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Description: Twisting Tornados Overview: Tornadoes can happen anywhere. Hurricanes make their way to the
coast of Virginia almost every year. Help students see how a cyclone is formed that
effects their weather. Procedure: 1)Give students the writing prompt: What is it like outside during severe weather like hurricanes and tornadoes. Allow students to write their responses andthen encourage them to share what they wrote with the class. 2)Fill one ofthe two liter bottles about two-thirdsoftheway...
Description: The StaticElectricSlide Overview: Paula Abdul and MC Skat Kat hit the nail on the head in 1989 – opposites do
attract. Inthisactivity, students hold the power ofstatic electricity intheir hands and learn (from a scientific standpoint) that oppositesreallydoattract astheyhaveahilarious time with this easy to follow station based activity. Procedure: 1)Vigorously rub an inflated balloon in your hair and let your class giggle as your hair stands onend. Givestudents the following writing prompt:...
Description: Symbiotic Musical Chairs Overview: Flowers need bees forpollination and bees need flowers forfood. Demonstrating the concept of symbiosis using flowers and bees by playing musical chairs is
afun andengaging waytohelp studentsunderstandthis concept. Procedure: 1) In their writing journals, ask student to write their thoughts on the following prompt: “Do
beesneedflowersordoflowersneedbees?” 2) Set up an equal number of chairs as there are students in the room. The chairs are...
Description: States of Matter Collage: Group Work Overview: Students will learn about the states of matter though direct instruction and a group project. Procedure: The teacher will begin initial instruction of the states of matter topic by presenting the states (solid, liquid, and gas) on the blackboard or smart board. The teacher will use water to provide an initial example of each state. He/she will explain that water is a liquid, steam is a gas, and ice is a solid. This will be noted on the board. The...
Description: Squishy Circuits Overview: Understanding the characteristics of electricity, types of conductive and insulating materials, and basic circuitry are essential knowledge for students as devices that are powered by electricity become more and more prevalent in our daily lives as we move through the digital age. A great way for elementary-aged students to investigate and experiment with electricity in a safe, but hands-on way is through the creation and manipulation of conductive and insulating...
Description: Ordering the Planets in the Solar System Overview: The student will demonstrate the ability to investigate and understand that the solar system consists of planets that are in order by their relationship to the sun and each other. Procedure: 1. Teacher will provide instruction regarding the solar system. Using the My Solar System Book (supplied for this unit) the teacher will teach about each part of the solar system according to the book. 2. For each planet and then sun, the student will...
Description: Solar System Model Overview: Building models can help make the complex more understandable, the abstract more concrete, and the invisible visible. For concrete learners, models can help make the connections and relationships between or among unfamiliar objects (such as the planets of the solar system) something that can be experienced. By building scientific models, student construct not only small representations of something, but also knowledge of it! Building models is also a fantastic...
Description: Sensational Super Soil! Overview: Soil is around us outside. Plants, trees, and flowers use soil for support and to get food. This is a unit that will take 4 or more days. Procedure: Hand out Soil : Kid’s Discov e r books (www.carolina.com). Read pg. 2-7 together as an introduction. Collect the books to use again another day. Day 1: Make soil babies: a) Bring in panty hose knee highs and fill with soil. Hot glue googly eyes and pompoms to create a face. Add grass seed. Put in paper bowls. Squirt...
Description: Solar Cooker Overview: This lesson gives students the opportunity to practice their skills in the field of scientific inquiry in the natural world by investigating the energy of the sun. By building a solar oven, students can use the heat and light energy produced by the Sun to cook simple food treats like s’mores. This experiment can be used not only to investigate and illustrate energy produced by the Sun, but as a way to practice the steps in the scientific method: asking questions, making a...
Description: SodaEruption Overview: When you combine Mentos and diet soda it creates an eruption that is notonlyfun,butalsoagreat waytogetstudentsexcitedaboutscienceandthe
scientific process. Procedure: 1) Show students the materials for the lesson. Tell students they are going to
combine these materials toseewhat happens. 2) Give students the following writing prompt: What will happen when I add Mentos tosoda? Allow students to write anything they think might happen. After they have
written their responses,...
