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6. What is a Living Thing Unit: Draw an Alien in its Natural Habitat (extension) |
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Students will draw an “alien” living in a natural habitat not on Earth while using what they have learned about living things (humans, plants, animals) and what is needed for them to survive.
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Amylase Experiment 2.0 |
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Students will use the amylase starch digestion experiment to see enzymes inaction. After they’ve done a run-through of the basic protocol, they’ll add a variableof their choosing in a student-designed
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Antigen switching in malaria |
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In this activity, students will model how the parasitic malaria protist Plasmodiumfalciparum evades the host immune response through a phenomenon called antigenswitching. Specifically, slips of paper representing
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Cleaning Water- A 5th Grade Standards-Based Science Unit |
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Many children around the world die due to drinking contaminated water. Thisengaging science lesson will allow students learn how to build and use a simplehomemade filter system to clean contaminated water.
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Comparison of Normal vs Mutant Zebrafish Embryos |
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Mutations occur in organisms, and scientists study them. Learn about a model organismsand multations.
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Demonstrating how to Conduct Controlled Investigations: Example Using Sound |
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The teacher conducts an investigation to compare the sound produced by twodifferent sized pipes (higher pitch, lower pitch, louder, softer). The teacherconducts the experiment multiple times, each time
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Detecting Photosynthesis- Analyzing Other Scientists’ Data |
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Students will analyze the results of another scientist’s experiment by examiningleaves that have been exposed to different treatments, and draw conclusions aboutthe process of photosynthesis.
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DNA structure and replication |
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Students assemble a DNA molecule, using magnetic pieces representing sugar,phosphate and the nitrogenous bases on magnetic whiteboards. Students thenmodel the process of semi-conservative DNA replication
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Do You Know Bamboo? |
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Exploring Chemical Bonding |
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Students will engage in an exploration demonstrating the Octet rule and chemical bonding using paper models of elements forming covalent and ionic compounds.
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Extract your own DNA from cheek cells |
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Students will extract DNA from their own cheek cells.
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Food Production, Population Growth and GMOs |
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Students will learn about the correlation between food production and price inflation with the global population growth.
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Forensic Crime Lab |
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A crime is staged in the classroom. After observing the crime scene, student identify and collect crime scene evidence. Students use blood typing analysis, microscopy, and chromatography to analyze the
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Hands on with Cells – Using Slide Viewers and Microscopes |
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In this activity, students use microscopes and slide viewers to visualize cells and record what they see. Emphasis is on “recording observations”. Students are introduced to new technologies and to the
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Heating Earth |
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Students develop an experimental plan to investigate the question how solar energy heats different earth materials (water and land). A container half filled with water and half with soil is exposed to
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How Does an Infectious Disease Spread? HIV Simulation |
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Students will simulate the exchange of bodyfluids and then test whether they got infected with a disease. This activity will show how one person who is infected with a disease can infect other people,
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How Does the pH Environment Affect Bioavailability of Iron? |
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Dietary minerals are available through ingestion of food and supplements. In this lesson, students first examine the chemical reaction of two forms of iron, Fe0 and F+2 with various pH conditions of either
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Introducing Models to Elementary School Students |
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Students learn what a model is by comparing a model of the tongue to their own tongue. They practice asking themselves, “How is this model like the thing itrepresents, and how is it different?” This format
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Investigating the Relationship of Mass to Volume |
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Students practice the process of doing investigative science through team investigations. They investigate two materials that weigh the same amount. The testable question: If I have an amount of gravel
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Love in the Time of Cholera – Osmosis in Action |
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Students will first learn about the cause of cholera, and propose treatment options to save a hypothetical patient. They will then learn about the osmotic basis of the disease by using a simple dialysis
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Making a Battery |
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Making an Electromagnet |
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Students discover that when electric current flows through an insulated wire wound around a steel core, the steel core becomes a magnet. They learn that this happens because an electric current produces
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Measuring Calories in Food |
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The lesson introduces the concept of calories and provides examples of high calorie and low calorie foods. Students learn a number of ways to determine how many calories a food item has and discuss how
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Meet a Land Snail |
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In this lesson students will play a guessing game, observe land snails, and create a realistic drawing of a land snail. At the end of the lesson they will brainstorm things they wonder about Land Snails.
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Meet an Aquatic Snail |
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In this lesson students will observe aquatic snails, create a realistic drawing of an aquatic snail, and create a class list of questions about aquatic snails. This lesson is alternate or introductory
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Mini Medical School – Hematology |
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This is a two-class lesson plan. During the first class students are entered into a “mini-medical school” where they will learn about the functions and components of blood and make a candy model to reflect
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Mini Mystery Boxes |
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This lesson is designed to help students better understand the nature of science. It uses simple, readily available mini-mystery boxes to model how scientists study things they cannot see. Scientists often
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Mystery Box |
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This lesson is designed to help students better understand the nature of science. It uses a Mystery Box (see included photos) which has a funnel at the top and a beaker underneath. When water is poured
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Neuronal Signaling and Pain |
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The lesson has two parts: part one introduces the nerve circuitry for somatosensation and demonstrates the nature of neuronal signaling – electricity. Part two explores the concept of action potential.
