University of Colorado
Punnett Squares with Piebald Deer
Explore the science behind Earth's amazing diversity of life with this lesson on genetics. Looking at specific traits in piebald deer, carnations, and roan cattle, young scientists use Punnett squares to determine the possible genotypes...
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...
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Rocks and Minerals in Our Lives
Young geologists discover the important role that rocks and minerals play in our everyday lives through this series of hands-on activities. Starting off with a lesson that defines the difference between plants, animals, and minerals,...
Safe Routes to School
Pollution & Evolution
Bring together a study of two major scientific topics with a instructional activity on the relationship between pollution and evolution. With the help of a PowerPoint presentation, hands-on activity. and class demonstration young...
Curated OER
Arabia: Educator's Resource and Activity Guide
MacGillivray Freeman's film Arabia presents viewers with remarkable images and insights into this ancient and mysterious land. An educator's guide is designed to provided teachers with the materials they need to support a showing of the...
DiscoverE
Slinky® Science
Toys are great for learning about physics. Scholars use Slinky® toys to study Newton's laws of motion and types of energy. After a little play, they then model longitudinal and transverse waves with the Slinky® toys.
Curated OER
The Water Cycle: States of Water
Elementary schoolers explore states of matter by concentrating on the ways in which water moves between its solid, liquid, and gaseous states in a variety of Earth environments. Learners interpret these movements through dance. The...
Curated OER
"Investigating Soil Color and Texture"
Ninth graders will identify/understand the differences between soil and dirt. They will classify soil color accurately and use Munsell notation to describe it (Munsell books provided).Students will classify soil texture using the feel...
Curated OER
Power On to Present- What You Know About Where You Went
Third graders write an essay. In this earth's layers lesson, 3rd graders view a power point presentation on layers of the earth and discuss it. They write a short essay on the layers and their characteristics. They use Microsoft Word to...
Curated OER
Environmental Studies: The Environment Rocks!
Rock exploration, so exciting! After reading the book Everybody Needs a Rock, the class makes sandwiches to better understand that the Earth is made in layers. They then use a description of the 3 types of rock to conduct an observation...
Curated OER
Dinosaur! Fossil Rush: Tale of a Bone
Explore 1870s when a "bone rush" led to amazing discoveries, as fossil-hunters risked life and limb in their quest for dinosaur remains. The class uses the attached visual encyclopedia to prep for a discussion on early paleontology. Two...
Curated OER
Season's Greetings
Learners explore Earth's seasons using an interactive website. In this earth science lesson, students watch video segments and explain Earth's seasonal milestones. They discuss the factors that causes seasonal changes.
Curated OER
Permeability of Earth Materials
Students observe and classify the permeability of a variety of materials.
Curated OER
What are Igneous Rocks and How are They Formed?
Crystals form before your very eyes! What sixth grader wouldn't enjoy this lesson on igneous rock formation? Using hot Salol, junior geologists observe the crystal formation process as the material cools. This comprehensive lesson plan...
Curated OER
Water Pollution
Fifth graders study the impact of human activity on water quality and on the ecosystems of Earth. After a discussion on the various ways that water can be polluted, groups of youngsters get together to figure out the best way to clean a...
Science Matters
Volcano Models
More than 80 percent of the earth's surface originated from volcanoes. The 16th lesson in a 20-part series introduces the shape and development of volcanoes. It begins with a demonstration using a balloon and flour to illustrate the...
Curated OER
Keying Rocks
Young geologists learn how to use an identification key in order to classify rocks. The key is designed to help them classify rocks into three types: ignesous, metamorphic, and sediimentary. After an initial teacher-led demonstration,...
Curated OER
Backyard Birds: Who's Who Out There?
Learners practice techniques of field observation and data-gathering while studying local bird population, describe ecosystem as complex combination of elements, which can affect or be affected by each other, and determine effects of...
Curated OER
Earth Movers
Learners read an online article about an earthquake and follow up with a series of discussion questions about earthquakes. They answer questions in their science journals about continental drift, plate tetonics, and their influence on...
Curated OER
Lunchroom Trash
Students explore the amount of waste produced by humans. In this ecology lesson plan, students predict which lunch bag and its contents will produce the most waste. Leftover material is examined, amounts are recorded, and a bar graph is...
Curated OER
Alien Pen Pals
Students write a friendly letter to an Alien Pen Pal including details about the planet Earth.
Curated OER
Our Space Station Earth
Students discover ways to preserve the Earth's resources. In this natural resources lesson, students investigate how many gallons of water the average American uses per day and then total their estimated usage. Students discuss the...
Curated OER
Landscape Picture Map- The Earth's Surface
Students discuss different landscapes. In this map lesson, students describe what they see when they travel between home and school. Students use a landscape picture map to locate the places or objects they see.
Curated OER
Bringing the Solar System Down to Earth
Middle schoolers develop a scaled down model of the solar system. In small groups, they calculate the scaled-down diameters of the planets and the sun, the scaled-down distance of the planets from the sun, complete two charts, and...