Description: Simple Machine Scavenger Hunt Overview: Students will practice identifying types of simple machines in an activity that is fun and engaging. Procedure: After initial instruction on the types of simple machines, the teacher will provide students with scavenger hunt worksheet. The worksheet should include the 6 categories of simple machines as headings with enough space below each heading for the student to document their findings. Each student will have a clipboard, worksheet, and pencil to take...
Description: Simple Machine Exploration and Search Overview: Students will learn to see, identify, play with, and name six simple machines. This lesson plan could be extended over three to five days. It will culminate with walking through the school and or community and using the FLIP camera to photograph simple machines. The movie can then be narrated by the students’ voices or communication devices. Procedure: Students will play with simple machines at stations set up in the classroom. You do not need to...
Description: Earth and Space Systems: Energy Transfer between the Sun and the Earth in the Creation of Weather and Climate on Earth Severe Weather Alert! Background Knowledge: For the Investigation portion of the lesson: Students will need to know the basic steps of the Scientific Method (Ask a question, Make a Hypothesis, Conduct an Experiment, Collect Data, Analyze Data, Conclusion). Students will also need to be familiar with the Nature of Science ( The natural world is understandable, science is based on...
Description: 1 Experimenting with Plants Overview: In this lesson, students will learn about the scientific method. Students will then have the opportunity to plan and conduct two science experiments involving plants. Procedure: Part One: Whole-Group Instruction: · Show students the Brain Pop Jr. video about the scientific method. · Identify and define key parts of the scientific method: Question, hypothesis, independent variable, dependent variables, data and conclusion. · Students can sequence word cards...
Description: Scientific Investigation: Safety Matters Overview: Safety is essential in all aspects of life. Scientists know the importance of starting with the end in mind and making sure that all steps of experiments are completed properly. Procedure: -Begin by asking students, “What is safety?” Then, have student’s identify what they know about safety, prior experiences or examples. Brainstorm a list and write on the board. -Next, have students be more specific to safety when completing a science lab....
Description: Rock Cycle and Transformations Overview: The student will investigate and then show understanding of how the Earth’s surface is constantly changing while focusing on the key concept of the rock cycle and how the transformations occur between the rocks. Because the goal requires the student to know about how the Earth’s surface is changing, some of the information within this unit also focuses on 5S-
ESS6a. There is overlap in the content. Procedure: 1. Teacher will provide instruction regarding...
Description: Recycling Paper and Plastics Overview: A practical and functional way to teach students who access the ASOL aligned curriculum about human impact on the environment is to introduce the skill of recycling to them. This skill not only encompasses the academic investigation and understanding of human use of limited resources and the impact of that use on different ecosystems, but also has the functional components of teaching students how to sort materials by characteristics and properly manage...
Description: Puking Pumpkins Overview: Halloween is a great time to explore different fall activities, excite your students’ creative side, and... make pumpkins vomit? In this experiment, students will explore
different chemical reactions when trying to make their pumpkin look a little more gruesome
than intended! Procedure: 1) Prior to this activity, hollow out and cut out a pumpkin face on each student’s small pumpkin. Be sure to cut the mouth opening near the bottom of the pumpkin.
2) Each student will...
Description: PredatorandPrey Freeze Tag Overview: Studentsenjoypictures ofpredatorandprey, butwhataboutactinglike
predators and prey? Try this freeze tag game to assist your students in understanding the concept of predator and prey.Students willhave lots of funand be able to visualize the changeinpopulation. Procedure: 1)Review the terms predator and prey. 2)Designate two students aspredatorsandtherest asprey. Have theprey standonone
side of the gym (or large area), andthepredatorsin the middle of the...
