Curated OER
Preparing for the New Haven Public School Science Fair Through Environmental Science
Students discover what type of effect that pesticides have on earthworms. They use three different types of pesticide and examine the external and internal effects that each have on earthworms. They maintain earthworms in habitats...
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
Now You Have It, Now You Don't
Sixth graders compare corn-based shipping peanuts to Styrofoam shipping peanuts. In this hands-on environmental awareness instructional activity, 6th graders try dissolving two different types of packing peanuts in water.
Curated OER
Chefs of the Week
Students, as members of a team, are asked to prepare one meal to feed one person in a day. They analyze their meal and their daily menu for the nutritional content and explain this during an oral presentation.
Curated OER
How Do You Know There is Air in a Bag?
Fourth graders explore air as a material substance. Through experimentation and discussion, they explore how air can be classified as a material substance. Students write three examples proving that air is a material substance in their...
Curated OER
Without Limits
Seventh graders research about the important contributions of two scientists they chose from the list. In this science lesson, 7th graders develop a creative presentation such as skits or news program about their research. They present...
Curated OER
Nature of Science and Technology
Fourth graders measure weather using different instruments and gather information to make science comparisons. In this weather measurement lesson plan, 4th graders have activities they can complete whether they are visual, auditory,...
Curated OER
The Great Fossil Find - Reconstructing the Pieces
Students go on an imaginary fossil hunt. They follow a script read by the teacher, students "find" (remove from envelope) paper "fossils" of some unknown creature. They attempt to reconstruct fossil pieces into an animal.
Curated OER
Web of Predators and Prey
Middle schoolers investigate the food chain by researching the Internet. In this ecosystem lesson, students view the video "Competitor and Predator" and read a book from the series "The Magic School Bus." Middle schoolers utilize a...
Curated OER
Classification of the Nearby Trees
Third graders practice using classification techniques to identify local trees. In this plant life instructional activity, 3rd graders discuss how trees differ from other plants and what characteristics are unique to trees alone....
Curated OER
Newspaper Articles
Seventh graders summarize a newspaper article. In this writing lesson students choose a newspaper article about an environmental issue. The students summarize the article and devise a solution to the environmental issue.
Curated OER
Sweat Your Socks Off
Fourth graders explore evaporation by conducting an experiment. In this water properties lesson, 4th graders examine the differences between two socks that get wet, one which is placed in front of a fan. Students discuss why the sock...
National Wildlife Federation
Wherefore Art Thou, Albedo?
In the sixth lesson in a series of 21, scholars use NASA data to graph and interpret albedo seasonally and over the course of multiple years. This allows learners to compare albedo trends to changes in sea ice with connections to the...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Acceleration
Take a look at acceleration within the context of automotive technology. They vary the mass on a toy car and run it down a ramp, exploring Newton's second law of motion. Though this is a classic lab activity, you will appreciate the...
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)
Plankton to Penguins: Antarctic Food Web
A well-written lesson plan, second in a series of four, gets high schoolers exploring how the Antarctic food web is impacted by climate change and the associated melting of polar ice sheets. It begins with a PowerPoint presentation about...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Get it Write
In an effort to practice engineering design, STEM classes break out into teams and endeavor to make a working ink pen. To prepare, they read about writing implements through history, patents, and viscosity of liquids. Armed with this...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Nano Waterproofing
This lesson will make an impact, especially on scientist-athletes who may have an interest in waterproof clothing! Acting as materials engineers, they work collaboratively on waterproofing pieces of cotton fabric. This challenge is...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Sugar Crystal Challenge
Blow your learners' minds with a sweet lesson on nanotechnology that uses sugar to demonstrate the difference nanoscale surface area makes in dissolving and crystal formation. Plenty of supportive background information is read to...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Tinkering with Tops
Get kids' heads spinning by challenging them to design a top that will rotate for a minimum of 10 seconds without leaving a 30-cm circle. Groups of learners collaborate through a planning stage, testing stage, and evaluation stage. Some...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Oil Recovery
Energy conservers investigate gravel size to discover if it impacts the amount of oil recovered in the extraction process.
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Are Your Computers Wasting Energy?
After reading about the amount of energy that is used to power a personal computer, learners take a look at their own computer use and therefore, their energy consumption. They do this through a series of questions and computations on...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Conservation of Energy
By rolling marbles down a six-foot length of track, physical scientists determine how much energy is lost to heat. It is recommended that you opt for the foam pipe insulation track because more friction slows the marble, allowing...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Gas Laws in Action - Propane
Using helium as an example of propane, physical science middle schoolers experiment with and graph the relationship between temperature and volume in gases. In a whole-class demonstration, they show how molecules behave under different...
Curated OER
Apply Technological Design and Scientific Habits of Mind
Students are introduced to the concepts involved in technological designs. In groups, they design and build a technology related item using research to backup why they have chosen that specific design. They experiment by varying...