California Academy of Science
What's on a Penny?
As a lesson on scientific observation, have your class investigate the features of a penny and a nickel. Working in pairs, they practice writing detailed descriptions using their senses and a ruler to gather information. This is an...
Curated OER
Science Concept Maps
A collection of concept maps has some terms filled in and others left blank for young scientists to fill in. This library can provide you with many pop quizzes for all of your middle to high school science curriculum.
Curated OER
What the Heck Is Science Anyway?
Here is a 12-page outline of an introductory science instructional activity. The teacher lectures on what science is, the role of a scientists, different disciplines of science, and the impact of scientific discoveries. Detailed lecture...
Baylor College
Fuel for Living Things
During a three-part instructional activity, learners make a cabbage juice pH indicator and use it to analyze the waste products of yeast after feeding them with sugar. The intent is to demonstrate how living organisms produce carbon...
Center Science Education
Paleoclimates and Pollen
Demonstrate for your earth scientists how plant pollen of the past has become part of sedimentary deposits, providing clues about ancient climates. Then give them simulated sediment layer samples to analyze for different types of paper...
Curated OER
Writing Exercises: Science and Technology II
All revolutions in science and technology have both pros and cons. Kids examine the advent of the green revolution, nuclear growth, use, and the countries that are considered nuclear powers. They'll construct three responses to each of...
Curated OER
Regents High School Examination: Physical Setting Earth Science 2006
Test your class on earth science with this extensive resource. This test, created by The University of the State of New York Regents, is made up of 50 multiple choice questions and 32 short answer questions that cover the branches of...
California Academy of Science
What Kind of Geologist Am I?
Transform your class into young geologists as they learn about six different branches of geology. Using the included geology career descriptions and picture cards, learners work in small groups deciding which tools and locations fit...
National Wildlife Federation
Branching Out – Exploring Dendrochronology
Tree rings from North America give a continuous history of El Nino intensity over the last 1,100 years. Scholars learn how scientists use tree rings to create timelines demonstrating variations in weather patterns. The cumulative...
Curated OER
Investigating the Effect of Salinity on the Density and Stability of Water
Water with varying amounts of dissolved salt are dyed and then used to compare densities. The objective is to discover the effect of salinity, and therefore density, on ocean water on the stability of the ocean. Many branches of science...
Curated OER
Applied Science - Science and Math Lab
Learners investigate topology. In this Applied Science lesson students explore higher, more abstract mathematics using tangles. Learners make topologically related shapes.
Curated OER
Charting the Three Branches of Government
Learners review CongressLink on the internet and study the branches of government. They work in groups to create charts showing the structure and functions of the three branches of government as outlined in the first three articles to...
Illustrative Mathematics
Accuracy of Carbon 14 Dating II
The scientific issue of carbon-14 dating and exponential decay gets a statistics-based treatment in this problem. The class starts with a basic investigation of carbon content, but then branches out to questions of accuracy and ranges of...
Curated OER
Sky Stories
Students are introduced to the branch of science known as astronomy. They discuss stars and constellations and then view the night sky using a portable digital planetarium projector. They identify a variety of constellations and...
Curated OER
Star Quest
Students review the concepts of the branch of science known as astronomy. They discuss stars and constellations and then view the night sky using a portable digital planetarium projector. They identify a variety of constellations using a...
Curated OER
Science in the Past
Learners research the science of ancient Native American people. They compare native science to the present time. They create a project that they can present to their classmates. The project could be a report, poster, Power Point...
Curated OER
Bursting Blooms- Create an Early Spring
Students prune a tree. In this gardening lesson, students select a shrub or tree that has a lot of flower buds and use sharp pruners to cut sections of branches. Students place the cuttings into cool water and move into a bright...
Curated OER
The History of Mathematics
Research the interrelationship between math and science. Search the Internet to discover the history of several branches of mathematics and make text-to-world connections between the concepts covered in each branch with related...
Berkshire Museum
Adopt a Schoolyard Tree
Help young scientists connect with nature and learn about trees with a fun life science lesson. Heading out into the school yard, children choose a tree to adopt, taking measurements, writing descriptions, and drawing sketches of it in...
Curated OER
Branching Out
Students investigate the causes and effects of the spread of tree diseases in the U.S., and research certain American species of trees and the diseases that commonly threaten them. They create pamphlets to help identify healthy and...
Curated OER
Functions of the Three Branches of Government
Learners research the branches of government and write summaries about both the state and federal systems. After conducting reaserch in texts and online, students create Venn diagrams displaying the governmental functions of the three...
Curated OER
Polymers
Present polymers to your chemistry class with this practical PowerPoint. Begin with a definition and the properties of polymer materials. Branch out into diagrams of polymer structure. Consider the two general types: addition polymers...
Curated OER
Science and Natural Philosophy Before the Seventeenth Century
Students complete a worksheet about some of the natural philosophers in history. They use graph paper and create a timeline with the dates of birth and names of a list of natural philosophers. They list four questions concerning life and...
Curated OER
Our Sky: Home of Stars and Planets
Students discover that astronomy is a branch of science that includes the study of planets, stars, and constellations.