American Chemical Society
Why Does Water Dissolve Sugar?
Did you know that if you wait long enough, the M on the outside of an M and M will float to the surface when submerged in water? Learners observe the sugar coating of an M and M while it is dissolving in water. They explain how this...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Human Feet Are Strange
Feet are neat! So, if you've already walked the path of examining animal footprints with your class, put them in the shoes of early humans! A well-designed lesson incorporates video, discussion, and hands-on learning to demonstrate how...
Centers for Ocean Sciences
Ocean and Great Lakes Literacy: Principle 1
Is your current lesson plan for salt and freshwater literacy leaving you high and dry? If so, dive into part one of a seven-part series that explores the physical features of Earth's salt and freshwater sources. Junior hydrologists...
Curated OER
Sensational Slime
Students predict, observe and draw conclusions while working on an experiment with "slime." Students accurately record observations and draw conclusions about the experiment.
Curated OER
Artifact Identification-What is it?
Students observe an artifact and make an inference about the artifact's purpose. They are going to role-play as archaeologists by using artifacts to hypothesize about the lives of past people.
Curated OER
Observing the Sky
Young scholars explore astronomy. In this astronomy lesson, students discuss the history of the movement of celestial bodies and then communicate with other young scholars regarding the movements that they observe in the sky nightly....
Curated OER
Paper Plate Observation
Students analyze transits from previous scientists. They identify simple objects that could have been used for documentation in the science world. They also practice scientific inquiry using methodology.
Curated OER
Growing a Lawn
Learners research plant growth. In this plant growth lesson, students explore the needs of plants. Learners compare and contrast grass and broadleaf plants and grow a miniature lawn in a cup of soil. Resources are provided.
Curated OER
Observation and Stimulation of bioluminescence and chemiluminescence
Students are introduced to chemical reactions, reaction rates, chemiluminescence, fluorescence and bioluminescence. They use glow sticks are used to demonstrate the effect of temperature on the rates of chemical reactions. Pupils recall...
Curated OER
Picture This
A unique writing lesson, this plan begins with learners talking about multiculturalism in small groups. Each learner will choose a picture from a newspaper, describe it to their small group, and think about how it relates to...
Curated OER
Technology Integration Project Weather Unit Plan
High schoolers use a variety of technology-assisted weather observation tools to observe and record local weather. They identify, measure and record weather conditions, summarize types of clouds and make graphs of their observations....
Virginia Department of Education
Modeling the Big Bang Theory
Young astronomers learn about the Big Bang Theory and redshift through a hands-on activity in the last installment of a three-part series. Participants draw dots on balloons and then inflate them to model how galaxies moved farther apart...
Discovery Education
Fuss About Dust
Dust is everywhere around us; it's unavoidable. But what exactly is dust and are certain locations dustier than others? These are the questions students try to answer in an interesting scientific investigation. Working independently or...
Baylor College
Animals' Needs
Explore the wonderful world of earthworms as your class learns about the requirements of animal life. After building soda bottle terrariums, students observe worms over the course of a couple weeks, building an understanding that all...
Curated OER
Living and Non-Living Things in the Environment
Third graders examine living and non-living things and observe a plant growing in the classroom. There are many additional resources to assist learning and extension work, they can read books, interact with PowerPoint presentations, and...
National Gallery of Canada
The World Around Me
Have your learners use their surroundings as inspiration for an art project. Class members first examine and discuss art. They then choose an area and spend five days taking down observations in written and sketch form. These...
EngageNY
The Graph of the Natural Logarithm Function
If two is company and three's a crowd, then what's e? Scholars observe how changes in the base affect the graph of a logarithmic function. They then graph the natural logarithm function and learn that all logarithmic functions can be...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
What van Leeuwenhoek Saw
When van Leeuwenhoek saw cells and single-celled organisms for the first time, he knew these small things were a big deal! Share his discoveries with young learners through a narrated video, model-building activity, and scale study....
Royal Society of Chemistry
Metals—Gifted and Talented Chemistry
Malleable, magnetic, mesmerizing metals! Pupils love learning about metallic elements, especially through the hands-on activities in an engaging lesson plan. The resource provides thorough instruction on the properties of metals, the...
Curated OER
What's Outside the Window
What do your students see when they look outside the window? This project lets their imagination go wild, and lets you see what kind of daydreaming they do best. They each draw, paint, and color an image of what they imagine as they are...
National Wildlife Federation
Citizen Science to the Rescue!
You don't have to be a scientist or even out of high school to contribute to scientific research. In the 12th lesson in the series of 21, scholars use this opportunity to add to the growing body of scientific knowledge and consider the...
Science 4 Inquiry
Edible Plate Tectonics
Many people think they can't observe plate tectonics, but thanks to GPS, we know that Australia moves at a rate of 2.7 inches per year, North America at 1 inches per year, and the Pacific plate at more than 3 inches per year! Scholars...
National Wildlife Federation
The Tide is High, but I’m Holding On… Using ICESat Data to Investigate Sea Level Rise
Based on the rate of melting observed from 2003-2007 in Greenland, it would take less than 10 minutes to fill the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium. The 17th activity in a series of 21 has scholars use the ICESat data to understand the ice mass...
Columbus City Schools
Igneous Rock
These rocks are HOT! Well, they used to be, anyway. Take young geologists on a two-week journey through the life and times of the average igneous rock. Lab groups work together to hypothesize about intrusive and extrusive igneous rock...