Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Our Big Backyard
An activity for students to fine tune their observation skills using their senses in their own backyard. During this activity, students will record their observation to compare and contrast living things over a period of different seasons.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Trees
In this investigation, learners will record an observation (drawing) of a tree in their science notebook. Following the observation, students will discuss what they observed and a list will be created by the classroom teacher. Based on...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Density With Carbon Dioxide
A guided demonstration where students investigate the properties of carbon dioxide gas and air based on density. Students learn about properties of air through observation and inquiry.
Harvard University
Harvard Smithsonian: Everyday Classroom Tools
The focus of this series of lessons is to engage students in an exploration of the world around them. The emphasis is on inquiry as students learn about the earth, sun, light, shapes and more.
![The Globe Program: The Mystery of the Missing Hummingbirds [Pdf] Unit Plan](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "The Globe Program: The Mystery of the Missing Hummingbirds [Pdf] Unit Plan")
Globe
The Globe Program: The Mystery of the Missing Hummingbirds [Pdf]
This story is an interesting way to help students understand the process of migration. It provides teachers with information on how to approach a particular lesson and its easy-to-read content is easily adaptable for grades K-12.
Other
West Virginia Dept. Of Education: Teach 21: Examples of Formative Assessment
When incorporated into classroom practice, the formative assessment process provides information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are still happening. The process serves as practice for the student and a check for...
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
Albright Knox Art Gallery: How Observant Are You?
Pop artists of the 1960s encouraged people to look more closely at the everyday objects around them. How observant are your students? This lesson plan focuses on observation, memory, and home and classroom environments.
University of California
University of California at Berkeley: Understanding Science: Poking Around
Students work in groups to develop an understanding of the size and shape of an object hidden beneath a plywood board, asking questions, testing their reasoning, and drawing conclusions, as scientists do. Students are never permitted to...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Telling a Painting's Story
This Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies lesson plan features museum field trip writing activities. Upon returning from the museum, students will write stories inspired by paintings that they observed and evoked an...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Writing With Scientists
After students investigate a topic through research, hypothesizing, observing, and experimentating, teachers can use this lesson to help their students prepare short science reports and publish them online. The Writing with Scientists...
Other
Kids Page: United States Patent and Trademark Office
This source allows users to learn all about inventions and patents, play some fun games, and enter a contest.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Question and Purpose
This tutorial reviews over making observations to form questions and purpose for a lab experiment.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Something Fishy
Students observe and discuss goldfish in this lesson. There is a printable journal page where students can draw and label the parts of a fish and a literature connection with the book The Rainbow Fish.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Scientific Method (Basic)
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] This is a basic introduction to the scientifice method that includes links to instructional videos, grade-level texts, interactive activities, and review materials.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Scientific Method
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] Instructional videos, grade-level texts, interactive activities, and review material about the scientific method.
Utah Education Network
Uen: 1st Grade Act. 17: Observing Plants Through a Journal
This lesson engages students in learning about plant growth. Students will observe changes in a growing plant and then will write in their discovery journals to write observations and hypotheses about the plant growth. Students will also...
Utah Education Network
Uen: Enlightening Explorations, Part Ii
This lesson engages students in learning about light. Studets will describe how light is produced, reflected, refracted, and separated.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Chances With Wolves
This instructional activity engages students in learning the differences among observations, facts, and inferences. Students will study about the reintroduction of wolves into the Rocky Mountain and Yellowstone Region. Students will work...
National Institutes of Health
National Library of Medicine: Changing the Face of Medicine: The Doctor Is In
Find out about some of the tools that doctors use to examine their patients. Examine a virtual patient to see what a doctor might see, hear what a doctor might hear, and feel what a doctor might feel.
American Chemical Society
Inquiry in Action: Curious Crystals
Students compare unknown crystals to known crystals to try to identify the unknown in this lab experiment. Lab experiment includes student and teacher instructions.
Other
A River Runs Through It Learning Project
In this year long learning project integrating mathematics and science, students solve environmental problems using data collection and problem solving concepts. Designed for upper elementary gifted students. Interactive components and...
Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education, Stevens Institute of Technology
Ciese: Collaborative Projects
Using a variety of science topics, these projects link your class with classes around the world in data collection and analysis. There are projects recommended for all grade levels. Begin dates and end dates are listed to help in...
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University
Purdue University Owl: Observing
This entry focuses on observation as a primary research tool. It covers topics including participation alters the outcome, observation and interpretation are separate, note-taking vs recording, and paying attention to details.
CPALMS
Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: Observation vs. Inference
A tutorial that explores the differences between scientific observation and scientific inference.