Curated OER
Boom and Bust in the Ozark Forests
Here is a hard-hitting, cross-curricular lesson on the effects that the deforestation of the Ozark forests in the 19th century had on the people, animals, and ecosystems of the area. The Dr. Seuss book The Lorax is used as a way of...
Curated OER
Snowy Similes
The class defines similes after creating a KWL chart about them. Groups rotate through a series of stations in which they creatively complete similes. They create a picture booklet that contains similes. However, the booklet topic and...
Curated OER
Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt: The Real Story
Young scholars learn how slaves communicated with each other. In this slavery and freedom lesson, students learn how slaves used quilts as maps, learn what different quilt patterns meant, draw a picture for their class freedom...
Curated OER
Shizuko’s Daughter: Unsent Letter
Have you ever wanted to tell a character what you really thought of him or her? Use a instructional activity based on Kyoko Mori's Shizuko's Daughter to encourage learners to write a letter in response to a character's...
IREM
Conflict Management Styles Assessment
How do you prefer to handle conflict? And what does your approach say about you? Although not a validated, or scientific instrument, this assessment is sure to generate lively discussion.
Curated OER
The Fabled Maine Winter
Learners graph and analyze scientific data. In this research lesson plan students use the Internet to obtain data then draw conclusions about what they found.
Curated OER
Tree Cookies
You will find a viewer-friendly PowerPoint on the growth rings and other features found in a cross-section of a tree trunk, affectionately known as a "tree cookie." A few worksheets are provided for practice counting tree rings and a...
Curated OER
What's Wild?
Third graders examine pictures of animals before deciding if it is a wild animal or a domesticated animal. They discuss the difference between the two types of animals, where they live, what they eat, and what they need to survive. Using...
Curated OER
What is Life Without Water?
Students differentiate between how they use water in response to a need and how they use water for pleasure. They read books about water, participate in class discussion and illustrate their observations.
Curated OER
Is It Living?
Students investigate the definition of life and alive in the context of a unit that is involved with building their own planet. They participate in a class discussion about defining life, and in small groups analyze artifacts to...
Curated OER
A Day on the Space Station
Fifth graders discover what it would be like to live in space. For this technological advancements lesson, 5th graders discuss how space life would be different from Earth life. Students also identify how technology has made life in...
Curated OER
Smallest Thing
Students compare characteristics of myobacteria and viruses to determine which is the smallest life form. They read and discuss an article that presents different viewpoints on the definition of life to determine their own viewpoint.
Curated OER
What Parts Are There to a Plant?
Students explore botany by completing plant science worksheets. In this plant anatomy lesson, students examine real vegetables in class using magnifying glasses. Students identify the plants anatomy and complete worksheets discussing...
Curated OER
From High School to the Real World
Twelfth graders work in small groups and use any resources they wish to find the answer to the question "What skills that I learned in high school will I use in real life?" They present their answers/findings to the rest of the class on...
Curated OER
Do the Elephants Need Sunscreen? A Study of the Weather Patterns in Etosha
Students analyze the weather patterns in Namibia. They create a graph of the yearly temperatures and use the internet to gather information. They discuss how the weather goes in cycles in the area.
Curated OER
I Wonder What the Manduca Life Cycle Looks Like
Learners create their own insect, build a model of it and explain its life cycle.
Curated OER
Blubber Gloves
The ways that animals adapt to their environments is quite remarkable. In this life science lesson, fifth graders take a look at some of the ways that aquatic animals that live in Arctic or Antarctic waters survive. They perform an...
Curated OER
Worms, Nature's Recyclers!
Young scholars study what worms need to survive in different environments. They study how worm composting improves soil and reduce waste. They discuss composting techniques and present a puppet show about a worm's life.
Curated OER
Parts of a Cell
Simplify the parts of a cell with this handout and brief activity. Learners read a two-page explanation of the parts of a cell that includes bolded vocabulary words. Using what they have just read, class members answer 19...
Curated OER
The good microbes
The question posed for the class to consider; What would decay and what would not? They read the short passage on decomposition and microbes, then mark the items that would decay after a two-week period. A scientific investigation idea...
Curated OER
All About Seeds!
First graders learn all about seeds. In this biology instructional activity, 1st graders discover: what a fruit is, what is inside of seeds, and how seeds are transported.
Curated OER
The Wonderful World of Slugs
Examine a slug? Of course, what else would a 2nd grader do with it? Pupils use clues and go on a slug hunt, read a slug story, or make a cooperative group mural of a slug's habitat. While older learners catalog slugs, go on a slug hunt,...
Wild BC
Carbon - The Short and the Long
For this complex game about the carbon cycle, the playing field is divided into air, living, and earth zones. Children are assigned to be either plants or animals, and collect carbon tokens as they proceed from zone to zone. While the...
Science Matters
Island Fox Outreach
Off the coast of California lives a wild animal called the Island Fox. Experts discuss the importance of the Island Fox to the Channel Islands and the balance the fox creates within its ecosystem. The lesson concludes with a reading of...