Berkshire Museum
Nature Journaling: Experience the Outdoors Through Writing and Drawing
Step into the great outdoors and develop young scientists' skills of observation with a nature journaling lesson. Given a specific focus or goal, children practice making and recording observations of nature through written descriptions...
Curated OER
Using Dialogue Journals in Support of Science Instruction
Students build a dialog journal within their science class. They develop written responses to questions asked by the teacher in a journal notebook. Teachers have the responsibility to read and respond to student responses.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Causes and Effects of Climate Change
It's time for your class to literally show what they know! Pupils illustrate what they learned about the causes and effects of climate change by filling out a graphic organizer to complete the 5-part series of lessons. They discuss them...
Curated OER
A Pill with a View
Students brainstorm a list of potential uses for micro-video technologies. After reading an article, they analyze the development of a new pill-sized camera. In groups, they create a children's book that shows them the various systems of...
Curated OER
Illinois Biodiversity
Students examine the amount of biodiversity in the state of Illinois. They practice using new vocabulary and listening to stories about animals. After given time to reflect, they write their own haiku. They work together to create a...
Curated OER
Cloudy With a Chance of...
Second graders will write a story. In this writing and meteorology lesson, 2nd graders read the story Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, then use KidPix to create a weather picture. The picture is imported into a word processor and the...
Curated OER
Light Travels Through Objects
Young scholars experiment with materials that allow light to pass through. In this physical science lesson, students investigate the way light is absorbed by many different glass objects and household items. Young scholars...
Curated OER
Observing and Writing about Butterflies
Students observe and write about butterflies. In this life cycle lesson, students listen to the story The Life of a Butterfly by Robin Bernard and watch a YouTube video of a butterfly coming out of his chrysalis. They complete a...
Curated OER
The Ozone
Learners engage in lesson concerned with the concept of the ozone layer. They write a reflective journal using prior knowledge. Students read sources of information about the existence of a hole in the ozone layer. Finally they create...
Penguin Books
The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Young Readers Edition
As the saying goes, you are what you eat. A useful set of lesson plans encourage young readers to take a second look at their eating habits. Pre- and post-reading questions bring in reflective writing and discussion while extension...
Curated OER
Writing About Winter
Students investigate the concept of winter as a season and they write an essay as a reflection upon the acquiring of new information. The class should have a list of vocabulary or a word wall available for observation to aid in the...
Virginia Department of Education
Weather Patterns and Seasonal Changes
Get your class outside to observe their surroundings with a lesson highlighting weather patterns and seasonal changes. First, learners take a weather walk to survey how the weather affects animals, people, plants, and trees during...
Curated OER
An Introduction to Light Unit-Third Grade
Third graders are introduced to light in an eight part unit which includes activities, additional resources, and rubrics for each part. Students address topics such as energy, reflection, absorption, and refraction through hands-on...
Curated OER
Health Conscious?
What is your attitude on health and illness? By considering their own experiences, students will reflect on and discuss their attitudes toward health and illness while educating each other by researching illnesses in small groups,...
Curated OER
Eggs'ceptional Experiments
Students see evidence of chemical reaction and follow the scientific method to hypothesize, observe, and reach conclusions. They conduct a series of egg based experiments such as forming crystals and complete journal activities as a...
Curated OER
Under the Sea
Students imagine and describe fictitious sea animals that might live in the ocean. After reading an article, they reflect on new discoveries found in the ocean recently. Using the internet, they research the interdependence of animals...
Curated OER
Reflections
Pupils are given materials with various textures and light sources to investigate specular reflection, diffuse, reflection, angle of incidence, and angle of reflection. Students draw and label an everyday scenario showing specular and...
Curated OER
Race and Genetics: An Integrated Approach
High schoolers analyze racial issues related to the Human Genome Project. They participate in a mock symposium and write a reflection/position paper based on specific ethical principals.
Curated OER
Exploration of "Pillbugs"
Fifth graders define vocabulary terms, identify the characteristics of a pillbug, and create a dichotomous key. Then they examine the pillbugs and make observations and record these observations. Finally, 5th graders observe specific...
Curated OER
Nature Notes
Students spend some time outdoors and record their observations of abiotic conditions, geologic surroundings and living organisms. They reflect and write about the experience of being observant in nature.
Take the challenge
Connecting with Natural/Open Spaces
Get your class outside, away from the television, and maybe even learning something about nature while they're at it. Individuals will chose an open, natural space to spend time in for several days. Each day they will complete a page in...
Curated OER
Writing About Estuaries
Young scholars use the internet to research an aspect of interest to them about the Tijuana Estuary. After the unit on the estuary is completed, they reflect on their experiments and thoughts in a paper. They also participate in a field...
Curated OER
I Wonder...
Students review information they have gathered from previous lessons. They create their own experiments and carry them out. They reflect on the project as a whole.
Curated OER
Healthy Hearts
Students focus on advanced technologies used to treat disease impacting the cardiopulmonary system; they then reflect on the experiences of having and overcoming illnesses.