Browse lesson plans

Cloudy with a chance of... what?

Students will enjoy reading about a town where no one ever goes hungry because the sky provides food while learning about weather and healthy and unhealthy foods.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–3 English Language Arts, Healthful Living, and Science)

By BJ Larson and Paula Sharpe.

Decomposition in freshwater

This lesson includes hands-on activities to demonstrate the process of decomposition in a freshwater ecosystem. It also focuses on the importance of decomposition and its critical role in the food chain.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6 Science)

By Heather Lanier.

Exploring properties of matter with submersibles

This inquiry-based learning activity allows students to explore the relationships between mass, volume, density, and buoyancy as they manipulate various materials to construct a submersible “vehicle” for deep-sea research.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Science)

By Miriam Sutton.

Float, sink, flink!

In this lesson, students will learn to make things flink, meaning they neither float to the top nor sink to the bottom of a fluid. They will discover that whether an object floats or sinks depends not only on the properties of the object itself, but also on the properties of the fluid (either gas or liquid) in which it is situated.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–4 Science)

By Erin Denniston.

More than just a rainy day: The water cycle

Students will identify water sources in the school environment in order to understand the origins of our water and to gain perspective about the students' place in the water cycle. Students will learn about the water cycle using a variety of resources and discover connections between the water cycle and the water that they use every day.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Development and Science)

By Kelly This and Leigh Thrower.

Observing the water cycle

Initially, students will observe a demonstration of the water cycle and apply the information gained through the demonstration. Then students will measure and graph rainfall for two weeks.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 and 5 Mathematics and Science)

By Priscilla Nutt.

Pollution plume

The students will simulate a plume to illustrate point source and non-point source pollution.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Science)

By Jennifer Smith.

Round and Round It Goes; Water, Where It Stops Nobody Knows

This experimental lab lesson will show the process of the hydrological cycle as it relates to the earth's atmosphere by showing three different scenarios.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and Science)

By Mark Clinkscales and Carrie Palmer.

StreamWatch

This lesson is intended as a long term project to determine the overall health of a stream or wetland. Students identify seasonal changes that occur within the ecosystem, ideally with a minimum of bimonthly or monthly monitoring.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science)

By B. Carl Rush.

Water cycle word study

Students will look at the written similarities in the words used to describe the water cycle (ex., evaporation, transpiration, precipitation, accumulation, condensation), focusing on suffixes and prefixes as a way to gain understanding of those terms. Students will group words by meaning and label a blank water cycle chart based on the categories for the groupings they create. This lesson is designed in conjunction with “More than just a rainy day—the water cycle.”

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 English Language Arts, English Language Development, and Science)

By Kelly This and Leigh Thrower.

We all live downstream

This lesson uses the North American Streamside exhibit of the North Carolina Zoological Park as an inquiry-based starting point for a stream ecology study.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–10 English Language Arts and Science)

By Eddie Hamblin.

Weathering the water cycle: Conclusion

This lesson concludes the unit "Weathering the Water Cycle." As a result of this unit, students will understand that the water cycle is a continuous cycle made up of three stages. The other lessons in this series include lessons on evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.

Format: lesson plan

By Cathie Hill, Jackie Parker, and Karen Neilson.

Weathering the water cycle: Condensation

This lesson introduces students to condensation as one phase of the water cycle. Through the use of the four lessons in this series students will learn that the water cycle is a continuous cycle. The other lessons in this series include lessons on evaporation and precipitation as well as a conclusion.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Science)

By Cathie Hill, Jackie Parker, and Karen Neilson.

Weathering the water cycle: Evaporation

Students will learn that evaporation is one of the three stages of the water cycle. The other lessons in this series include lessons on condensation and precipitation as well as a conclusion.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–3 Science)

By Cathie Hill, Jackie Parker, and Karen Neilson.

Weathering the water cycle: Precipitation

Students will learn that precipitation is one of the three stages of the water cycle and how it relates to the other stages. The other lessons in this series include lessons on evaporation and condensation as well as a conclusion.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 and 5 Mathematics and Science)

By Cathie Hill, Jackie Parker, and Karen Neilson.

Resources on the web

Environmental Inquiry

A curriculum series and supporting website designed to provide students with develop research skills specifically in the area of environmental science. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: Cornell University

Integrating literacy into the study of the Earth's surface

Students learn about bodies of water on the Earth's surface in this lesson that uses read-alouds, trade books, and journals. Students will: Gain knowledge of the different bodies of water on the Earth's surface by listening to science... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Science)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink