER
People Are Like Peas in a Pod
Students experiment with pea pods to observe/appreciate the diversity of individuals within a population, and to explain of how dominant and recessive traits, genotypes, and phenotypes help produce variation in a population.
Curated OER
Mollusk Matching
Students look carefully at shells and observe the differences between
species and the names of common shells. Then they identify and complete a Mollusk Matching handout included in the lesson and write the letter of each shell in the...
Curated OER
What are Properties of Wood?
Students use hands on scientific observation to determine characteristics of wood. They work directly with the materials and record their observations. Students test if wood absorbs water, if wood floats or sinks, and if all wood...
Curated OER
Plaster Casts of Natural Objects
Fourth graders observe objects in science and create a contour picture of the the object. In this arts and science observation lesson plan, 4th graders develop a clay sculpture of their object. Students generate a list of...
Curated OER
Mystery of the Malformed Frogs Lesson Plan
Students develop an understanding of how students and volunteers can make scientific observations that can aid conservation. They read the account of the Minnesota New Country School project by Ryan Fisher, Mystery of the Malformed...
CK-12 Foundation
Testing Hypotheses: Einstein
Einstein once said "A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new." Enlist his help in teaching young learners the importance of looking for mistakes in hypotheses. An interactive coaches pupils in the falsifiability of...