Curated OER
Plant Investigation Through Young Eyes
Students observe pictures of plants and forests. They observe their own plants in a plot of land especially for them. They are to identify the plants in the photographs they saw.
Curated OER
Desalination: Creating a Solar Still
To better understand how solar power can aid in creating desalinated drinking water, the class creates a model still. They will build a model of a solar still, make observations, and discuss how the process works. While the idea behind...
Curated OER
Introducing Temperature Measurement
Students read a thermometer, associate weather conditions and seasons with temperature changes and keep a record of daily temperature.
Curated OER
Weather Predictions
Students play the role of weather personalities by making five day forecasts based on data gathered from observations, weather instruments, and weather maps. Each day a small group makes a class forecast for the next day and reviews the...
Curated OER
Visual Opacity
Young scholars research and create a slide show in order to classify clouds as transparent, translucent, or opaque.
Curated OER
Fronts
Fourth graders define cold and warm fronts, explain how they are formed and they ways that they affect the weather.
Curated OER
Thunderstorms
Fourth graders investigate the attraction between two different charges to explain the concept of lightning in a thunderstorm.
Curated OER
Classification of Clouds
Learners view a cloud slide show presentation and identify types of clouds. They estimate height based on cloud's appearance. They discuss the vague nature of cloud nomenclature and compare it to the English standard measurement system.
Curated OER
When You're Hot, You're Hot!
Eighth graders examine the development of the different temperature scales. They experiment with hot and cold temperatures.
Curated OER
Cold Fronts And Warm Fronts
Students simulate the movement of cold and warm fronts as they listen to a story about the weather and Mr. Sun. They brainstorm the characteristics of each type of front then write about which front they would prefer if they were a...
Curated OER
Poetry in Weather
Students identify clouds outdoors using a cloud chart and then draw the types they observe. They read the poem, "Fog" by Carl Sandburg and then compose their own cloud poem using various styles of poetry.
Curated OER
Heat And Heat Transfer
Students role play molecules in a container as the container is heated to develop a definition of heat and temperature. They also observe demonstrations of conduction, convection, radiation, and phase transfer. Using these observations...
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Simple Machines
Students investigate and explain simple machines and their uses. Key concepts include: lever, screw, pulley, wheel and axle, inclined plane, and wedge.
Curated OER
Genes: The Building Blocks of Life
Students examine various topics on genetics. Students explore the Internet to gather information on genetic testing, genetically engineered food, forensics, DNA and cloning. They research and determine the best way to fund each of the...
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Tree Search
Fifth graders plan and conduct investigations to identify and record tree species. They complete Forest Plotter and write about tree species found and draw pictures of them.
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Catch Me if You Can
Third graders investigate behavioral and physical adaptations, such as camouflage, that allow animals to respond to life needs.
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Survivor
Seventh graders investigate changes in the ecosystem within the school year. They see that ecosystems, communities, populations, and organisms are dynamic and change over time. They, in groups, collect data in quadrants in the fall,...
Virginia Department of Education
Analyzing and Interpreting Statistics
Use measures of variance to compare and analyze data sets. Pupils match histograms of data sets to their respective statistical measures. They then use calculated statistics to further analyze groups of data and use the results to make...
Virginia Department of Education
World History and Geography to 1500 A.D.
Here's a great resource for your curriculum library. The 240-page packet, organized into units by topics, includes sample lesson plans, links to primary and secondary source documents, worksheets, activities, and sample assessments.
Virginia Department of Education
Independent and Dependent Variables
Investigate the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Individuals begin by identifying independent and dependent variables from different problem situations. Then, using specific guidelines, they create posters...
Curated OER
Writing Process- Expository Writing
Expository writing is the focus of the language arts lesson presented here. In it, young writers review what expository writing is through a class discussion and teacher demonstration. Then, learners write expository text that describes...
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Transition Words in Writing
Transition words in writing are the focus of the language arts lesson presented here. In it, learners cut out the word-sort cards (embedded in the plan), and put them into four categories: time, examples, space, and summary. They find a...
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Organizing Info into Short Reports
The class brainstorms a list of prominent people from their knowledge of social studies. Groups of two pupils get together and select one of these people to research. They create five questions to research on their person and record them...
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Using Word Maps to Expand Vocabulary
Looking for a good lesson on dictionary and word definition skills? The lesson presented here is for you! In it, learners utilize a worksheet, embedded in the plan, to record a word's definition(s), etymology, multiple meanings, related...