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Identify the digits students will use by handing demo digit cards to selected students (e.g. 3, 5, 8). Students at desks should take these same digits from their card decks. Give directions for students to form a number to meet specific criteria. Students in front rearrange themselves to build a number. Students at desks arrange digit cards to build a number to satisfy the conditions. Build the largest number you can. Build the smallest number you can. Build a number less than 800. Build a number greater than 800. Build a number that is between 300 and 500. Build a different number that is between 300 and 500. Repeat with different digits and different directions. 2.NBT.3 Read and write numbers to 1000 using base-ten numerals, number names, and expanded form. Sticky Note: This could be enriched by having students call out directions and do as group table activities as a review game before a test

Students use various materials to build and design the best possible bridge. The goal is to build different types of bridges using different materials and testing the strength of their bridges with various objects.

Children will use and describe processes of science and design technology to build and test simple wheel and axle devices made of disposable cups.

2.3.1:  Observe closely over a period of time and then record in pictures and words the changes in plants and animals throughout their life cycles - including details of their body plan, structure and timing of growth, reproduction, and death. Modification to activity:  Students will create a journal to log all data from start to finish.  Building the terrarium will occur at the beginning of the project, and notes will be kept as the plants grow.   ELL:  Easily explained through modeling and pictures Higher Ability:  Students could be class photographers and be responsible for uploading photos and printing them for the journals.

In the book Dirt Boy, Fister Farnello loved dirt so much that he ate it, played in it and refused get rid of it. He finally takes a bath. Children will design, build a water filter and use it to clean muddy water.

Earth Friendly Birdhouse: Design Process - choosing specific materials for the design in mind and function. You have also been talking about resources and know that conserving resources by recycling, reusing, and reducing waste is important. Now you will have a chance to put what you know to use. Design Challenge:Design and build a birdhouse that will attract a bird in your neighborhood. The bird you plan the house for should be about the size of a tennis ball. Criteria:Your birdhouse must have a door that is big enough for a golf ball to fit through. Have a perch inside. Have a perch outside the door. Be able to hang from a tree or other support for 5 minutes with a golf ball inside. Keep birds safe from rain and wind. Be squirrel and cat proof.

Multiple grade levels can do this project, but differentiation would be required for skill and developmental level. Younger grades would require more help and modeling of project.

This website shows you how to explore different structures and answer the question, which supports the most weight, trauma, wind? and what purpose do they all serve.

This sounds very interesting! I enjoy hearing about projects that keep the students' interest year after year.

First graders love to create stories. Their especially imaginative brains are always coming up with plots and characters for even the simplest of things. This knack for creative story building is something that can help your child in any subject. In first grade, part of your child's science unit will be learning about the characteristics of different habitats. He'll discuss geography, learn about different kinds of environments, and talk about what kinds of animals live where. By creating a shoebox habitat with your child, you will expand on what he is learning in school and allow him to put those budding creative instincts to good use!

In this activity, students will create a telephone using paper cups and string.  Students will use their telephones to observe how sound and vibrations travel through air.

Easy experiment to do in class that requires some good record keeping and simple observation of what the worms will do. Easy pets to have in the room. 

Fractions with color tiles.  Allows students to record their findings on graph paper.  Make a game of it by trading papers, and allowing the other student to attempt to build the other student's fraction bar without peeking at the answer.

I made a copy of this activity. It's simple yet effective (and I have a set of colored plastic tiles that I only use when discussing area, so this is a great additional use for them.)

I plan to allow the students to design and build their toy boxes to scale.  I would model using legos (and legos could be provided to them for use as well.)  They would have an opportunity to layout the entire bedroom (to scale.)

Here's a hands-on activity that classroom teachers use to help kids get a feel for equations and start building lifelong skills. Popsicle sticks are used to create different addition problems.

5.DP.2-4: Brainstorm potential solutions. Document the design throughout the entire design process. Select a solution to the need or problem. Omit the scoring, extend the time frame so that each group gets 15 minutes to brainstorm their solution and 20 minutes to build/test their structure Sticky Note: This could be used for graphing if students had to test their structures multiple times, create a graph and find the average. Then could create a class graph of each group's averages. Could also be manipulated for younger students by changing the amount of materials.

Ever wondered how a submarine can control when it rises and sinks in the water? Build a Cartesian diver to find out! Named after French philosopher and physicist René Descartes, this classic science experiment is a great way for kids to see the principle of buoyancy at work. And with such a simple set-up, it's a fun and inexpensive way to dive into physics!

In this activity students compare the mass and volume of different liguids by pouring the liquids into the same container and seeing which ones are "heavier" and "lighter."

Density - or mass per volume - of a liquid is an important scientific concept that can be viewed with the naked eye. We see it all the time with oil and water. Oil has a different density than water so the two liquids do not mix. In this experiment your child will look at a number of liquids with different densities and compare them all to water. She'll build her science skills and learn one of the most fundamental scientific concepts she'll use for years to come.