Curated OER
The Drake Equation
Students use the Drake Equation to calculate the probability of sustaining life on various planets. Through the use of the equation, they determine whether intelligent and advanced civilizations can be developed on planets other than...
Curated OER
Letters from the Japanese American Internment
Students examine letters of Japanese-American children during internment in World War II. They discover what it was like in the camps and how they were treated once they were released. They also view photographs of the camps.
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Eco Points Score Card
Students play a game in which points are assigned to daily activities which require fossil fuels or electricity. They compare the impact their energy and transportation choices have in everyday life.
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Scale Model of Our Nearest Stars
Sixth graders calculate a light day, light hour, and light minute from the standard of a light year. After establishing the distances, a one meter scale is created to demonstrate the distance between the sun and the planets of our solar...
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Newton Rocket Car
Students observe a demonstration of Newton's third law of motion using a small wooden car. They discuss Newton's third law of motion and what happens to motion if the mass or acceleration is increased, construct their car, and record...
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Water Conservation
Students explore types of water reserves. In this water conservation lesson, students brainstorm ways water are used in their homes. Students use a graduated cylinder to simulate the amount of water on Earth and the amount that humans use.
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Tornado
Students study the classification system of tornadoes. In this tornado lesson students make their own tornadoes in different mediums.
Curated OER
Cells: Nature's Building Blocks
What you will find on this page is the general outline of a unit on the use of a microscope and the structure of the cell. There is no actual educational content here, so you will need to design the details of each of the four student...
Curated OER
Worm Watching
Students examine the role earthworms play in building soils. They discuss worms and what they do with soil, make predictions and draw pictures, and observe their worms in soil over a two week period.
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Microbes and Climate
Learners examine how microbes play a role in the climate system. In this climate lesson students complete an activity, create a PowerPoint presentation and present it to the class.
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Hurricanes
Upper elementary meteorologists take a glance at what a hurricane is and how it is formed. Because this does not get into the differences in air pressure that drive the associated winds, it may not be useful for older learners. The...
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Coastal Geology and Geomorphology
In this coastal geology instructional activity, high schoolers use Google Earth to locate and identify different types of landforms and phenomena that occur along a coast. This instructional activity has 2 short answer questions.
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Coastal Geology and Geomorphology
In this coastal geology worksheet, students use Google Earth to locate the Oregon coastline. Students then complete 6 short answer questions based on coastal geology.
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Sky Stories Curriculum
Young scholars investigate the stories told by ancient cultures about the constellations. They listen to stories told by the Greeks and Romans. The classroom should have posters of constellations for the lesson and the teacher performs...
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Star Quest
Students engage in a lesson of using maps in order to find constellations in the night sky. They also conduct research using three constellations. The research is used to create a project to inform others. The teacher also leads the...
American Museum of Natural History
One-on-One With The Sun
Follow along as Stella Stardust interviews the sun. A fun and informative interview provides scholars with information about the sun.
Space Awareness
Measure the Solar Diameter
Scientists could measure the diameter of the sun before they knew its distance. Scholars construct a simple mirror box to measure the diameter for themselves. They compare this measurement with the official size, listed in a...
NASA
Taking Apart the Light
Break down light into spectra. Scholars learn how atoms emit and absorb photons and come to understand how this process allows scientists to identify different atoms based on either absorption lines or emission lines. Learners then...
University of Wisconsin
Follow the Drop
Young surveyors look for patterns in water flow around campus. Using a map of the school (that you will need to create), they mark the direction of the path of water. They also perform calculations for the volume that becomes runoff. The...
Virginia Department of Education
Metamorphic Rocks
Rocks can bend? Pupils investigate how heat and pressure produce metamorphic rocks by modeling them using clay, and then categorize samples based on observable characteristics. The lesson ends with a metamorphic rock identification...
American Museum of Natural History
Make Your Own Astronomy Stationary
Scholars follow five steps to create personalized, astronomy-themed stationary.
Curated OER
The Water Cycle
Students are introduced to the components and importance of the water cycle. They are shown how groundwater moves using a model. Students list 9 places on earth where water is found. They define the terms cycle and water cycle.
Curated OER
World Geography: Climate Change Round Table
Students are able to explain the suspected causes of relatively recent climate changes, specifically the observed global warming. They discuss how unusual or extreme global warming disrupts the balance of the earth's geo-spheres.
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Biosphere Socratic Questions
Pupils examine the origin of life on Earth and its evolution through geologic time by participating in a whole class discussion. They respond to prompts that lead them to conclusions about the interactions among the biosphere and the...