Curated OER
Gravity Lesson
Fifth graders study the effects of mass on gravity. In this gravity lesson, 5th graders make model parachutes and helicopters in order to apply the scientific process and find out the effects of mass on drops of the 2 objects.
Curated OER
A'planting We will Go
Germination is an amazing process that results in amazing things. The book The Tiny Seed is the inspiration for a set of activities that will help build early literacy, observation, language, and writing skills. The class observes how...
American Museum of Natural History
Climate Change
It actually is possible to have too much of a good thing when it comes to climate change. A slide show lesson describes how burning fossil fuels contributes to climate change. Individuals read about the scientific process and the...
Curated OER
Lesson 2 - Design Process-Measuring Wind Speed
A terrific lesson focused on the design process. It begins with a presentation, "Design: Solve a Problem," which lists the steps of the process and then introduces the specific challenge: to build a device that measures wind speed....
Curated OER
The Process of Scientific Experimentation
Students study scientific investigations. In this scientific method lesson plan students participate in a class discussion and watch a video.
Curated OER
Using Environmental Models to Determine the Effect of Acid Rain on an Ecosystem
Demonstrate to your middle school science learners how chalk breaks down in a weak acid. Discuss what affects acidic rain might have on ecosystems. Lab groups then choose one of two questions: "How does acid precipitation affect an...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Oil Recovery
Energy conservers investigate gravel size to discover if it impacts the amount of oil recovered in the extraction process.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Get it Write
In an effort to practice engineering design, STEM classes break out into teams and endeavor to make a working ink pen. To prepare, they read about writing implements through history, patents, and viscosity of liquids. Armed with this...
Curated OER
Life Processes
Students identify life processes and create their own creature. In this creative science lesson, students identify an organism's life processes and categorize them into groups. They then create their own creature and write about how it...
Curated OER
Human Impacts on Sharks: Developing an Essay Through Peer-Review on a Discussion Board
Students develop a paper topic (in this case, the human impacts on sharks) that is peer reviewed by additional students answering guided questions. The original student must respond to the comments by the fellow classmates. All of the...
Curated OER
Positive Futures Fair - Application of Year-Long Content Skills
High schoolers demonstrate the knowledge of proper scientific investigation and reporting skills. They decide how to make a positive difference in the world using these skills.
Curated OER
Introduction to the Scientific Method
Students designs and conduct a scientific experiment that identifies the problem, distinguishes manipulated, responding and controlled variables, collects, analyzes and communicates data, and makes valid inferences and conclusions.
Curated OER
The Case of the Contaminated Maize
Environmental health high schoolers read about an outbreak of aflatoxin poisoning with the intent to examine the stages of an epidemiologic investigation. As they read the case study, they identify where the outbreak occurred, form a...
EngageNY
Completing Reflection: Preparing a Poster for Presentation
Prewrite, plan, draft, revise, edit, share. Scholars complete a worksheet to reflect on how they used the writing process to improve their writing. They also draft plans for their scientific posters that they will display in an upcoming...
Messenger Education
Design Challenge: How to Keep Gelatin from Melting
The inside of the spacecraft Messenger, which explores Mercury, will experience temperatures from 32 to 91 degrees Fahrenheit. In the final installment of a series of four space-related activities, groups spend time discussing and...
Curated OER
Documenting Science Through an Active Inquiry Process
Young scholars follow procedures regarding scientific data collection. In this scientific inquiry lesson, students investigate inquiry questions through research and data collection. Young scholars use technology tools to create products...
Curated OER
Scientific Method
In this scientific method instructional activity, students read and discuss a 2 page article on the scientific method, match 3 founders of the scientific method with what they found or produced, answer 4 statements as true or false, list...
Curated OER
Scientific Method Review
In this Scientific Method Review activity, students demonstrate knowledge of key terms related to the Scientific Method. Students complete a crossword puzzle to review these terms.
Curated OER
Nearsightedness
Examine the processes scientists go through to develop their conclusions. Using the internet, research the problem of nearsightedness and identify anyone they know with the condition. Discover the debate in the science world on this...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Gorongosa: Making Observations Activity
Do you have young scientists wanting to make new discoveries rather than just completing the same experiments? Young scientists use their observational skills to identify animals and patterns in animal behavior. Through tracking...
California Academy of Science
What's on a Penny?
As a instructional activity on scientific observation, have your class investigate the features of a penny and a nickel. Working in pairs, they practice writing detailed descriptions using their senses and a ruler to gather information....
Curated OER
Real-World Projects: Challenges from the Polymer Industry
Two scenarios are presented for chemistry detectives to decipher. Both require the use of an infrared spectrometer and focus on the examination of polymer materials. In the first, lumps in polyethylene bottles are analyzed. In the...
Curated OER
A Research Project and Article For the Natural Inquirer
Get your class to use the scientific process to solve a scientific problem. They utilize the Natural Inquirer magazine to identify a research question which they write an introduction to and collect data to answer. They use graphs,...
American Chemical Society
Entropy and Enthalpy Changes
My room isn't messy — it's a scientific experiment in entropy! Scholars investigate entropy, enthalpy, and spontaneity through a guided procedure and set of questions. The lesson connects the Second Law of Thermodynamics, energy...