California Academy of Science
What's on a Penny?
As a lesson on scientific observation, have your class investigate the features of a penny and a nickel. Working in pairs, they practice writing detailed descriptions using their senses and a ruler to gather information. This is an...
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Environmental Sciences
Whether you are teaching environmental science in junior high or studying recycling in kindergarten, there is something for all in this set of lessons designed for environmental education. The 110-page packet comes with tips for...
Curated OER
Science Concept Maps
A collection of concept maps has some terms filled in and others left blank for young scientists to fill in. This library can provide you with many pop quizzes for all of your middle to high school science curriculum.
Baylor College
Fuel for Living Things
During a three-part instructional activity, learners make a cabbage juice pH indicator and use it to analyze the waste products of yeast after feeding them with sugar. The intent is to demonstrate how living organisms produce carbon...
Curated OER
All About Arthropods
Use a dichotomous key to classify these squirmy bugs. A paragraph provides fifth graders with some background knowledge on the animal kingdom, and explains how to use a branching key for classification. They then determine which bugs...
Curated OER
Regents High School Examination: Physical Setting Earth Science 2006
Test your class on earth science with this extensive resource. This test, created by The University of the State of New York Regents, is made up of 50 multiple choice questions and 32 short answer questions that cover the branches of...
Curated OER
Investigating the Effect of Salinity on the Density and Stability of Water
Water with varying amounts of dissolved salt are dyed and then used to compare densities. The objective is to discover the effect of salinity, and therefore density, on ocean water on the stability of the ocean. Many branches of science...
Curated OER
Quiz #2 - Branches of Earth Science
For this earth science quiz, test-takers use photographs posted around a classroom to identify the 4 branches of earth science. They receive bonus points for identifying the event or activity of a scientist associated with the...
Curated OER
DC Branch Current Analysis
Engage your class in physics with this series of questions. The first question is the most hands-on and asks learners to build their own circuit. The rest of the questions are related to current analysis. Class members solve 7 problems...
NOAA
Fishy Deep-sea Designs!
Oceans represent more than 80 percent of all habitats, yet we know less about them than most other habitats on the planet. The instructor introduces the epipelagic, mesopelagic, bathypelagic, twilight, and midnight zones in the ocean....
Mr. Jones's Science Class
Periodic Table Project
Don't be fooled by the title; this is not really a lesson on elements. It is a project on classification, using the periodic table as an example. For that reason, it could be used in any branch of science. As an example, a group may...
Curated OER
The Language of Science
In this language of science worksheet, students use the list provided to guess the meaning of each of the list. Students apply root words, prefixes, and suffixes to gain meaning of other science words.
Teach Engineering
Aerogels in Action
Model an oil spill cleanup. An engaging engineering lesson has groups using aerogels to simulate an oil spill cleanup (vegetable oil in water). Along the way, they learn about nanotechnology and hydrophilia/hydrophobia.
Curated OER
Science Trivia
This science trivia activity gives the students 66 science trivia questions and answers. Students are to cut out the questions an fold them in half. The question is on one side and the answer is on the other side. This...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Zombie Ants
One of the creepiest and coolest natural occurrences is a great forum for data analysis and discussion! Explore the phenomenon of zombie ants, or ants infected with the Cordyceps fungus, with a series of activities and experiments....
Scholastic
Spring Is Sprung: Water Movement in Plants
Young scientists use food coloring and celery stalks to determine how water travels through plants.
Curated OER
Sky Stories
Students are introduced to the branch of science known as astronomy. They discuss stars and constellations and then view the night sky using a portable digital planetarium projector. They identify a variety of constellations and...
Curated OER
Science in the Past
Students research the science of ancient Native American people. They compare native science to the present time. They create a project that they can present to their classmates. The project could be a report, poster, Power Point...
Curated OER
The History of Mathematics
Research the interrelationship between math and science. Search the Internet to discover the history of several branches of mathematics and make text-to-world connections between the concepts covered in each branch with related...
Curated OER
Name That Leaf
Take a walk through nature with a science experiment about leaves. Third graders use a branching diagram to group attributes of certain kinds of leaves, such as oak, pine, and chestnut. For extra practice, they can collect leaves and...
National Institute of Open Schooling
Nomenclature and General Principles
Carbon, the base for all organic compounds, exists in nature in its purest form as graphite or diamonds. The 25th lesson in a series of 36 teaches pupils the nomenclature of organic compounds. Learners read about how to use the IUPAC...
Curated OER
Let's go to the Video Tape!
Using actual data from a deep-sea video survey, high school marine biologists consider the biodiversity, compare species richness between two communities, and learn to calculate the diversity index. The lesson plan is all-inclusive,...
Biology Junction
Characteristics of Life
This is an extensive resource that focuses on the characteristics of life. Scientists read a series of short passages, highlighting main ideas and answering comprehension questions as they go. After they have completed the reading,...
Curated OER
Classification/Taxonomy/Statistics Review
"Does King Phillip Cry Over Flimsy Grass Stems?" You might not answer that question with this exhaustive worksheet, but your biology class will get the full scoop on the hierarchy of biological classification with this resource. It...