Description: Plant Parts Scavenger Hunt Overview: Plants areeverywhere andit’syour students’ job to find them. Scourtheschool
property in search of as many parts as you can find. Leave nostoneunturned orlunchbox
unopened. Procedure: 1)List the plant parts for which you will be searching (root, stem, leaf, seed/fruit). Have the
students make predictions about what the scavenger hunt will reveal such as: which plant
part is a more common food; which part is more prevalent; etc. 2)Search for plant parts. Keep...
Description: Phototastic Overview: Aplant’sneedtosurvivecan beverycomplex. Usethisvisualexperimentwith yourstudents asagreat waytoprovidebackgroundknowledgeon plantgrowth. It will be phototastic! Procedure: 1) Give students the following writing prompt: What do plants need to live? After students have written their responses, encourage them to share their ideas with the class. 2)Discuss what plantsneedtosurvive (soil, air, water, and sunlight)....
Description: Oobleck: Solid liquid Overview: Students are typically familiar with the use of addition or reduction of heat energy to cause changes in the states of matter. Ice cream melting in the hot sun, steam rising over a pot of boiling pasta, Kool Aid freezing into popsicles in the freezer, etc. However, they may not be as familiar with other varieties of energy, such as motion/kinetic energy that can cause changes in states of matter as well. Through the following experiment, students will observe...
Description: Scientific Investigation: The Nature of Science Learning Activity Thinking like a Scientist Overview: Understanding the nature of science is a vital part of becoming a scientist. Students can memorize the steps in the scientific method and still not comprehend the intricacies of scientific reasoning to prove or disprove a hypothesis. Some hypotheses require more observation than experimentation. Often hypotheses will be tested by other scientists. The nature of science and attaining the...
Description: Scientific Investigation: Mixing Color Overview: Introducing scientific investigation to many students can be a difficult task, so by allowing the students to do hands on activities helps put some of these abstract vocabulary terms into real life examples. Mixing colors to see what happens is a basic way to allow students to independently plan and conduct investigations. This activity focuses on the student being able to come up with a hypothesis and then conduct the investigation to see the...
Description: Mythbusters : A Watched Pot Never Boils? Overview: Through this lesson, students will conduct a scientific investigation that will provide them with the opportunity to demonstrate an understanding of scientific reasoning and logic through the measurement of elapsed time. Understanding elapsed time is a particularly valuable academic and functional skill for students that access the ASOLs. It moves them beyond simply being able to identify the time displayed on a clock to the higher-order...
Description: Life Systems: Animals vs. Plants Overview: Plants and animals are a part of everyday life. It is important for students to understand the basic fundamental differences between the two. Procedures: -Have class discussion of, “What is a Plant?” and “What is an Animal?” Review the basic differences and similarities between plants and animals using visuals, words and a Venn diagram. -Identify cells as a similarity between plants and animals. -Have students write in their notebooks, or have it...
Description: Let’s Stick Together! Overview: How many different ways can you stick two things together? Hmmm... tape, glue, chewing gum, and... MAGNETS! In this scientific exploration, your students will investigate objects that are magnetic and what those items have in common. Procedure: 1) Explain to students that they will be trying to find out which items in their bucket are magnetic and which items are not. Discuss how magnetic items will stick to their magnet, while non-magnetic items will not stick...
Description: The Friction Grand Prix Overview: Friction is defined as surface resistance to relative motion. Sounds exciting, huh? Well, it can be very exciting if we grab some toys and play conduct this hand-on experiment. Procedure: 1) Give students the following writing prompt: What can change how far a Matchbox car will roll? After students have written their responses, encourage them to share their ideas with the class. 2) Present students with the activity materials. Ask each student to choose a...
Description: Force, Motion, Energy, and Matter: Know H2O Overview: Water is the universal solvent. Water is a unique combination of hydrogen and oxygen. It is important for students to know that water takes form in three different phases. Water can be a solid, liquid, or gas. Students will come into contact with all three phases during their daily lives. Procedure: -Introduce the lesson by setting up a display of the following; a bucket filled with ice, a pitcher filled with water, and an operating...
