Curated OER
Sampling the Ocean Floor
Students sample goodies from an unseen ocean floor and try to accurately describe their composition. This simulation helps students explain the limitations of sampling and the problem of obtaining representative samples of sea floor...
Science 4 Inquiry
Expanding the Universe
When Einstein first heard the theory of the expanding universe, he dismissed it as bad physics. Now scholars learn about the theory and how scientists prove it has merit. Through a hands-on simulation and videos, class members measure...
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What's The Big Deal About Accutane?
Students take on the role of epidemiologists. They investigate an "outbreak" in serious birth defects that occur in infants born to teenage girls. students discover a link between the use of the acne drug called Accutane and birth defects.
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Air Pressure
Learners participate in a series of demonstrations about Bernoulli's principle. They explain how air pressure varies with air speed. They write a detailed lab report about the activity. This is a great way to explore this concept.
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Moon Mining
Go on a moon mining expedition from the safety of your classroom with this space exploration simulation. Using simple models of the moon's surface prepared ahead of time by the teacher, young scientists are challenged with locating and...
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Exploring Magnets and Magnetism
Here is a very good lesson on magnets, magnetism, and magnitic fields that is chock full of great activities for you to implement with your young scientists. Learners discover the properties of magnets, look at the forces of attraction...
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Note-Taking: K.I.S.S. "Keep It Short and Simple"
Note-taking is an essential study skill, and it needs to be taught! In the context of a research project on energy sources, learners find multiple sources, evaluating, paraphrasing, and citing them correctly. Two lists with note-taking...
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A Soldier's View of the American Civil War
Study and research the American Civil War in this explanatory writing lesson. Middle schoolers complete six activities to learn about the American Civil War and soldiers' views of the war. The lesson includes several options to complete...
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Unwind: Directed Reading Thinking Activity
To generate interest in reading Neal Shusterman's young adult science fiction novel Unwind, class members engage in a Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA) that asks them to examine the front and back covers, the blurbs, and "The...
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Wig-wag Physics
High schoolers make observations on the effects of a small, medium and large weight on the movement of a wig-wag apparatus. They use their observations to develop a generalized inference of the effect weight on movement patterns.
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Cool! Awesome! What is it?
Students infer what a mysterious object is in a photo. For this inference lesson, students practice their scientific skills to identify what they see. Students enjoy solving the mysterious identity of objects and extending their...
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Hurricanes in History:
Students interpret data displayed in a graph, make inferences based on graphical data. They work in pairs or groups to interpret graphs containing historical data of hurricanes, and then answer questions that assess their understanding...
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Classifying Rocks
Third graders classify rocks. In this rocks and minerals lesson, 3rd graders observe, make inferences and conclusions about rocks, minerals, soil and fossils.
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Introduction to Scientific Methods
Sixth graders distinguish between an observation and an inference distinguish between quantitative and qualitative observations of a scientific experiment. They record and organize data collected during an experiment.
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Potential and Kinetic Energy
Sixth graders explore potential and kinetic energy. In this science lesson plan, 6th graders assume the role of a roller coaster engineer and design a roller coaster. Students use their knowledge of kinetic and potential energy to design...
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The Beaufort Scale: A Local Model
Students study the Beaufort Scale and use it to study wind in their community. In this wind study instructional activity, students watch a DVD about climate change and learn about the Beaufort Scale. Students complete a worksheet for the...
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Shipwreck Mystery
Students study web pages on a shipwreck then locate where this took place on a map. In this marine archaeologist lesson students examine what clues archaeologists use to find the location of a shipwreck and what they might find.
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Acid and Base Testing 2
Students design and conduct an experiment on unknown solutions after studying descriptions of indicators and the way in which they identify acids and bases. Students must gather, organize, and analyze data as well as make inferences...
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Hierarchical Organization in Biology: Students Presentations of Neurobiology
Students gather (research) information on neuron structure and action potential. Students are guided to make inferences about the synapse and its relationship to neurotransmitter release and action. They are also guided to make...
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Decision Making
Students study weather patterns and learn to make decisions based on the weather. In this weather lesson, students plan a potluck based on the weather. Students use a decision tree to brainstorm about the activity. Students complete a...
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Layering the Air
Students study the layer of the atmosphere. In this lesson on the atmosphere, students discuss the composition of the air around us and how the atmosphere was formed. Students create a scale model of the layers of the atmosphere.
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Colored Dots 1
Students observe that colored markers are a mixture of many different colors by performing a chromatography experiment. They make observations, record information, and make generalized inferences from their observations.
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Height of Bounce
Eighth graders determine the relationship between the height of bounce of a ping-pong ball and the height from which it was dropped. They are assessed on the ability to record and interpret data, graph data, make predictions, and make...
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More on Temperature and Solubility
Learners discover how temperature effects the solubility of solutes by experimenting with a range of temperatures. They develop skills for observing, inferring, measuring, comparing and contrasting.