DiscoverE
Rubber Band Rovers
Get your learners interested in space exploration. Groups design space rovers using design software and then build prototypes of their designs. The farther the rovers can travel, the better. The catch? The rovers must be powered by...
American Museum of Natural History
Find My Plankton Baby Picture
Get a better understanding of babies in the sea. The class learns about the two kinds of plankton. They then determine the baby pictures of eight marine animals given a picture of the adult and some hints about the larvae. When scholars...
Curated OER
Solar
Students study solar energy. In this renewable energy lesson students complete several lab activities using different controls and variables.
Curated OER
Your Own Greenhouse
Students discuss the similarities between the Earth's atmosphere and a greenhouse. In this science lesson, students make their own greenhouses out of plastic bottles and thermometers. Students record the temperature different times of...
Curated OER
Measuring the Speed of Light
High schoolers explore physics by completing measurement problems in class. In this speed of light lesson, students discuss the importance of knowing the speed of light and how it affects many aspects of human life on Earth. High...
Curated OER
Craters!
Eighth graders examine the formation of craters. In this craters lesson, 8th graders discover the various energies involved in the formation of a crater, where you can find a crater in the Solar System, and observations of craters on the...
Curated OER
Simulating the Greenhouse Effect in a Terrarium
Students identify what factors effect global warming and how the greenhouse effect occurs. In this environmental lesson students view videos then complete an experiment using a terrarium to observe greenhouse gas.
Curated OER
Animals, Soil, Trees
Fourth graders describe the various kinds of soils and how plants and animals are affected by them. They describe the baic needs of plants, scoring at least a 3 or 4 on a 4-point rubic. Students are able to predict and/or infer what...
Curated OER
Recycle Lifecycle
Students investigate the recycling process. For this recycling lesson, students read the article The Recycling Process After Collection and discuss the advantages of recycling. As an extension activity, students simulate the molding of...
Curated OER
The Rifting of Pangaea and the Gettysburg Battlefield
Eleventh graders analyze and interpret an animated model of Earth’s rifting processes. In this Earth Science lesson, 11th graders connect Earth’s rifting processes with the Earth’s surface in the Gettysburg battlefield. ...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Global Climate Change
Here is an extensive reading resource that addresses our climate change crisis. It thoroughly explains the greenhouse effect, related Earth cycles, and the history of climate change. Use it as part of the intended unit, published by the...
Space Awareness
Global Warming of the Atmosphere
Scientists know the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today is higher than at any point in the last 800,000 years. Scholars learn about the amount of thermic radiation absorbed by air and what happens to the rest of the...
Curated OER
Natural Gas: An American Treasure
Do your fourth graders need extra practice with evaluating fact and opinion? An informative resource provides two reading passages in which learners distinguish sentences as fact or as opinion. Additionally,...
Cornell University
Bacteria Take Over and Down
Bacteria outnumber all other forms of life on Earth. Scholars observe the growth of bacteria in petri dishes to understand their role in maintaining good health. Then, they observe the growth of bacteria after they introduce...
Humanities Texas
Primary Source Worksheet: Ronald Reagan, Excerpt from Reagan's First Inaugural Address
A key challenge in teaching kids how to read informational text, particularly primary source documents, is finding suitable resources and then developing questions that guide readers. Never fear, help is here in the form of a series...
University of Colorado
The Jovian Basketball Hoop
Can you listen to Jupiter on a simple radio? Turns out the answer is yes! The resource instructs scholars to build a simple radio to pick up the radio waves created when the charged particles from the sun hit Jupiter's magnetic...
US Geological Survey
The Water Cycle for Schools: Intermediate Ages
Water can travel from the highest mountain tops to the largest oceans. Using an interactive, young scientists trace the movement using an interactive online resource. They follow the water cycle by reading pop-up explanations on a...
Curated OER
Polymers and Crystals: Their Role in Food Science
Blend chemistry with cooking in this exploration of polymers, carbohydrates, and food science. Experimenting with gelatin produces concrete examples of the bonding and ploymerization discussed in the lesson. Copious, comprehensive...
Curated OER
Identifying Ozone Variations over Different Locations
Students analyze ozone data. In this atmosphere lesson, students will use a NASA resource to gather data for different regions of the Earth. Students will then create a graph for their data and answer related questions.
Curated OER
Tropical Rainforests
Students create their own rainforest environment. This tropical rainforest activity, introduces where rainforests are located, their real world connections, and their structural make up. It includes further resources online.
Curated OER
Exploring the Solar System: All About Spacecraft/Spaceflight
Rarely do you find resources that reach high school astronomy learners. Here is something at their level! The physics of flyby missions is explained via several examples. Landing, penetrating, and roving spacecraft are examined. Diagrams...
Polar Bears International
Taking Action!
Motivate young scientists to stand up and take action with this environmental science instructional activity. To begin, the class works in small groups brainstorming actions that support the conservation of the earth before creating and...
Curated OER
When A Car Coughs. . .
Budding scientists collect and compare particulate exhaust from four different vehicles. They discuss how cars contribute to air quality. To get the most mileage out of this resource, have learners complete the optional step 5, in which...
Curated OER
Fish and Zooplankton Through Remote Sensing
Ecology aces examine sea surface temperature maps and relate temperatures to concentration in fish and zooplankton populations. Take your class to a computer lab and provide experience with actual remote sensing data. Some of the links...