Seasons Simulator
From the good folks at Khan academy comes a valuable Seasons Simulator that will show your students everything you’ve been…
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Climate Change
Teaching Climate Change? If so, and you’re not thrilled with how your textbook handles it, this lesson might be for…
Evaluating Internet Sources
These days it’s more important than ever to know who the source of your information is, because not all are…
Sea-Floor Spreading
Sea-floor spreading- a process that looks initially too complex for any school-aged student to understand is actually a fascinating phenomenon that…
Chromosomes, DNA, and Genes
Untangle these 3 important terms, because in genetics you’ve got to understand them before anything else can make sense. Handout,…
Counting Atoms
A low-stress, almost no-prep way to teach the idea that molecules are made of certain atoms that fit together in…
Newton Car
Problem- you’re looking for a good lab that illustrates Newtons laws of motion, but you don’t want something that takes…
Periodic Table Project
In this lesson, students are given a completely blank periodic table and a long list of steps on how to…
Ants Observations
In this lesson, an outside experience coupled with an essay from one of America’s greatest writer’s (Henry David Thoreau) helps…
Roller Coaster Lab
The best science lessons are those that are a win/win for students and teachers, and this is one of them.…
Ocean Surface Currents
Every good lesson is centered on a powerful visual. This lesson exemplifies that with a NASA video clip that is…
Testing Physical And Chemical Properties
This lesson came about because I realized my students would have a far better understanding of what physical and chemical…
Physical And Chemical Properties graphic organizer
A very handy graphic organizer that will walk your students through exactly what physical properties and chemical properties are, complete…
How Tall Is That Building
In science we do sometimes run into terms that are close in meaning that we often get mixed up. In…
Story Of The Cell
Science is always cool, but it’s at its best when it merges with mathematics and history. The purpose of this…
How Mountains Form
It’s hard to believe, but just 200 years ago people really had no idea how mountains formed. We’re now to…
Birthday Candle Mystery
Something very “mysterious” and unexpected happens when you pour a little water into a pan, set a birthday candle in…
Sun, Earth, Moon Model To Scale
This lesson starts with the assumption of the sun being a basketball. If that’s true, then how big would earth…
Laws And Theories
Confused about the difference between laws and theories? Inside each of the 2 open/close doors on this graphic organizer students…
Scientific Explanations-Theories, Models, And Laws
Inside each of the 3 open/close doors on this graphic organizer students will write a definition, some key statements, and…
Empirical and Non-Empirical Evidence
Use this graphic organizer when you want your students to do more than read and barely think about what ’empirical’…
Geology Squeeze Box-Mountain Formation
This lesson uses the Geology Squeeze Box made by Ward’s Science to tell the story of one particular spot on…
Solar System Formation Cause-And-Effect Flow Chart
The purpose of this graphic organizer is to get your students to analyze and interact with information that, by itself…
5 Characteristics Of Soil-Texture, Color, Chemistry, Pore Space, Soil Fertility
We all (sort of) know what dirt is, but how many main characteristics of soil are there? And, what can…
Boiled Ice
You’ve probably seen that graph that shows what happens when frozen water is heated and changes state until it’s a…
6 Ancient Astronomers
When you get into the beliefs of early astronomers like Aristotle, Kepler, and Copernicus, you find out quickly there’s a…
Cell Organelles-8 Tab Booklet
Have your students learn what the 8 major cell organelles are and their primary function by having them make this…
Scientific Method
This graphic organizer is meant to be a general introduction to the scientific method, and not an exhaustive way to…
Resources-Renewable versus Non, and Materials versus Energy
When you begin teaching about Earth’s resources, this graphic organizer will help students understand concretely the two kinds of ways…
5 Ways Fossils Form
After a little folding, cutting, coloring, sketching, and describing (in their own words), your students will end up with a…
Sea Breezes & Land Breezes graphic organizer
Sea breezes and land breezes may seem like a mystery, but like everything else, they happen for a reason, which…
Metric Estimation Domination
Problem- you say that something has a mass of 20 grams, and no one knows what you’re talking about. This…
Potato Observation Game
A great way to teach and emphasize good observations. In Part I of the lesson, students measure and record the…
