ARKive
Galapagos Conservation
The Galapagos Islands inspired Darwin to develop his theory of evolution. These wonderful islands will also be the topic of a lesson on habitat and conservation. In small groups, learners will collect and synthesize information regarding...
Centers for Ocean Sciences
Ocean and Great Lakes Literacy: Principle 7
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to take your class on an underwater adventure. The final installment in a seven-part series involving salt and freshwater bodies takes junior oceanographers below the surface in...
Curated OER
Design your own Water Temperature Experiment
Learners use Robolab sensors and software to design an experiment that incorporates the use of temperature probes. They conduct the experiment, complete a lab sheet, evaluate the results and then consider if their hypothesis requires...
Curated OER
Bungee Man Lab
Students explore the motion of a toy bungee jumper using the scientific method. They view a video of a bungee jumper and discuss what can be measured about a bungee jump. Students discuss the scientific mehtod and how to design an...
Curated OER
Plant Motion: The Untold Secrets
Learners identify and categorize knowledge needed to design an experiment. They observe, recognize and describe the motion viewed. They document any changes caused by various solutions.
Curated OER
Cross That Bridge
Students create paper bridges. In this geometry and architecture instructional activity, groups use legal paper and paper clips to design a bridge that will hold 100 pennies. Links to mini-lessons exploring stability of different...
Curated OER
Classification in Action
Students work with a set of objects to set up both quantitative and qualitative classification systems. As a group, students follow an example to design and complete two classification systems using a set of objects provided. ...
Curated OER
Friction Restriction: Creating a Design Plan to Redesign the Tread of Tennis Sneakers to Increase Friction
Students evaluate the friction of tennis sneakers and redesign them to increase friction. In this physics lesson, students calculate starting, sideways and forward stopping friction. Using quantitative data, they prove that redesigning...
Curated OER
Ant Lion Lesson Plan
Students observe three qualitative and quantitative observations. The students further practice the follwoing: asking research questions,forming a hypothesis, and describe how ant lions catch their prey. Students also form hypotheses...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Dinosaurs
Students will develop goals for inquiry. They will also improve content area reading and research skills. The context of studying dinosaurs will help learners to distinguish from organisms that live presently and those from the past...
Curated OER
Beginning Statistical Inquiries into the Scientific Method: Jelly-Side-Down
Students describe what happens when a piece of jellied toast is dropped off a table. From these observations, students pose a question concerning which side of the jellied toast land on the floor.
Curated OER
Using Technology to Design Animal Habitats
Young scholars study the relationship between an animal and where it lives. In this habitats activity students research to obtain data and create a professional report.
Curated OER
Bouncing Light
Learners design an experiment to investigate how light reflects. In this physics instructional activity, students apply the scientific method in conducting the experiment. They collect data and formulate a conclusion.
Curated OER
Automated Vehicle Programming Design
Students design a program to make an automated vehicle perform a specific task. In this robotics lesson, students play the role of scientists competing to win a factory's contract. They present their algorithm to class.
Curated OER
Designing Tools for Ocean Exploration
Students research the methods and tools used in ocean exploration. They, in groups, simulate an ocean exploration and consider what tools facilitate the exploration's objectives.
Curated OER
Inquiry Lesson About Color
Students investigate the color choices artists make in their work, and to practice the scientific process of predicting, observing, inferring, and interpreting. This activity's purpose is to prepare students for a museum visit.
Curated OER
Window Gardens
High schoolers use a plastic sandwich bag containing a damp paper towel taped to a window as a model system to observe the germination and early growth of radish seeds. They are challenged to pose a question about seed germination and...
Curated OER
Determining the Age of Fossils
Students examine the concept of radioactive dating. In this radioactive dating lesson plan, students investigate how to determine the ages of fossils and rocks as they learn about half-life radioactive decay.
Curated OER
Species Interactions
Students study the scientific concepts of biodiversity and conservation through the use of basic equations of population growth and hands-on experiments/simulations. The lesson includes a take-home assignment which can be used for final...
Curated OER
Changing Ramp Heights
Learners conduct an experiment to determine how the change in ramp height affects the distances a ball is able to move a stationary cup. Data is collected from several trials and recorded and analyzed.
Curated OER
Temperature School
Pupils observ the cooling and warming of room temperature, hot, and ice cold cans of water by measuring the change in temperature over time. They then attempt to develop explanations for the observations made and apply their findings to...
Curated OER
Balls and Ramp
Students role several balls of different weights down a ramp and into a paper cup and record how far each ball made the paper cup move. They then answer questions that help them analyze their results and reinforce the idea that energy...
Curated OER
Plastic Wrap
Learners compare the price and quality of different kinds of plastic kitchen wraps and then rank them from best to worst. They take into account how well it comes out of the roll, if it seals well, it is tangles, how much weight it...