Curated OER
Space: Stars and Planets
Students observe and report that the moon can be seen sometimes at night and sometimes during the day. They describe how changes to a model can help predict how the real thing can be altered. Students explain the essential fact of the...
Curated OER
TE Activity: A Roundabout Way to Mars
Students investigate Hohmann orbit transfers using cardboard and string while focusing on the orbits of Earth and Mars. They look at the planets orbits around the sun and transfer orbit form one planet to another to determine what a...
Curated OER
Sextant Measurements
Students create a sextant. Using their sextant, students measure the height of tall objects. Students explore how sailors used sextants to identify their location on the ocean. They research how sextants are created.
Curated OER
TE Activity: Space Shelter
Students simulate that they need to develop a new home on a different planet. They design a shelter that will ensure their survival after researching the characteristics of the other planet. They write an essay about their home design.
Curated OER
Weather Report Chart
Young scholars complete a weather report chart after studying weather patterns for a period of time. In this weather report lesson plan, students measure temperature, precipitation, cloud cover, wind speed, and wind direction for a...
Curated OER
Measuring Wind Speed
Young scholars study wind speed and collect wind speed data. In this wind speed lesson, students visit a website to learn about the local wind speed forecast for their week. Young scholars discuss wind and wind speed. Students collect...
Curated OER
Climate Comparison
Students explore climate regions. In this climate lesson, students examine the climate regions of Alaska as well as the state of Hawaii. Students research selected Internet sources to gather information regarding the climates present in...
Curated OER
Universal Proportions: Earth and Moon
Young scholars create scale models of Earth, the Moon, and the distances within the universe. Working in groups, they construct their models of Earth and the Moon on a scale of 50:1 and calculate how far apart to place their models. ...
Curated OER
Understanding Distance in Space
Students discover the vocabulary used for distances in space and review measurement units and instruments before creating a scale model of the planets. They determine how to calculate the relative distances between the planets using a...
Curated OER
Investigating and Using Biomass Gases
Students examine the definitions of biomas gasification and generate their own biomass gas. In this renewable energy lesson plan students collect gases and roast a marshmallow.
Curated OER
Understanding Cloud Formation
Students view a demonstration that simulates cloud formation. They read a poem about clouds, participate in a class demonstration using warm water and ice and write a paragraph summarizing their observations.
Curated OER
What Is In The Water?
Students investigate the biotic and abiotic factors that are found in an aquatic ecosystem. The emphasis is upon the investigation of present an projections of future water quality. Then students visit a local body of water to gather...
Curated OER
Rain Reasons
Students explore how climatic factors influence the growth of plants. They create an experiment to find how variations in water, light, and temperature affect plant growth and describe how precipitation and geography can affect the...
Curated OER
Sunshine and Shadows
Students measure their shadows early in the morning, record direction of shadow, make marks in ground with chalk or tape, measure with ruler, and record results. Students repeat process at noon, and then later in afternoon. Students...
Curated OER
Measuring the Diameter of Our Star
Students conduct an experiment to measure the diameter of the sun. In this astronomy activity, students construct a simple equipment to collect scientific data. They calculate the sun's diameter using a given formula.
Curated OER
Last Year on Pluto
Students examine the astronomical concept of a year. They relate the passage of time on planets to historical events in the USA.
Curated OER
A Comparison of Land and Water Temperature
Students use the NASA website's Live Access Server to create a graph of surface temperature at two locations on earth. They analyze the data and then answer specific questions provided in this lesson. They also examine and compare the...
Curated OER
Every Tree For Itself
Fourth graders play a game where they are trees gathering sun, water, and nutrients and CO2 represented by pieces of paper or poker chips. They record their collected requirements and graph how they grew as a forest.
Curated OER
Nature's Air Conditioner
Students observe the process of transpiration in leaves. They measure how much water a leaf gives off in a 24-hour period, calculate the volume, and answer discussion questions.
Curated OER
Numbers in Art
Students choose a number from one to twelve and tell a number story about it. They listen to the teacher read "Numbers in Art" by Lucy Micklethwait. Students choose three numbers from one to twelve and view works of art while looking for...
Teach Engineering
Weather Basics
Weather — there's more to it than meets the eye of the storm. With this resource young meteorologists learn about the basics of weather, including information about the factors that influence the weather, common weather vocabulary, and...
Curated OER
Salt: White Gold
Students examine the importance of salt for trade routes and the economy of a community.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Scaling Down the Solar System
In this lesson young scholars will work collaboratively to gain a better understanding of the vastness of space by scaling down the solar system. This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Ordering Planets: Math Connections & Number Sense in Science
In this Solar System Investigate, students will determine ways to order the planets. Teacher directed inquiry will suggest that they first order the planets according to their distance from the sun. Students will then work on their own...