Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Rocks & Minerals

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
Take young geologists on an exploration of the rock cycle with this six-lesson earth science unit on rocks and minerals. Through a series of discussions, demonstrations, and hands-on investigations your class will learn...
Activity
DiscoverE

Design a Wind Turbine

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Discover the power of wind energy. Learners design, build, and test wind blades in a hands-on experiment. They analyze the results to determine if they can make any improvements before gathering as a class to discuss their designs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tomato Exploration

For Teachers K - 2nd
Create tomatoes in 15-20 minutes using this fun and interactive lesson plan! Learners listen to a book about tomatoes (recommendations listed), and focus on the vocabulary word tomato. They count the syllables...
Assessment
Science Matters

Post-Assessment Energy

For Teachers 6th Standards
After nine lessons and activities about energy, here is the final assessment. The 20-questions include multiple choice, multiple choice with justification, short answer, answer analysis, and labeling diagrams to challenge learners.
Activity
Curated OER

Plate Tectonics

For Teachers 4th - 10th Standards
Help young scientists piece together the theory of plate tectonics with this comprehensive collection of materials. Whether your are looking for worksheets, hands-on activities, or assessments, this resource has everything...
Unit Plan
US Department of Agriculture

Serving Up My Plate

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Within three nutrition-themed, inquiry-based learning opportunities, pupils take notice of their eating habits; delve deep into the five food groups, gain experience in planning meals, participate in a taste test, and explore ads...
Activity
It's About Time

The Mu of the Shoe

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What is mu? Emerging scientists explore the coefficient of sliding friction, or mu, and apply its concepts as they complete activities in the interesting lesson. They measure the sliding friction between soles of their own athletic shoes...
Lesson Plan
Space Race

Sensory Detectives

For Teachers Pre-K - 2nd Standards
Test your learners' sensory awareness with three hands-on activities that ask pupils to use their other senses to identify and describe everyday objects hidden from sight.  
Lesson Plan
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Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics

Space Travel Guide

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Looking to take a trip? Why not go to space? Here, scholars take on the role as travel agent to create a guide to their favorite planet including travel tips and sightseeing recommendations. 
Activity
Nuffield Foundation

Extracting DNA from Living Things

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Help! Someone's trying to take my DNA! An interesting lab experiment has scholars use basic materials to extract DNA. By applying ethanol, cold water, and a protease enzyme, like pineapple juice, they pull strands of DNA from peas,...
Lesson Plan
Nuffield Foundation

How Good is Your Toilet Paper?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
You'll never forget the importance of toilet paper and hand washing ever again. Scholars perform an experiment to model the transfer of microbes in the bathroom. They perform three trials to test the transmission of yeast using their...
Activity
PBS

Cloud Clues

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
It's cloudy with a good chance of learning! An inquiry-based lesson begins with an exploration of transparent, translucent, and opaque materials. Young scientists then connect their learning to the different cloud types as they take the...
Assessment
Mathed Up!

Tree Diagrams

For Students 9th - 11th
Explore how to visually represent probability problems. Scholars watch a video to refresh their memories on tree diagrams. To finish the activity, they complete a worksheet of questions on this topic.
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Scholastic

Study Jams! The Kingdoms of Life

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Zoe and RJ discuss the way scientists classify organisms into five kingdoms. Characteristics of each group are highlighted within their conversation and with text. First-time taxonomists can view the animation at home, take the...
Activity
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PBS

Pop Fly

For Students 5th - 8th
A lever comes in handy when scholars build a launcher for a ping-pong ball. They test the launcher and redesign it to send the ball higher or to accommodate a tennis ball. This is the third lesson in a five-part unit.
Lesson Plan
Nuffield Foundation

Investigating Transport Systems in a Flowering Plant

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Some weddings have flowers in a unique, unnatural color to match the theme. Young scientists take part in this process to learn about the function of the xylem as they observe colored water moving through a flower. Then, they experiment...
Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing Informational Text: Community and School Gardens

For Students 2nd Standards
Two informational texts feature community gardens of the past and present and how seeds grow. Scholars read, discuss what they have read, complete a timeline, define words, and compose a brief essay about the texts' main idea.
Activity
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NOAA

Are You Climate Literate?: Play the Essential Principles Challenge

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Installment eight of the 10-part Discover Your Changing World series tests the class's understanding of climate. Scholars play alone or in small groups to assess their understanding of climate systems, causes of climate...
Activity
Smithsonian Institution

What's the Code? Coding Robot Movements Using Sound

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Tap into the desire to learn about computer codes. Pupils apply the Tap Code and the Polybius Square to send secret codes using sound. They design a code that tells a robot what movements to make and then test out their code using one of...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Physics of Flight

For Students 3rd - 8th
Up, up, and away! Take your classes on a physics adventure. Learners explore the concepts important for flight. They experiment with the Bernoulli Principle while learning the forces that act on airplanes in flight.
Activity
Pie Council

National π Day

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Learners can enjoy pi with pie! A collection of short activities celebrates pi day with a word search, a maze, and real-world problemsn. Using pi in formulas for area, circumference, and volume as well as exploring simple fractions is...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Casting

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Don't cast a great hands-on resource aside! Scholars learn about the process of casting by actually trying out an example. Plaster of Paris and cookie cutter molds help them complete the activity.
Activity
Horticultural Society of New York

Dress Up Your Salad

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Salad dressings use a variety of different ingredients, but it's important to have a healthy balance of greens to create a delicious mix. Young chefs examine five types of herbs including chives, basil, dill, parsley, and thyme to...
Activity
Novelinks

Tuck Everlasting: Titles for Chapters

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
High schoolers synthesize the information they've learned from each chapter of Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting with a creative summarizing activity. With a graphic organizer for all of the book's chapters, readers title...