Curated OER
The Moon is made of Cheese
Eighth graders explore the reasons why they believe scientific ideas are true. They think critically rather than accept everything they are told without question.
Michigan Sea Grant
Environmental Decision Making
Pupils participate in a board game activity in which landing on a space called "Decision Card" presents them with a land-use situation to consider and decide how to act. In order to advance in Hydropoly, players must think critically and...
Curated OER
African Savanna Habitat Diorama Craft
Set the stage for a unit or lesson on the African savanna by creating a cute habitat diorama. Cheetahs, lions, zebras, and elephants are all present in a shoe-box-sized craft that requires your learners to color, cut, and paste. These...
Curated OER
Scoping Out Space
Pupils research existing and proposed telescope projects and synthesize their knowledge by creating presentations on each telescope and speculating about which project is worthy of additional funding.
Curated OER
Ways to Extend the Learning With A Fraction Unit
Here are some ideas for extending the learning beyond traditional fraction lessons.
Curated OER
Ecotourism in National Parks and Wilderness
Young scholars develop a plan for ecotourism after researching a nearby national park or wild area.
Curated OER
Building an Underwater Habitat
Learners investigate underwater habitats. In this underwater habitat lesson, students study Aquarius and design their own underwater habitat that can sustain life. Learners work in groups and present their habitats to the class. Students...
Curated OER
Space Settlement Design
Learners work on a project in which they must design a space settlement. Once the teams have begun their research, have the project manager report to the instructor each day on progress or any difficulties encountered.
Curated OER
Partnership in Science Education
Students compare two regions of the world, their own and one many miles away. They explore and compare these two places and prepare a report that gives a complete comparison and description of the two regions. They collaborate in...
Curated OER
Destination Outer Space
Fourth graders use effective writing skills, their imagination, and their knowledge of the nine planets as they create travel pamphlets of the solar system.
Curated OER
Science Safari: Energy Resources
Students pick a topic that is related to energy and power companies, tools, and careers. They organize information, photos, illustrations, video, or other graphics into a presentation.
Mascil Project
Arranging Tables for a Birthday
Planning a party of 45 guests may be more complicated than it would seem. Learners must design the space in accordance with these constraints about the space available in the room. They need to calculate area, circumference, and linear...
Curated OER
Toys in Space
Pupilsexplore how gravity affects the operation of toys and simple machines. They watch a video and experiment with simple machines.
Curated OER
Challenges and Rewards
Students are to research a specific disaster after seeing the Challenger explosion. They are to create a collage for the disaster they are choosing to show.
EngageNY
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 9
Here's a workshop for teachers that rocks the academic world! Using earthquakes as a medium for instruction, educators learn about crosscutting engineering with science. Fun, hands-on, collaborative exercises encourage participants to...
Curated OER
Our Solar System
Sixth graders use the internet to examine the different bodies in space. In groups, they select one project they want to complete and are given a timeline for when the sections are due. To end the activity, they present their...
Curated OER
Planet X
Learners select a wide variety of presentation methods to compare Planet X and Earth. Students share these with their classmates. Learners select other methods to present their ideas about a livable planet for human life forms. ...
Curated OER
The Starry Night Time and Day Time
Second graders complete a unit of lessons on the solar system. They complete various art projects inspired by Van Gogh's 'Starry Night,' create a moon phases book, create a moon phase wind chime, develop a timeline of space exploration,...
Curated OER
Pumpkins
Third graders create a pumpkin lantern. They work in groups to illustrate the growth of a pumpkin seed. Students are asked what they think of when they see the color orange. They choice one person from the group to get a piece of...
Curated OER
Fine Motor Skills
Fourth graders discuss what they know about the planets, space, and the solar system including the colors of the planets. They also talk about why the planets are the color that they are. Next, they color cut-outs of the planets using...
Achievement Strategies
Unit/Chapter Design Template
A thorough lesson plan template allows teachers to design balanced and standards-based lessons for any grade. The template includes spaces for unit vocabulary and concepts, objectives, and additional resources.
University of South Carolina
Home Sweet Home
Fifth graders will research a biome (land or aquatic) and create a project (diorama, model or another idea of the student's choosing) which includes the geographic features of that biome as well as plants and animals found there and...
Curated OER
Follow the Drinking Gourd
Learners create an art project based on "Follow the Drinking Gourd," a song used to guide slaves to freedom during the Civil War. They read a picture book to learn the story of how Harriet Tubman and Peg Leg Joe led slaves to freedom.
Curated OER
Developing a Local Stratigraphy
Students examine rock strata for the distribution, deposition, and age of sedimentary rock. They describe rock types in a variety of outcrops and construct a regional stratigraphy.