Light Bulb Dissection-showing 3 methods of heat transfer
Turns out those old incandescent light bulbs are good for something- clearly demonstrating all 3 methods of heat transfer- radiation,…
Renewable Energy graphic organizer
Wouldn’t it be great if your students could create a little 2-pocket booklet containing little cards that summarize the 9…
Waves Simple Concept Map
If you’re getting ready to teach waves to your students, you’ll need something to help them sort out all the…
What Causes Wind
Students start with a blank sheet of paper, then 35 minutes later, after some drawing, note-taking, and discussion, have a…
Weather Elements
Introducing weather? Then your goal on day 1 is to get your students to understand and remember the 6 elements…
Thunderstorm Cause and Effect Chart
So what’s the cause of thunderstorms? Just 1 or 2 conditions? Hardly. In this lesson your students will dig into…
Stream Table
Finally, an uncomplicated way for your students to get their hands (and eyes) on a water erosion lab. (Still messy…
States of Matter Venn Diagram
Summarize what solids, liquids, and gases have in common, as well as their unique properties, all in one handy, colorful…
QNI Venn
Find out how well do your students truly understand Earth’s 5 spheres (geosphere, hyrdosphere, cryosphere, atmosphere, biosphere) with this “quite-nearly-impossible”…
Organelles Disc Spinner
A very helpful graphic organizer to use when introducing 4 main organelles- mitochondrion, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus. Compare…
Moon Phases graphic organizer
Teaching the moon phases? This graphic organizer cuts through all the distractions and simply illustrates why the moon keeps changing…
Mineral Identification Lab
Tired of mineral ID labs that are confusing and don’t work? Look no further. Handout and Notes
Mineral Identification
An easy way for students to learn, and remember, the 7 ways to identify minerals. Use just before your students…
Mineral Properties
A simple and straightforward intro to the 5 properties of minerals- naturally occurring, inorganic, solid, definite crystal structure, and definite…
Matter Flowchart
Who doesn’t get at least a little crossed up when discussing matter, mixtures, suspensions, elements, compounds, and solutions? After filling…
Energy-Kinetic, Potential, Mechanical
Use this graphic organizer to end all confusion about what kinetic energy, potential energy, and mechanical energy are. Set up…
Homeostasis
Homeostasis simplified. Students create a graphic organizer summarizing 4 main points about homeostasis- obtaining & using energy, cell division, exchanging…
Heating Rates Of Different Earth Substances
A fun and memorable way for your students to learn, by their own design, which type of earth substance- dirt,…
Exactly How Many
Students are given rice and 20 minutes to solve the problem- ‘exactly how many grains do you have?’. Inquiry style,…
Energy in Toys
A fun way to introduce or reinforce the main kinds of energy- elastic, chemical, heat, light, sound, electrical, & gravitational.…
Endless Ecosystems
Ever see those Russian dolls? Once your students make this graphic organizer (in that same format), they’ll completely understand these…
Earths 5 Spheres
A graphic organizer that’s a full introduction to Earth’s 5 spheres-Geosphere, Hydrosphere, Cryosphere, Atmosphere, & Biosphere PPT
Earths Compositional & Physical Layers
Yes, it can be very confusing to look at the inside of Earth 2 different ways. This graphic organizer will…
Causes of Earths Day Night Year & Seasons
A neat little graphic organizer summarizing Earth’s motions and their effects. Includes Day/Night (cause- rotation), Year (revolution), and Seasons (revolution…
Earths Driven Plates
A lesson on how the layers of earth-core, mantle, and crust- interact with each other, beginning with the heated interior,…
Size of Cells, Molecules, & Atoms
A lesson I used near the beginning of my cells unit to help students understand how Cells, Molecules, & Atoms…
Cell Molecules-4 Types
A great way to either introduce or review the 4 types of molecules that make up cells- lipids, proteins, carbohydrates,…
4 Layers of Earth’s Atmosphere
Use this handy little graphic organizer to introduce the Earth’s atmosphere, and you’ll find it causes great retention in the…
Mixtures
Proof that even the toughest topics to teach can soften with just the right illustration (in this case, chromatography). Good…
Pasta Stress Test
A fun and engaging inquiry lesson that will cause your students to notice all the little things that need to…
History Of Orbiting Theories
A fascinating look back and how the greatest minds wrestled with the concept of the earth’s place in the universe.…
Interactive Notes-Plate Tectonics
