Curated OER
Tallying Local Species to Learn About Diversity
Using this thoroughly-written plan, you can have your junior ecologists exploring local biodiversity. They take a journal outdoors to tally the species that they see. An article is included along with comprehension questions. The author...
Japan Society
Japanese Architecture for High School Students
Japanese architecture is rich in symbolism and culture. Critical thinkers engage in three activities intended to expose them to the beauty of Japan. They read through the book, Praise of Shadows by Junichiro Tanizaki and watch the film...
Curated OER
Water in the Biosphere
Environmental explorers examine the campus and take note of living organisms. Introduce them to the biosphere and the questions of the day: How much water can be found in the biosphere? A slide show helps you along, and even contains a...
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Life In A Nest: Exploring Life Cycles With Bird Cams
Why read about it when you can watch it happen? Bird cams make it possible for learners to experience the life cycle of a bird in real time! An engaging set of lessons provides activities to connect their learning to bird cam...
Curated OER
Solid Waste and Recycling
Learners demonstrate effects of waste on environment and ways of reducing it, observe how much packaging goes into bag lunches each day, and survey their families to assess awareness levels and household recycling practices. Lessons all...
Curated OER
How To Measure Area
Geometers learn how to measure the area in square units. They use the floor in the classroom as a visual to measure a square foot area. They use classmates to fill the space and expand the measured area square foot by square foot until...
Curated OER
A Home Energy Audit
Young scholars investigate ways to save energy. In this environmental lesson, students play the role of a building inspector and identify "culprits" that waste energy. Young scholars use a checklist to identify specific practices that...
National Gardening Association
Migration Mishaps
Elementary ecologists pretend to be migratory hummingbirds. They fly between wintering and nesting grounds, trying to reach a habitat haven. In a musical-chair fashion, some birds will miss out, and are removed from the game. To further...
Illustrative Mathematics
Shape Hunt Part 2
Shapes are everywhere in the world around us, from rectangular doors to the circular wheels of a car. The second instructional activity in this series opens the eyes of young mathematicians to this wonderful world of shapes as they...
University of Texas
Observing the Moon
Why does it look like there is a man on the moon? Why does the moon look different every night? These are the focus questions of a lesson that prompts class members to observe and record the nightly changes of Earth's natural satellite.
Star Date
Shadow Play
Three activities make up a solar system lesson that features the sun, its light, and the shadows it produces. Scholars step outside to discover the changes shadows make at different times of day, take part in a demonstration of how Earth...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Preparing for Project BudBurst
Plants take cues from the environment—change in daylight hours and temperature—to complete their seasonal life cycles. Lesson four in the series of six has classes collect phenology data on plants. After taking initial observations,...
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Investigating Evidence
Explore the scientific process through nature. Scholars become scientists as they develop a question, design an experiment, collect data, and analyze their results. A two-week lesson guides your classes through the process and provides...
DiscoverE
Pipe Maze
Here's a lesson that is simply a-MAZE-ing! Introduce science scholars to pipeline systems through a hands-on project. Partnered pupils participate in the design, construct, and test a PVC pipeline maze. Reusable materials and clear...
Nuffield Foundation
Monitoring Water Pollution with Invertebrate Indicator Species
Healthy invertebrates mean healthy ponds. An outdoor activity has scholars collect samples of invertebrates from local lakes or ponds. They identify and count different species and use the information to estimate the level of pollution...
American Museum of Natural History
Bird Watching with Theodore Roosevelt
If you can't go to the birds, bring the birds to you! An interactive lesson helps learners identify different bird types by sight and sound. Pop-ups provide information about the different birds and audio plays the sound each bird makes.
Curated OER
Design Technology- Grow Your Own Grub
Students design a protective cover for outdoor plants. In this agricultural lesson, students use chicken wire, plastic sheeting, and empty bottles to construct a cover for lettuce leaves. Students take digital photos of their project.
Curated OER
Creek Teach
Students develop lessons which they teach to younger students in a type of outdoor education camp.
Curated OER
Using Concrete Words: Paragraph Assignment
In this paragraph worksheet, students describe their favorite outdoor location. Students include a topic sentence, indentations, and more.
Curated OER
Arthropods At "Home"
Young scholars discover what an arthropod is and how they survive in our world. In this insect lesson, students read the book, A House Is A House For Me, and compare a home for a person with the type of habitat an arthropod lives in....
Curated OER
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Students discover gardening by documenting plants grown on school grounds. In this botany lesson, students utilize digital cameras to capture images of plants on photo hikes which are turned into a slide show. Students plant a garden...
Curated OER
Summer Camp in the Classroom
Students explore wildlife plants and summer activities. In this natural science instructional activity, students identify plants and animals and create a scrapbook of their findings.
Curated OER
Outdoor Observations
Fifth graders attain data using their senses. They record information. They develop observation skills and explore how to investigate. They gain appreciation for nature through their observations.
Scholastic
We Are Moving on Up
Celebrate your class's achievements with this collection of reflective, rewarding activities. In a lesson plan designed to help your pupils transition to the next grade, students take part in up 13 activities that celebrate the end of...