Description: Food Chain and Food Webs Overview: Food chains are all around us. People, animals, and plants depend on each other to sustain the food chain. In this lesson the students will be exposed to vocabulary that identifies the components of a food chain (producer, consumer, and decomposer). They will label components of a food chain using the appropriate label related to food chains. Procedure: Over the course of five or more days the students will examine components of food chains through multimedia...
Description: Fantastic Fossils Overview: Have you ever found a fossil? No? Well don’t worry. You can make your very own fossils out of recycled materials! Procedure: 1) Tell students that today they are going to make their own fossils. Ask students if they can recall how fossils are formed. 2) Have students mix together coffee grounds, cold coffee, flour and salt until well mixed. 3) Next, have the students knead together the dough and then flatten onto wax paper. Have the students divide the dough into...
Description: Excavation Station Overview: Do your students enjoy digging up lost treasure? Would they rather spend the day sifting through a bin of sand or rice to find special prizes? How would they feel if you changed their digging material from sand to ice? In this scientific exploration, students will enjoy excavating as they break through a frozen tundra to expose a special prize. Procedure: 1) Prior to beginning this activity, place special prize items into small containers (1 prize item into each...
Description: The Electron Shuffle Overview: The Fridge and the rest of the Bears will go down in history as the creators of the Super Bowl Shuffle, but you and your class will always be known for the Electron Shuffle! Atoms are collections of particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. In this fun activity, your students will learn the parts of an atom, read the atomic symbol, and create atomic models. Procedure: 1) Show the students a picture of a balloon and ask them to recreate the picture in their...
Description: Ecosystems: What’s the issue? Overview: Each person plays a role in taking care of the environment. In order to be a productive citizen, it is important for students to understand how to take care of the world around them. Homework given the night before lesson: With the help of parents/family member, have students’ list 10 items in their trash at home that are non-food items. Procedure: -Introduce the lesson by providing students with a variety of examples of how humans negatively impact the...
Description: Modeling Earth’s Interior Overview: Understanding the interior structure of the Earth can be a challenging skill for many concrete learners to master, due to the inability to experience these structures first hand and typically seeing them through images or diagrams. Hands-
on learners can better learn about the basic structures of the Earth interior by building models of these structures that they can see, touch, and interact with along with exposure to familiar objects (such as fruit) that can...
Description: Dig Your Way to China Overview: Have your students ever wondered how long it would take to dig a tunnel to the other side of the world? Have you tried to explain the impossibility of this feat to them? Explore your way through the layers of the earth with this simple cooking activity! Procedure: 1) Explain to the students that you will be making a model of what makes up the Earth. Explain that there are 4 main layers of the earth; the inner core, the outer core, the mantle, and the crust. 2)...
Description: Colorful Crayon Rock Cycle Overview: Sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks each form in different ways. You can use use crayon shavings to help explain how each type forms. Procedure: 1) Ask students to recall the three different types of rocks. Have students write down anything they can remember about the three types of rocks. 2) Provide pocket chart with pictures for students to match rock types to descriptions. Sedimentary 1) Have the students take some of their crayon shavings and...
Description: Classroom Categorization Overview: How many different categories can one class be divided into? This activity will show both the differences and similarities that we share. Discover as a group and display the results. Procedure: 1) List the many different categories in which your class can be divided (hair color, eye color, height, age, music preference, etc.). 2) Sort the students into each of the various categories and keep a tally. 3) Display the results visually in a graph, chart, or...
Description: Color Changing Flowers Overview: This lesson can be used as part of a sequence of investigations of the structures of typical plants and the function of those structures, as it focuses on the function of the stem in flowering plants. At the end of this lesson, students should be able to identify and describe how the stem of typical plants transports water, minerals, and nutrients to the flower and the rest of the plant. Procedure: Present students with an example of a typical flower and focus...
Description: Chicken in a Cup Overview: Students and teachers alike will be delighted by the outrageous and unexpected “chicken” noises produced as they learn about sound waves, vibration, and amplification. Procedure: 1) Present students with the opportunity to beat a drum, ring a triangle, play a xylophone, strum a guitar, or ring a bell. Ask them to strike or play the instrument one time and ask them what they see, hear and what they feel. In their Science journals, ask the students to describe what their...
