Curated OER
The Case of the "Lost Gorge:
Young scholars examine the case of a map making expedition. In groups, they read a case study on "The Lost Gorge" in the Finger Lakes region of New York state. They examine maps and determine where the error in the map-making occured to...
Curated OER
Do You Get What You Pay For?
Consumers explore scientific notation as it relates to the real world. In this algebra lesson, mathematicians convert Gigabytes in to scientific notation to see if they are being cheated. They differentiate between base ten and base of...
Curated OER
M&M Probability
Students apply the scientific method in order to determine the probability of specific colors in a bag of M&M's. They determine the definition of probability and how it can be used. They make a hypothesis and conduct an experiment to...
Curated OER
Chalkboard Challenge: Science Vocabulary
Students play a Jeopary-style game in this engaging PowerPoint. The scientific categories are the solar system, planet, weather, cells, and rocks. These types of interactive games are an excellent way to reinforce the important...
CPO Science
Physics Skill and Practice Worksheets
Stop wasting energy searching for physics resources, this comprehensive collection of worksheets has you covered. Starting with introductions to the scientific method, dimensional analysis, and graphing data, these skills practice...
California Academy of Science
What's on a Penny?
As a lesson plan 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
Real-World Projects: Challenges from the Polymer Industry
Two scenarios are presented for chemistry detectives to decipher. Both require the use of an infrared spectrometer and focus on the examination of polymer materials. In the first, lumps in polyethylene bottles are analyzed. In the...
Curated OER
A Research Project and Article For the Natural Inquirer
Get your class to use the scientific process to solve a scientific problem. They utilize the Natural Inquirer magazine to identify a research question which they write an introduction to and collect data to answer. They use graphs,...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Scientific Inquiry Using WildCam Gorongosa
How do scientists determine what questions to ask to meet their research goals? Help your class develop an inquiry mindset with a lesson based on studies in the Gorongosa National Park. Partners create their own research questions by...
It's About Time
Natural Selection
Are you the predator or the prey? Student groups participate in an activity to demonstrate the process of natural selection in a contained environment. After scholars complete the activity and questions, they apply their knowledge to a...
Perkins School for the Blind
Conductors of Heat - Hot Spoons
Why is the end of a spoon hot when it's not all the way in the hot water? A great question deserves a great answer, and learners with visual impairments will use their auditory and tactile senses to get that answer. A talking...
Curated OER
Where Do Plants Get Their Food?
Plants need food to survive, just like any other living organism. Young biologists analyze an experiment performed in 1610 by Jan van Helmont to determine if plant nutrition is obtained through the soil. First, lab groups work together...
Curated OER
Freshwater Fish Anatomy & Taxonomy
Tenth graders use a classification key to identify organisms. In this classification lesson students identify freshwater species of fish and document their observations.
Curated OER
Introduction to Scientific Method
Students investigate safe laboratory procedures, classroom management guidelines, and group roles and procedures. They study a set of safety guidelines with their parents, and to sign a contract stating that they understand the...
Curated OER
Research Question, Hypothesis and Experimental Design
Learners discuss steps of the scientific process, as well as, observe a picture of the beach that they will visit. Students create a testable hypothesis about marine debris at the beach. In this science lesson plan, learners create a...
Curated OER
Scientific Method Unit: Bacteria
Young scholars discover how to apply the steps of the inquiry process through the study of bacteria. Working in groups of four, they cooperatively read an article about bacteria and complete a graphic organizer. Group members share with...
Curated OER
An Introduction to Classification
Sixth graders explore, analyze and study the history of classification systems and the scientific processes that influenced modern classification methods. They evaluate why classification and binomial nomenclature are necessary to the...
Curated OER
Journal Introductions
Students explore the idea of scientific observation and the use of a journal to record their observations. They examine the proper vocabulary used when describing scientific inquiry. Students observe a science experiment and they discuss...
Curated OER
Composting
Using 2-liter bottles, junior ecologists create composting tubes in which they place nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials. They observe what changes occur over two weeks' time. Provide more specific direction to your class as to what...
Curated OER
Mitosis & Cell Processes
Students research the process of mitosis and how it progresses to the finished result of cell division. They reflect upon how this causes organisms to grow larger and helps tissues to be renewed.
Curated OER
Sugar in Tea
Little chemists address whether or not you can get sugar back out of tea after it has dissolved. The PowerPoint itself simply walks them through the questioning process, considering different possibilities. The final slide settles on...
Curated OER
Investigation: Evaporation
An evaporation investigation! This collection of slides walks future scientists through the process of setting up an experiment on how to speed up evaporation. The experiment is simple enough to use at the beginning of the school year to...
Teaching Ideas
Investigation Prompts
Get your class started with experimentation and investigation by providing sentence starters. This chart is made up of three columns. The first column lists steps of the scientific process and the second provides sentence starters for...
American Chemical Society
M&M's in Different Sugar Solutions
To conclude a mini unit on the dissolving of M&Ms® candy coating, this activity investigates whether or not the concentration of sugar in the solvent affects the dissolving rate. Consider having older science learners write their own...