Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jurassic Park Debate

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students research behavior, phsyiology, and ecology of dinoaurs. Students role-play as scientific specialists such as geneticists and ecologists. They present their research findings in a research paper.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dichotomous Keys

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders practice using dichotomous keys. They discover why scientists use them and why it is important to classify animals. They use candy to practice classifying objects and move on to classifying animals.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

SEM/EDS Beach Sands

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students pose a question that can be answered using the SEM and sand they collected from beach profiles. Then, they use the SEM to answer their question or test their hypothesis. Students design a small testable project and demonstrate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Magnetic Discovery Bottle

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine how to conduct simple investigations and use simple equipment to gather data.  In this magnet lesson students decide what types of objects are attracted to magnets. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Annotated, Detailed Example of Socratic Questioning

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Students identify and define the main components of the hydrosphere and the ways in which they interact with one another. They explore how changes in Earth's surface materials affect components of the hydrosphere and evaluate the effect...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Home, Home on the River

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Students examine the complex issues that result from human use of ecologically sensitive areas. They investigate these issues from the point of view of their major/career path.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building-Stone Geology

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students examine building stones in downtown St. Petersburg in order t study igneous and metamorphic rocks in central Florida ( a huge area consisting solely of sedimentary rock). Each student picks a particular rock type used in a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Quality

For Teachers 12th
Students use a microcomputer connected to a conductivity probe to measure the total dissolved solids in local area water samples. Students then compare their measurements with others in their class as well as other standard measurements.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Planet Oit!

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders use this game to find minerals given rocks and outcrops in a plausible (but not real) geologic setting. They play without outside encouragement for hours as the world is fun to explore and the scoring system encourages...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Slinky and Waves

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students watch a demonstration using a Slinky during a lecture on basic wave properties. Properties addressed in the demo include wave speed, wave length, amplitude, period, and frequency.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sea Floor Spreading I

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Students use Excel to explore the geodynamics Model equation for ocean depth around a sea-floor spreading center. They complete an introductory tutorial on Excel for students with no prior Excel experience.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Investigating Earthquakes: GIS Mapping and Analysis

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students describes the technique of preparing "GIS-ready" data and shows how to map that data and conduct basic analyses using a geographic information system (GIS).They use latitude and longitude fields to plot the data in a GIS and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Impact Craters and Water on Mars

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students explore for water on Mars using impact crater morphology. During this lab, students: investigate how to use the equation writing and graphing capabilities in Microsoft Excel, then develop and apply an impact crater...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Environment and the Earth

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students were involved in environmental service learning and they gathered information from academic buildings for a database. The data allowed them to use an establish baseline data on light use, recycling, and water fixtures in five...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Water Resources

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students demonstrate how water quality and environmental health issues can be analyzed together, how hydrologic information can be built up, and how decisions can be made using GIS.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Centipede or Millipede?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Pupils discuss millipedes and centipedes in terms of their classification as arthropod. Using a diagram, students categorize and compare and contrast the characteristics of millipedes and centipedes based on their discussion of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Biodiversity in Illinois-Pond Habitats

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders construct a pond habitat in the classroom using a small swimming pool partially filled with water, real cattails, a tree log adjoining, and plastic animal life appropriate to a pond setting. They examine the frog in detail...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Presenting the Geologic Timescale

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students model the geologic timescale using distance as a metaphor for time. They write a summary of a major event or fossil organism. and station themselves and their summaries along a path within a gymnasium, and present their...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Botany Scavenger Hunt Where's the Ginkgo?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners use a science journal to log plants that are native to Alabama. In this plant lesson plan, learners identify characteristics, describe environments, and classify the plants that they find.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's in Our Woods?

For Teachers K - 12th
Students observe their local forest and document the change that occurs over the school year.  For this forestry instructional activity, students utilize a GPS to mark a certain area of the woods as their study area for the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Colonial America

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners read the novel, The Witch of Blackbird Pond. In groups, they conduct research using the Internet, encyclopedias, and books to gather information on an assigned colony. The projects are presented to the rest of the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

SHOW 303: The Channel Island Fox

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Learners explore how archaeologists and other scientists use different clues to piece together a picture of the past. Students perform activities that allow them to conduct three types of scientific research. They discuss their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating a Bibliography

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders review the basic structure of a bilbliography and its importance in writing. They create a bibliography of materials used to complete a written report, and power point slide show and use the computer lab to create a final...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Are Alternative Fuels? Concept Mapping Alternative Fuels Investigation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners compare and contrast the different types of alternative fuels. They create a concept map to understand their classification. They examine the properties of matter and energy as well.