University of Georgia
What's So Special about Bottled Drinking Water?
Is artesian water designed to be better, or is it just from wells similar to those in the city of Artesium? This experiment looks at many different types of bottled waters, including artesian. Using a soap mixture, scholars test to see...
Curated OER
Spring of Life
Pupils explore Florida's springs using video segments. In this video lesson, students examine Florida's springs ecosystem, the animals that live there and the red tide that threatens the environment. The lesson includes researching about...
Curated OER
The Four Seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Students discuss the seasons and what the weather is like during each. In this seasons and weather lesson, students discuss what activities take place during each season. Next, students learn the song What Shall We Do and write new...
Curated OER
Science Trail
Students explore the solar system by conducting Earth science experiments. In this Sun lesson plan, students identify the different seasons on Earth and discuss their purpose and cause. Students create a sundial and observe the changes...
Curated OER
Spring is Here
Students analyze changes between winter and spring. In this seasonal changes lesson, students read the story "Spring is Here." They record changes between winter and spring on a large chart paper. Students compare and contrast the...
Curated OER
Water Pressure Experiments
Students perform experiments measuring water pressure. They record their observations after poking holes in plastic bottles filled with water with the lids on and then off. They discover the role gravity plays in the water flow.
Curated OER
Seasons
Students identify and define the vocabulary words: summer, spring, fall, and rotation. They describe how the earth's rotation affects the seasons. Students match appropriate clothing with each season. They discuss why a particular...
Curated OER
The Three Sisters
Third graders explore companion planting. In this lesson, 3rd graders listen to the Native American story The Three Sisters about crop planting. Students determine the important roles within companion planting.
Curated OER
Conservation in Small Places - Composting
A fabulous lesson introduces the art of composting to your gardeners. In it, youngsters learn about the composting process and how it actually works. They discuss the environmental benefits of composting, and use the "lasagna" method...
Curated OER
Where's Dinner?
Upcoming marine biologists consider a list of organisms residing near the Lost City hydrothermal vents and construct a food web. They compare the food web to that of a cold seep community, of which they should have previous knowledge....
Curated OER
Sponge Painting Flowers
Explore the shapes and colors of spring with a flower themed painting project. Included here are a list of materials and the instructions needed to execute an art lesson on sponge painting flowers. Tip: Use in conjunction with a flower...
Texas State University
Earth: Deposition and Lithification
Geology geniuses analyze sediment samples with a hand lens and sort according to physical characteristics. They also learn about the processes of cementation, compaction, and lithification within the rock cycle. The lesson plan is...
Curated OER
Incoming Solar Radiation
Demonstrate how the spherical shape of the Earth contributes to unequal heating of its surface and results in varying climates at different latitudes. This would be an illuminating addition to your meteorology lessons, especially when...
Curated OER
What are Metamorphic Rocks and How are They Formed?
Even though the student handouts are not included in the write-up, this lesson plan contains the instructions for terrific activities to use when teaching middle schoolers about metamorphic rocks. First, they compare granite to gneiss...
Curated OER
Consumerism
Learners examine the techniques that companies use to sell their products. In this consumerism lesson students create an ad for a company and create a handcrafted butterfly.
Curated OER
Beneficial Bug Scavenger Hunt
Going on a scavenger hunt sounds like a great way to spice up any lesson plan. To better understand how beneficial insects are, the class goes outdoors to search for and observe a bug that has big benefits. Included in the lesson are...
Science Matters
Wave Watching
Seismologists use the direction and arrival times of p waves and s waves to determine the distance to the source of an earthquake. The engaging lesson has students line up to form human waves. Through different movements when attached,...
Curated OER
Children's Health on the Decline
Demonstrate the importance of children's health with this cross-curricular activity, which includes elements from health and science as well as expository writing. Middle schoolers develop realistic and obtainable one week health and...
University of Kentucky
Beneficial Bug Scavenger Hunt
Many people think of bugs as annoying pests to be squashed, but most insects and spiders are beneficial, eating the actual pests or pollinating plants. After reviewing some of the common bugs in your area (they may differ from those...
BBC
Sound and Hearing
First and second graders recognize that sound is generated in a variety of ways, and that it comes from many different sources. They explore tone and volume, realizing that there are different ways to describe sound. Some musical...
BBC
Light and Shadows
Light is such an amazing thing! Elementary schoolers explore the wonderful world of light and shadow. The lesson plan is meant to be carried out on a whiteboard. Objects are placed in front of a light source, and learners must predict...
Curated OER
How Does Your Garden Grow? Discovering How Weather Patterns Affect Natural Cycles
For the warm-up in this cool climate lesson, you will need to click on "Mapping" and then "US Mapping" once you arrive at NOAA's "US Climate at a Glance" page. Earth science explorers realize that 2012 was a warm winter for us. They read...
Curated OER
Volcanoes: Windows Into The Earth
Students investigate the concepts related to volcanoes and focus upon Mt. St. Helens. They define the difference between an active and dormant volcano. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order...
Curated OER
Dante's Peak Movie Review
Middle or high school volcanologists watch the 1997 film, Dante's Peak. They make observations as they watch and then write a movie review, focusing on what was accurately represented. They also point out what facts were stretched by...