Description: Characteristics of the Weather Overview: Whether good or bad, we all have to withstand weather. This activity provides the students an opportunity to learn the characteristics of various weather patterns, what they need to endure the weather, and allows them to share their favorite type of weather. Procedure: 1) List the various types of weather phenomena and their characteristics. For example: Sunny= no clouds, warmth, etc. Snowy= clouds, precipitation, cold, etc. 2) List the things you need to...
Description: Can You Eat Matter? Overview: Matter takes up space. The concept of matter can be so much more fun than distinguishing solids, liquids, and gases. Have fun with your students while completing an experiment on how matter can change from one state to another with food. You can complete just one experiment or all three. Procedure: 1) Give students the following writing prompt: Can matter change from one state to another? Why or why not? After students have written their responses, encourage them to...
Description: Become a Scientist Overview: Students love to be the center of attention. Why not give them the chance to be a scientist in front of the entire class? Use this engaging activity to teach students the scientific method and energy! Procedure: 1) Review the concepts of potential and kinetic energy. Here is a simple article you can share with your students. 2) Have students demonstrate potential and kinetic energy with a pencil. (Potential energy can be represented by holding the pencil in the air....
Description: A MAZE-ing Race Overview: Use your students’ understanding of directions and speed to navigate through a simple (or complex) maze or obstacle course. Using this procedure many concepts can be reviewed to demonstrate student understanding of the sequence of events/changes found in nature. Procedure: 1) Create a purpose for the journey through the maze. (Examples: help the dog find the bone, Phineas find Ferb, or the teacher find the pay-raise). 2) Create a maze. Build the maze on a large group...
Description: Virginia Department of Education, November 2017 Word Hunter Overview: Given a modified book, students will seek words in the text to answer teacher questions. Procedure: 1. Using Powerpoint or another word processing program, the teacher will modify and simplify, as needed, the content of a familiar classroom book (fiction or non--- fiction) so that it is printable and physically accessible (either with page fluffers or with switch access on a computer). Pictures and graphics may be added to...
Description: Virginia Department of Education, November 2017 Who Am I? Overview: This activity encourages students to practice making predictions and write about how they would feel to be another person. Procedure: Students are asked to put themselves in the shoes of a famous person. When choosing/writing descriptions of famous people, try to connect it to something the students are learning or will be learning in history or science. Please note that this could be completed individually, in a small group, or...
Description: Virginia Department of Education, November 2017 What’s the Big Idea? Overview: It is important to include nonfiction texts in your daily literacy activities. This activity not only teaches the concept of central idea, but it is also a great opportunity to expose students to a variety of nonfiction text type such as newspapers, magazines, journals, blogs, advertisements, and brochures. Procedure: Modeling (“I Do”) 1. Provide a nonfiction text to your students. Great texts for this activity may...
Description: Virginia Department of Education, November 2017 What I Want to Be Overview: This lesson allows students to research different occupations and to write about occupations in which they are interested. Procedure: 1. Start a discussion among the students about different occupations. (To make things fun, wear an occupation related hat or item before discussion. See if students notice what you are wearing and initiate communication. This would be a great “hook” to start the lesson!) a. Allow each...
Description: Virginia Department of Education, November 2017 Vocabulary Cards Overview: Use of vocabulary cards is an effective vocabulary development strategy to increase word knowledge, provide concept links, and support participation in class discussion about content for all learners, including those who do not speak. Procedure: When introducing a new text, either fiction or non---fiction, create vocabulary cards for each character or important individual as they are introduced in the story. Vocabulary...
Description: Virginia Department of Education, November 2017 Story Pyramid Overview: Story Pyramid teaches students to determine the main idea, identify details, and use details Procedure: Introduce a new reading. Depending on ability level, the reading can range from a short story to chapter book. ? Use various strategies to introduce the book and create predictions: picture walk, title, key words, etc. a. Tell students the goal: we will look for the character, descriptions of the character, the setting,...