Chicago Botanic Garden
Preparing for Project BudBurst
Plants take cues from the environment—change in daylight hours and temperature—to complete their seasonal life cycles. Lesson four in the series of six has classes collect phenology data on plants. After taking initial observations,...
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: From a Distance
Challenge your class with an amazing set of ideas that really put the project back into project-based learning. It all starts with a whole class research task. Each learner will look up and take notes on multiple facets of things that...
Johnson County Community College
Treasured Stories by Eric Carle
Explore the works of Eric Carle with a set of four lessons focused around the stories, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, Papa, Please Get the Moon For Me, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Young readers develop a storyboard,...
California Academy of Science
Kinesthetic Astronomy: Birthday Stars
Space explorers take a virtual trip around the sun right within your classroom! They stand in a circle facing away from the "sun" (a lamp) in the center of the room. As they move according to your instructions, they view different...
Curated OER
Properties of the Ocean: Change
Students research and create a visual presentation on the seasonal salinity of the Earth's oceans. They apply the research in a simulation of a lab disaster in which they must relabel ocean samples.
Curated OER
Climate in Our Back Yard
Students construct a "A Year in Pennsylvania" poster on which they creatively describe at least three examples of how the climate they live in shapes their lives during every season of the year.
Curated OER
Sky 2: Shadows
students will explore making shadows and tracking the movement of an object over the course of a day to look for patterns. It is best to couple this shadow activity with reading the book, Bear Shadow, and making a map of Bear's...
Curated OER
The Oily "Grail"
Students discover the quest for a balance between oil exploration and a concern for the environment in Alaska. They synthesize their knowledge by debating the current length of the oil-drilling season.
Curated OER
Historical Temperatures
Students research historical regional temperatures for their current season. In this historical weather instructional activity, students conduct weather station and Internet research to learn about historical regional temperatures....
California Academy of Science
Kinesthetic Astronomy: Earth's Rotation
After completing the activity, "Kinesthetic Astronomy: The Meaning of a Year," zoom in on Earth's rotation using the same simulation setup and this outline. Each class member dons a map of the Western Hemisphere and plays the part of...
California Academy of Science
Kinesthetic Astronomy: The Meaning of a Year
How many times have you traveled around the sun? Aspiring astronomers grasp what a year is and they differentiate between orbit and rotation by walking around the sun right within your classroom. Place a lamp in the center of the room to...
Curated OER
The Weather Around Us
First graders explore weather patterns. In this weather lesson, 1st graders research the daily weather by creating a graph of the daily weather conditions. Students use the computer to access information regarding the weather forecast....
Curated OER
Winter Through the Arts
Students read the book The Snowy Day and discover various winter themes. In this winter instructional activity, students develop movements to express the feeling of a snowstorm. Students also construct winter-themed art pieces.
Curated OER
Volcanoes!: The Dangers of Snow and Ice
Students observe a demonstration of how melting snow and ice can contribute to mudflows. They then observea list of continents with the number of snow and ice covered mountains on each continent and discuss. They then label a group of...
Curated OER
The Tilting Earth
Fourth graders use a styrofoam ball on a stick to represent earth and a light bulb in the center of the room to represent the sun. They walk around the light, holding their sticks at an angle to show the tilt of the earth's axis. They...
Curated OER
How The Weather Effects Us
Students discover how weather affects their lives. They review the climates of Florida, Alaska and New York. They need choose the place they would most like to live in based on the climate of that state.
Curated OER
How Much Soil is There?
Students examine that all living things depend on soil to live. In this science lesson plan, students pretend that an apple is planet Earth. Students cut the apple to represent the portions of Earth with the last section representing soil.
Curated OER
Climate Change
Students focus on the production of maple syrup in Northern New England as they study the effects of climate change. They investigate other environmental factors on the forests of Northern New England.
Curated OER
Sky 3: Modeling Shadows
Learners will construct models to demonstrate their understanding of shadows. Many questions and suggestions for variants on the activities are presented to allow you to tailor this lesson to your particular needs. It is best to make the...
Curated OER
Biomes Internet Lesson
In this biomes worksheet, students use an on line source to complete a table of the Earth's biomes. Students include the types of plants in each biome, the types of animals, the climate and any details about the biomes. Students answer...
Curated OER
Planets or Not, Here We Come!
Students, working in groups, research planets in terms of the size, temperature, number of moons, and potential for life. They use packets and worksheets as guides for their research. Students may role-play as aliens visiting their...
Curated OER
Treetures
Students identify the different forests of the world and some of the characteristics that differentiate them. They explore old magazines, calendars and photos and fill out a scavenger hunt worksheet.
Curated OER
Sky 4: The Moon
Students will draw the moon's shape for each evening on a calendar and then determine the pattern in the shapes over several weeks. Students' understandings should be confined to observations, descriptions, and finding patterns.
Curated OER
Exploring the Night Sky: Fall/Winter
Students explain how moon phases occur. They explain three ways that the night sky has been used through history. Students locate some of the constellations in the night sky. They discuss stories and myths surrounding stars.