Cornell University
Bacteria Take Over and Down
Bacteria outnumber all other forms of life on Earth. Scholars observe the growth of bacteria in petri dishes to understand their role in maintaining good health. Then, they observe the growth of bacteria after they introduce...
Curated OER
Dining Out With Fishes and Birds of the Hudson
The class will make observations to determine how environment has shaped the way particular birds and fish eat. They will view a series of photographs, read two short articles, and then consider how food availability has determined how...
Science Matters
Spaghetti Fault Model
Does increasing the pressure between two moving plates provide a stabilizing force or create more destruction? The hands-on lesson encourages exploration of strike-split fault models. The sixth lesson in a 20-part series asks scholars to...
Curated OER
SCHOOLYARD SUNDIAL
Students study the apparent motion of the Sun in the sky over the course of a day and a year, and analyze what causes seasons on Earth. They participate in a project that has both a science as well as an art component.
Curated OER
What Are The Properties of Sea Water?
Ninth graders conduct research on the subject of sea water. They use a variety of resources to obtain information. There are helpful resource links listed in the lesson. In conjunction with the research students make inquiry of the...
Curated OER
The Green Truck Garden Giveaway
Young scholars read "The Green Truck Garden Giveaway" and explore the hobby of gardening. After observing illustrations in the book, students predict possible events in the story. They discuss gardening and write a story about a...
Pingry School
Qualitative Analysis of Eleven Household Chemicals
Chemical and physical properties give compounds an identity. Learners use the identity of a compound to predict what it is. By performing different tests like solubility, flame, heat, and reactions, individuals attempt to identify an...
Curated OER
Paper Pets
In this paper pets genetics worksheet, students are given 4 genetic traits found in a particular species (paper pet). Students are given the genotypes of the parents of the paper pets and they perform genetic crosses using punnet squares...
Curated OER
Sequence of Events: The Watershed
Class members simulate a watershed with a painters drop cloth, placing objects underneath to create landscape variation, making "rain" with a watering can, and using red drink mix powder to track the path of precipitation. They observe...
Curated OER
Mixed Up Chameleon
Students discover facts about chameleons. In this adaptations lesson plan, students read a book about chameleons and discuss the adaptations they have to survive. Students also discuss predator and prey of the chameleon. Students make...
Growing Minds
Growing Minds: Cabbage Exploration
It's all about cabbage in this scientific observation resource! After reading a related story, learners explore three varieties of cabbage. They observe the leaves using a leaf diagram, predicting what the middle might look like. They...
National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science
Identical Twins, Identical Fates?
Can different personal experiences affect our genes? Find out in an intriguing case study about one twin who is diagnosed with mental illness and her identical twin who fears she may suffer the same fate. Designed for college-level...
University of Kentucky
The Great Spider Debate
Poor, misunderstood spiders! They are feared, disrespected, and detested by many people, yet they do so many positive things. A great addition to any insect unit, learn about some of the more common spiders, while hopefully dispelling...
Herff Jones Education
Reaction Rates
Equip pupils with tools to determine reaction rates as they explore conditions that cause a reaction to increase or decrease. They also discuss why this occurs and predict the next steps as they take part in a series of experiments.
Clarkson University
Understanding Energy (With a Pendulum)
Have you ever wanted to play with a giant pendulum? An experiment allows small groups to do just that. They gather data and make observations as they complete the included worksheet. The instructional activity lays out each instruction...
PHET
Bending Light
Different colors of the spectrum travel at different speeds through media, causing them to refract at different angles—which allows humans to see their colors. Through a simulation, pupils see how air, water, and other media bend light....
Beyond Benign
Urine Jeopardy
Urine can tell us a lot about what is happening in our bodies. In a hands-on activity, scholars administer pH, glucose, ketone, and protein tests to a sample of "urine" solution made from household ingredients. Their results lead them to...
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Gaining Understanding and Information from Introductory Material, Headings, and Other Division Markers in Texts (English III Reading)
All teachers are teachers of reading! The 13-part interactive series ends with a lesson that teaches learners (and their instructors) how to approach reading their textbooks. After learning about several strategies, users test their...
Curated OER
Fish and Zooplankton Through Remote Sensing
Ecology aces examine sea surface temperature maps and relate temperatures to concentration in fish and zooplankton populations. Take your class to a computer lab and provide experience with actual remote sensing data. Some of the links...
Curated OER
Winter Wonderland - Winter Olympics and the Water Cycle
After a concise introduction to the water cycle, junior meteorologists access NOAA's average snowfall data. They choose a city to examine in terms of precipitation. Then they look at historical snowfall data and use it to predict snow...
Wild BC
Greenhouse Gas Line-Up
Discuss different sources of energy and how much greenhouse gas each might emit. The six sources are then ranked according to emissions from greatest to least. Finally, the true cumulative emissions are revealed to show the class how...
Curated OER
Nuclear Chemistry Project
Radiation has numerous real-world applications, some of which are relatively safe while others can be extremely hazardous. In this nuclear chemistry project, young scientists choose a practical use of nuclear reactions to research in...
It's About Time
Coal and Your Community
When I was young, I was afraid of the dark. Now I am afraid of getting the electric bill. This fourth lesson in a series of eight focuses on coal mining, conservation, and energy efficiency. Scholars start by taking data from a table and...
PhET
Molarity
All chemists know that moles are made of molecules. Individuals see how changes in the amount of solute affect the concentration of the solutions. By manipulating solute amounts (moles), solution volume (liters), and solute types, the...