Curated OER
Grand Canyon History Lesson
Students explore the history of the Grand Canyon. In this Grand Canyon lesson, students read "Grand Canyon National Park" by David Peterson and respond to questions regarding the piece. Students also create their own fossil models that...
Curated OER
Fossils: The Eras of the Earth's History
Students research the four geologic eras of Earth's history. In this extension on a fossils instructional activity, students research the different eras of Earth's history. Students use AppleWorks to create a bar graph containing...
Curated OER
Oil: Impact of a Resource
Middle schoolers discover the history and method of oil production. In this natural resource instructional activity, students investigate early oil production. Middle schoolers discuss the challenges of turning natural resources into...
Curated OER
Natural Inquirer
Learners explore the research process. In this scientific method lesson, students analyze data from an article, write their own informational article and express what they have learned. Learners create their own article using the given...
Curated OER
A Differentiated Way through Think Dots
Learners examine reasons that led people to explore, identify "West" as defined following Revolutionary War, explain importance of finding natural resources, develop time line of dates and events leading up to Lewis and Clark Expedition,...
Curated OER
"ART ZOO 'Blacks in the Westward Movement', 'What Can You Do with a Portrait', and 'Of Beetles, Worms, and Leaves of Grass'"
Students study black history, examine portraits and portrait making and create their own portraits, and investigate their natural environment. This humanities instructional activity provides a text that can be used to teach lessons in...
Curated OER
Natural Born Robots: Body Builders
Students perform activities to explore how their arm works and what muscles are involved. They view animated comparisons of human and robotic arms. Students create a model of the human arm.
Curated OER
Fossil Fuels (Part II), The Geology of Oil: Topographic Mapping, Crustal Deformation, Rock Porosity, and Environmental Pollution
Students review an interpretation of geologic history and relate it to the formation of oil deposits. They explore and explain factors controlling the porosity and permeability of sediments and sedimentary rocks. Pupils also interpret...
Curated OER
Science: Evolution and Natural Selection
Students watch a clip from the film, Jurassic Park, as an introduction to analysis and discussion of the evolutionary history of dinosaurs. As an exercise in evolution, students in groups, draw dinosaur pictures based on the previous...
Curated OER
"The Science Times"
Students create their own newspaper after gathering information at the Museum of Natural History's Hall of Biodiversity.
Education Outside
Papermaking
Imagine recycling food scraps and using them to make paper. The directions are all here in a seven-page packet that details several paper-making strategies.
Channel Islands Film
Once Upon a Time (Saxipak’a): Lesson Plan 4
How did the environment and natural resources found on the Channel islands influence the culture of the Chumash? Archaeology meets technology in an activity designed for middle schoolers. After viewing West of The West's documentary Once...
PHET
AM Radio Ionosphere Station
Tune in! Young scientists use an AM radio at home to monitor solar output. The long-term project would be ideal in a flipped classroom or as an out-of-class project.
NASA
Gravitational Waves
Young scientists participate in a hands-on experiment to explore Einstein's theory of relativity in a creative manner. They investigate various waves and compare their characteristics as they discuss how each wave is created. Next,...
Sea World
Marine Animal Husbandry and Training
Step into the role of a zoo director with several activities about animal training and running a zoo. Kids calculate the amount of food each animal needs, design a habitat for penguins, decide how to breed bottlenose dolphins, and train...
Sea World
Whales
A whale of a lesson is sure to intrigue your elementary oceanographers! Learn about the mammals of the sea with a series of activities about whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Kids complete worksheets about the anatomy of a whale, create a...
Curated OER
Phineas Gage: Questioning Strategy
Focus on chapter two of Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story About Brain Science with a questioning activity. After teaching and modeling several types of questions, learners work with partners and then independently to answer and...
California Academy of Science
Poetic Reflections
Poetry is a wonderful way to explore language, express topical understanding, and incite creative thinking. After a trip to the local natural history museum (or zoo), learners write an acrostic or a cinquain poem describing one of their...
Curated OER
Floodplain Modeling
Students simulate the impact of fluctuating river volumes on structures and landforms. They experiment with table top-sized riverbed models and water. Students consider how human design can help mitigate the effects of a flood.
Curated OER
Be a Scientist: A Kindergarten Unit
Students conduct observations using their five senses. In this science lesson plan, students describe different states of matter. They investigate the factors affecting mold growth.
Curated OER
Ancient Farmers of the Amazon
High schoolers read a sample research proposal and create their own. They discover the type of information needed for others to reject or accept the proposal. They practice applying the scientific process to different situations.
Curated OER
Salmon Vs. Dams: the Dam Removal Debate on the Elwha River
Students role-play a meeting of the Elwha River council in which they present opposing views to council members on hydroelectric power and salmon fisheries resources. They brainstorm possible conflicts between various people in land-use...
NASA
Erosion and Landslides
A professional-quality PowerPoint, which includes links to footage of actual landslides in action, opens this moving activity. Viewers learn what conditions lead to erosion and land giving way. They simulate landslides with a variety of...
Curated OER
Do You Want to Risk it?
High schoolers investigate the history of natural disaster events for a given county, discuss the impact of population and the risk from natural disaster events. In this hurricane lesson students use a geographic information system to...