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Observing and Drawing the Structures of Guppies and Goldfish |
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This lesson is a modification to FOSS Investigation # 1 in the Animals 2×2 unit. In this version the students are observing both guppies and goldfish at the same time as their first introduction to the
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Observing Properties of Matter |
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Students will observe two materials and compare their properties. They will use this information in a later lesson to help them predict whether an equal amount by weight of the two materials will take
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Ocean Pollution & its Effect on Aquatic Animals |
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Students brainstorm different sources of pollution. Then students make their own miniature ocean inside a water bottle and pollute it with waste and oil to observe the effects on animals in the water.
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Oh Deer! and English Language Learner Writing Extensions |
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Teacher will describe an ecosystem scenario and ask students to ponder why the population of deer in a particular area fluctuates from year to year. Students will research the question through a simulation
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Oobleck |
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Students will read the first part of the book by Dr. Seuss, “Bartholomew and the Oobleck”, where they learn about the mysterious substace “Oobleck” created by a group of magicians in the story. Students
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Perception and the Brain |
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In this lesson, students are introducted to how the brain interprets and uses sensory information from the visual system to guide how the body moves and performs various tasks. This lesson makes use of
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Plant Seed Dispersal |
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The lesson starts with the puzzling question how a lone palm tree came to grow ona small island that has no other palm trees on it and introduces students to the idea of seeds being dispersed by water.
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Polarity of Magnets |
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Students will investigate how the effects of magnets change when their position inspace is changed. Children are introduced to basic concepts of orientation in space.
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Pollination |
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This activity approaches pollination through: 1) a game to understand the role ofthe pollinator, 2) a flower dissection to understand the structure and function offlower parts, and 3) a video to see seed
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Problems in Meiosis Lead to Disease |
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This lesson is a variation on the traditional pipe-cleaner simulation ofmitosis/meiosis. Initially, students review the normal process of meiosis. Thestudents are then presented with monosomy and trisomy
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Rainforest Bird Beak Buffet |
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Students will look at pictures of 5 different rainforest birds and share their similarities and differences. Each student will be given one of 5 tools and one of 3 cups to represent respectively a beak
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Sheep Heart Dissection |
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Students observe and dissect a sheep heart. In doing so, they learn about how the heart works and what it really looks like.While this lesson is adaptable for many grade levels, it is a great fit with
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Skulls – Herbivores, Omnivores, and Carnivores |
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Students familiarize themselves with different types of animal skulls and teeth. From observation they learn to tell which skulls are those of herbivores, omnivores and carnivores.
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Slinky Lab – Simulating the Motion of Earthquake Waves |
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Students use a slinky to model earthquake waves. Learn the speed, direction and behavior of different waves which tell scientists about earthquakes.
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Strawberry DNA extraction |
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Students will extract DNA from strawberries.
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Testing for Lipids, Proteins and Carbohydrates |
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Students will test a variety of food samples for the presence of lipids, proteins,simple and complex carbohydrates.
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The Lungs and Respiratory System |
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Students review what they already know about breathing and the respiratory system. After a brief introduction to the respiratory system, students break into two groups and rotate through two stations.
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The Microbial World Around (and In!) Us |
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In the first lesson in this two-part series, students are introduced to the concept of microbes by collecting samples to grow on agar Petri dishes. They will isolate colonies and perform two biochemical
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The Power of Observation |
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Students each receive similar looking objects (marble, gem stone, bead, rock) and are given some time to make and record as many observations as possible. Then students at each table group mix up their
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Understanding Air Pressure (A Lesson Series) |
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The activitites establish the concepts of atmospheric pressure, differences in pressure, how changing volume affects pressure, and a molecular model of how air pressure arises. Modified from the 5th grade
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Understanding Germs (Bacteria, Viruses and Fungi) |
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This lesson focuses on understanding “germs” (specifically bacteria, viruses, and fungi), how they cause illness, how they can help us, and some lessons about personal hygiene (protecting ourselves from
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Using Wind-Up Toys and Cars to Understand Energy and Energy Transfer |
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This is a two part lesson: Part 1: Students will explore wind-up toys and try to explain the mechanism of the toy’s motion, learning about the concepts of stored and movement energy and thetransfer from
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Wetland Ecosystems, Non-Living and Living Components, and Brine Shrimp |
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Students work in whole class and small group settings to discuss, observe andlearn about a wetland ecosystem (salt ponds) and some of the organisms that livethere. Abiotic and biotic factors of species
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What factors affect the oxidation of apples? |
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Students observe the browning of apples after cut and being exposed to air and brainstorm ideas about why this might be happening. Students think about ways to slow down or prevent the browning effect
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What is an Atom? |
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The students will repeatedly cut a piece of aluminum foil into smaller and smaller pieces to model the process of how you can break a substance down from a large number of atoms to a single atom. This
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What is Life? |
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Students will investigate different objects and discuss whether they are alive or not alive. Students are challenged to provide evidence for their decision and defend their opinion.
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What is Matter? |
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During this activity students explore in depth their own understanding ofwhat constitutes “matter” and work together as a group to create adefinition for matter. Students work in pairs to debate how to
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What is the Best Brand of Paper Towel? |
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Yeast Mutagenesis |
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In this laboratory investigation, students learn the concept of mutagenesis and explore how different substances can act as mutagens.The experiment utilizes a strain of yeast that lacks several DNA repair
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