Curated OER
Parachutes: Is it Surface Area or Shape?
Young scholars investigate how to make a good parachute. In this physics activity, students observe the motion of parachutes as it falls and measure the time. They collect data and calculate the average descent time for each canopy shape.
Curated OER
Pond Exploration
Students take a hands-on approach to explore the world beneath the water in this activity. They examine the creatures they catch to study about the adaptations these animals have that allow them to survive in this harsh environment. They...
Curated OER
A Lengthy Shake
Third graders practice measuring skills by cutting paper strips of varying lengths. They place them on a parachute and shake it until all the paper strips fall off it. They collect the paper strips and measure them with rulers.
Curated OER
Observing the Pumpkin Cycle
Students observe and listen to nonfiction books about the life cycle of pumpkins. They practice early reading skills in a shared reading related to pumpkins. They observe the life cycle of a pumpkin including growth and decay.
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Snow Treasure: Marie McSwigan
Students read and discuss Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan.
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Contemplating Nature vs. Nurture
Does having an addict in your family make it more likely to become one yourself? Explore the genetic risk factors, as well as the prominent environmental influences, for substance addiction in a lesson that encourages awareness and open...
Curated OER
Earthquake Analysis
Students analyze and plot the coordinates for several recent earthquakes on a world map. They learn not only about research and geology, but about map-making and data analysis. They think of other ways to analyze the data given.
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Tag the Germs
Students review what happens when they wipe germs off their hands with a wet wipe. Next, they play a game of tag in which some students are germs and others are wipes. They move around while music plays, stop when it stops, and the wipes...
Curated OER
One, Two, Three--Isaac Newton and Me
Students experiment to develop understanding of Newton's Laws and how they apply to space travel in this ten day instructional activity sequence.
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Primary PE Lesson
Students work on balance, strategy, and movement while playing a beanbag game. They review high fat and low fat foods and classify these foods while they play a game of "Low Fat Locomotion."
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Pets
Students participate in an after school program that promotes making decisions, getting along with others, decision-making, and being responsible. A pet survey is administered along with a variety of pet riddles with the students. They...
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Earth's Journey Around the Sun
Sixth graders examine how the angle of the sun's rays is a factor in determining the seasons. They watch a teacher demonstration of the concepts and write a paragraph demonstrating their understanding.
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Cookie Mining
Students start with $19 of Cookie Mining Money with which they must buy his/her own "mining property" or cookie. After cookies are bought, students give their "mine" a name, record it, along with the price of their cookie on the sheet.
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Particulate Matter: The Lorax
Students explore air pollution. In this ecology lesson, students participate in an experiment in which 5 numbered jar lids are placed outside. Students bring one lid a day in until all jars are inside. Dirt specks are counted, observed,...
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Reading About Children in Other Communities
Students read about children from other communities. They describe ways in which members of other communities meet one another's needs and design a Venn diagram that compares and contrasts their own way of living to another culture.
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Getting To Know You
Students call each other by name and mention something important about each person. They develop a sense of class bonding and find a partner with similar interests.
Curated OER
Easy Bird Feeder
Students create simple, painted, themed bird feeders out of everyday items, such as paper towel rolls and small paper plates
Curated OER
Tides and How Creatures Survive
Students discover tidal pools. In this oceanographic lesson, students observe the tides of the earth and the creatures that inhabit the intertidal zones. Students role-play the tidal zones by portraying themselves as animals of the...
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Special Place
Pupils observe and describe a "special place" chosen along a nature trail. For this habitat observational skills and writing lesson, students take a walk on a nature trail and choose a spot to sit and meditate. Pupils complete a...
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Fitness Lesson- Body Composition
Students list and define the 3 basic body types, then execute the basic fundamentals in an interval training warm-up. They measure their own body fat %, then execute basic techniques involved in a game of Ultimate Frisbee.
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Scales, Scutes, and Skins
Students identify the various adaptations of reptiles and amphibians. After distinguishing between reptiles and amphibians, students discuss the ways in which their adaptations aid in their survival. They participate in a hands on...
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Jack-O-Lantern Glyph
Young scholars create a jack-o-lantern glyph that accurately represents his or her answers to a series of questions. The completed jack-o-lanterns are displayed in the classroom and the class interprets the data.
Curated OER
Snowy Evening Poetry for ESL (Elementary, Literature)
Young scholars read Robert Frost's Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening, illustrated by Susan Jeffers (2001). This is a wonderful book with beautiful illustrations that go with each line of the poem.
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Grandma Thinks It's Cake Baking Weather
Second graders listen to a read aloud of Patricia Polacco's book "Thunder Cake" to explain how daily life has changed over the past 150 years.