Curated OER
Classification of Cerealites
Students create a dichotomous key. In this categorizing lesson, students create a dichotomous key for different types of cereal. Students classify the cereal into groups such as flakes and cereal with holes. Students discuss their...
Curated OER
Summer Science Lesson Plans
You can use these lesson plans to incorporate some science into your summer.
Curated OER
Farming Fantastic Friends
Seventh graders demonstrate scientific inquiry to design and perform an experiment involving Grow Creatures. They participate in a class discussion, and in small groups design an experiment that determines how to change the materials to...
Curated OER
Grouping Buttons
Looking for a good lesson on counting and sorting? This lesson is worth a look! In this classification lesson, learners sort buttons by color, shape, shiny verses not shiny, or number of holes.
Curated OER
The Lepidoptera Project
Students are introduced to Scientific Inquiry and discover how to design an experiment that answers critical questions using butterflies as the topic. They design experiments that compare the number of species of butterflies in a vacant,...
Curated OER
Simple Circuit: Electric Currents and Circuits
Through inquiry and exploration, 4th graders will learn and understand the functions of open and closed circuits. They will break into 2 groups, define vocabulary, hypothesize how to light a bulb, then test their hypothesis 4 different...
University of Minnesota
Beautiful Brain: Step Inside the Brain
Before digital microscopes, scientists hired artists to draw the things visible in the microscope. Through training in neuroscience and art, Cajal revolutionized the way we view the beautiful brain. The third lesson in a series of four...
Pyro Innovations
Beach Exploration
Little ones will absolutely love this instructional activity. It's all about the beach and what they can find while sifting through the sand. A large bucket of sand filled with hidden items is brought into the classroom. Learners will...
American Chemical Society
The Discovery of Fullerenes
Carbon is the most common element on earth, so the innovative discovery of a new type of carbon molecule won the 1996 Nobel Prize. In the ready-to-go lesson, scholars learn about C60 and how it has opened up the entire area of...
American Chemical Society
Designing an Absorbency Test
Time to soak up some learning! A hands-on instructional activity teaches learners about the absorbency properties of substances. They conduct tests by dipping different materials in water to determine which hold water and then complete a...
NASA
Dark Matter NASA Conference
Young scholars calculate the escape velocity of planets in our solar system and use that knowledge to calculate the escape velocity for NGC 2300 group. They then suggest reasons for the escape velocity to be higher than possible given...
Curated OER
Cell Wall Recipe: A Lesson on Biofuels
Biotech engineers discover that changes in the DNA code for cell wall formation can help create crops better suited for biofuel production. They extract DNA from wheat germ. They decode paper strips with codes and relate the activity to...
Science 4 Inquiry
Maintaining Mass
Can you disprove the law of conservation of mass? Pupils observe the teacher weigh each part of a reaction. Then, the teacher weighs the result of the reaction and everyone sees that the products do not equal the reactants. Then they...
Rural Science Education Program
Cells, Genetics, and Biotechnology
For scholars tired of reading the textbook, this unit includes nine hands-on lessons. Through group work, lab activities, experiments, and even one inquiry-based lesson, scholars apply knowledge about cells, genetics, and biotechnology....
Curated OER
Measure for Measure: Time & Temperature
Students examine scientific inquiry. In this time and temperature lesson plan students create a template to solve scientific problems and work through a science problem.
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
Feely Balloons
Students use their sense of touch to identify different types of solids. In this "Mystery Solids" lesson, students feel various balloons filled with items such as rice, flour, salt, beans, etc. They use their senses to come to logical...
Curated OER
Physical Changes of Water
Students observe changes in water. In this lesson plan about water and its forms, students perform an experiment to determine how water changes. Students analyze what causes water to be solid, liquid, or gas. Students record their...
Curated OER
Combining Elements to Form a Compound
Students explore elements and compounds. In this lesson about elements and compounds, students will do an experiment. Students work in groups of 2-3 as they complete two separate activities. Students understand how two elements combine...
Curated OER
Stream
Students examine stream waters. In this scientific inquiry lesson, students "explore" wetlands as they participate in a demonstration that reveals information about steam waters and insects.
Curated OER
Adding Creativity to Science Inquiry
Middle schoolers investigate friction by manipulating some of the variables affecting it. In this inquiry lesson, students design their own experiment. They create a video about it and share it to class.
Curated OER
Fractals, An Inquiry: Day 3
Students develop questions for their inquiries and plan their experiments. They are supported by a modeled case study of Max the Dog's Inquiry Planning Process, as well as supported by a planning template, The Inquiry Organizer.
Curated OER
Catapults
Students test catapults. In this physics lesson, student conduct scientific investigations that require them to test catapults. Students practice their problem solving skills as they employ the use of the scientific method.
Curated OER
Understanding Kidney Disease
Students experiment to determine information about kidney function. In this kidney function lesson, students use the scientific method to experiment with eggs, water, salt, sugar, and vegetable oil to simulate kidney function. They...