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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Engaging Young Scientists with Inquiry: Part One

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Building inquiry into your science lessons will make science concepts more concrete for your class.
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Engaging Young Scientists with Inquiry: Part Two

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Evaluating data and learning to communicate the results is a big piece of the inquiry puzzle.
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Lesson Plan
Towson University

Looking Into Lactase: Structured Inquiry

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Why is lactase important? Biology scholars explore enzyme function in a structured inquiry lab. The activity tasks lab groups with observing how temperature and pH affect enzyme activity, as well as determining which milk products...
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Unit Plan
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PBS

Blow the Roof Off!

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Blow the minds of young scientists with this collection of inquiry-based investigations. Based on a series of eight videos, these "hands-on, minds-on" science lessons engage young learners in exploring a wide range of topics...
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Lesson Plan
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Berkshire Museum

Meet a Naturalist: Researching, Writing, Interviewing

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Young scholars reach out into the community and learn about different environmental science careers in this inquiry-based instructional activity. Beginning with a short research assignment, children gain background knowledge about...
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Unit Plan
2
2
Curated OER

Youth Emergency Preparedness

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What is an emergency, why is preparing for one important, and how can your pupils help others prepare for an emergency? Answer these questions and more with a short unit. Learners will participate in a variety of collaborative,...
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Lesson Plan
PHET

Measuring the Interplanetary Magnetic Field

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Scientists need to figure out how to measure interplanetary magnetic fields, but the magnetic field of the spacecraft is interfering with their readings. Scholars attempt to solve the problem that has perplexed NASA scientists for years.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Circuit: Electric Currents and Circuits

For Teachers 4th
Through inquiry and exploration, 4th graders will learn and understand the functions of open and closed circuits. They will break into 2 groups, define vocabulary, hypothesize how to light a bulb, then test their hypothesis 4 different...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shadows & Light, Science & Puppetry

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Lights, shadows, action, and inquiry await your artistic scientists. They explore the way light travels, absorbs, reflects, and transmits through shadow play. They create folktale-inspired shadow puppets, explore the science of light,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ramps 2: Ramp Builder

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students design, build, and test their own ramps. They are introduced to a variety of materials and explore putting them together. Students engage in an inquiry-based learning experience to reinforce math, science, and technology...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

AIDS, HIV, & Other Microbe Matters

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students conduct inquiry-based research for basic information about microbes, infections, and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. After gathering answers to their questions, students develop a presentation to post on their school's Web site.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dancing Lights

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students view artwork and navigate the Internet, and read books to learn about the Aurora Borealis.  In this Northern Lights lesson, students complete a KWL and separate the facts from the myths about the Northern lights....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reflection and Absorption of Light

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students use a microcomputer connected to a light sensor and temperature probe to explore the reflection and absorption of radiation for different surfaces. Students follow instructions in this guided inquiry based lab and are then asked...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Build A Borneo Glider!

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Young scholars construct a paper glider. In this physics of gliding lesson, students first learn about Borneo and it's rainforest habitat. After young scholars discover the way animals in Borneo glide from tree to tree, they use their...
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Lesson Plan
Los Angeles Unified School District

The Buoyancy Challenge!

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
Check out a lesson plan that starts with force of gravity and moves through the concepts of mass, weight, volume, and density. Learners calculate density, test the buoyancy of objects, and then demonstrate understanding by altering the...
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Lesson Plan
NOAA

Seafood and Human Health

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Whether your young biologists realize it or not, humans play a significant role in marine ecosystems. To help them understand this fact children first create graphical representations that show homo sapiens' place in marine...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Household Conservation/Efficiency

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Hook your class up to an online home energy usage calculator so that they can estimate the amount used per month by their families. Then give them Watt meters with which they will measure the power consumption of several small...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dinosaurs

For Teachers K - 5th
Students will develop goals for inquiry. They will also improve content area reading and research skills. The context of studying dinosaurs will help learners to distinguish from organisms that live presently and those from the past...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where in the World is Carbon Dixoide?

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students conduct experiments designed to detect the presence of CO2 by using a BTB that changes color (blue to yellow) in the presence of CO2. First, students experiment with the CO2 from combining vinegar and baking soda. In part two,...
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Lesson Plan
Towson University

Berries...With a Side of DNA? (High School)

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Is DNA still present after picking fruit or cooking vegetables? Biology scholars extract and collect DNA strands in an impactful lab. Working groups prepare their samples and compare their results to negative and positive standard...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animal Coverings

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students compare and contrast the types of coverings found on animals. They identify a wide variety of animals in a museum room. They classify animals based on their coverings as well.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tee Off!

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore about one of the many products created by gain-based process. They investigate the ways agriculture can protect and preserve the environment. Pupils use their scientific processing skills to conduct a full inquiry based...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pulling It All Together

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students review data about a health problem and prepare an investigative report. Teams trade reports and utilize skills developed from previous lessons to evaluate the critical thinking evident in the reports.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scientific Inquiry

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners investigate the general geology, biology, and chemistry of Seneca Lake. They study how to use scientific instruments on the research vessel. They explain how the data they gather will be used by scientists and develop a hypothesis.