In this set of interactive notes students: 1.compare the shell thickness of a chicken egg with the earth’s crust, 2.mark…
Interactive Question-Asker
Looking for a cool way to review a chapter and touch back on how circuits work? This lesson does double…
Circuit Boards
Perhaps the cheapest and most effective way to teach series and parallel circuits. Students build a series and parallel circuit…
Periodic Pencil Classification
Watch as students progressively organize a group of pens and pencils using a scheme they devise themselves. And then spring…
Measuring Geologic Time
In one class period your students will go from complete puzzlement to near complete understanding of the common geologic units…
Interactive Notes-Conserving Earth’s Land, Water, & Air
In this set of interactive notes students will: 1.build a simple water filter, 2.observe a bubble levitating on a greenhouse…
Isotopes And Ions
Confused about isotopes and ions? This lesson will help straighten you out. Handout, Notes, and PPT
Dot Diagramming-Understanding The Placement Of Protons, Neutrons, & Electrons
This activity bridges 2 major chemistry concepts- atomic structure and how these atoms combine into molecules. Handout, Notes, and PPT…
Biomes Precip Graph
A different way to explore the biomes- drawing a beautiful bar graph that compares the temperature and precipitation for each…
Photosynthesis
An attempt at being the world’s most focused lesson on photosynthesis. As in- when your students leave, they will…
Facts Versus Opinion
Help students better recognize true from sensational information with these 17 statements. Handout, Notes, and PPT
Radioactive Samples
Learn about the 3 kinds of radioactivity- alpha, beta, gamma- by viewing actual samples of polonium, strontium, and cobalt, and…
Interactive Notes-Atoms
In this set of interactive notes students: calculate exactly how many atoms there are in air (within a few quinzillion,…
Newton’s Laws And Rocketball
In this lesson students won’t have a chance to get scared of Newton’s 3 laws. First, they will write a…
Interactive Notes-Why Is The Sky Blue?
In this special set of interactive notes: students create a progressively thickening “atmosphere”. At first it’s so thin that’s it’s…
Mission Pasta-ble: Using Cladograms
Classifying organisms and looking for an alternative to the traditional dichotomous key? You’ll be surprised how quickly your students will…
Interactive Notes-States Of Matter
In this set of interactive notes students: produce a gas by combining a solid and liquid, observe a flapping penny…
Interactive Notes-Sound
In this set of interactive notes students observe that: a child’s toy illustrates what sound waves look and act like,…
Magnetism-Decode Encrypted Statements
Give students this puzzle without any help whatsoever and 2 things will happen- students will learn 5 important things about…
Interactive Notes-Magnetism
In this set of interactive notes: a paper clip quietly defies gravity, we see that some things can and cannot…
Interactive Notes-Light & Water
In this set of interactive notes students observe that: 1.money disappears, but then 2. it comes back doubled, 3.a pencil…
Interactive Notes-Forces & Newton’s 3 Laws
In this set of interactive notes students observe: 1.a ping pong ball become a rocket, 2. a strong-willed penny does…
Interactive Notes-Electricity
In this set of interactive notes students will: 1.move a ping pong ball in an unusual way, 2.light up a…
Forces Drop Test
We all know that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones, …right? Send this handout home with students for them…
Energy Consumption
See how well students can classify the power consumption of 21 common household items with this handout. Handout, Notes, and…
Energetic Atoms
Being told that a 50 foot-long trash bag will float if it is filled air and heated by the sun…
Circuits & Electromagnets-4 Inquiry Challenges
In this special lesson students must complete a series of 4 challenges after being given the objective and a few…
Dog Breeds Research Project
In this 3-day activity students research the basic characteristics of a breed of dog, write those facts into short sentences,…
Asexual & Sexual Reproduction
A simple but powerful activity. The goal is to help students understand that asexual reproduction leads to clones and sexual…
Biotic & Abiotic Factors
Here we’ll use one of YouTube’s most popular videos to help us untangle the terms “biotic” & “abiotic”. PowerPoint
Dunking Duckies
Days like today will remind students why they like science. And for good reason- the dunking duck is fascinating to…
Solids, Liquids & Gases, Build, See, & Compare
It’s difficult enough to teach the states of matter without anything to aid the imagination! In this lesson, students use…
Converting Between Units
Exactly how many seconds are there until Christmas? It sounds hard, but after a warm-up problem or two, it’ll be…
