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Students will observe the effects of osmosis on a gummy bear in this guided scientific method lab report. This is a fun visual way to grasp the difficult concept of osmosis. I chose this lesson because when I was in middle school I had difficulty with the concept of osmosis, and I feel that this hands on and visual lab will bring the students to a better understanding of osmosis. Also, this would be a great way to explore osmosis on a deeper level and engage the students because giant gummy bears are cool. I would use this lab during the cells unit in science when we talk about the different properties of the cell wall: osmosis being one of the properties.

As we have learned throughout our education, every teacher is a teacher of reading. Plus, by integrating science with literature, hopefully, more kids will become excited about science. This website offers literature books specifically related to individual content areas. While the website is directed toward elementary teachers, I think some of the books could be utilized by middle school teachers as well. These may be a fun way to introduce a new topic or just on shelves for students to learn more about a specific topic that interests them.

This is a video/interactive game on BrainPOP Jr. about plant adaptions. It gives an overview of what a plant needs to survive and show different kinds of plants adapt to areas that don't have the necessary elements to live. The school needs a subscription to use this website. Given that the school would have it, I would use this in my lesson. This is different than just the regular lesson on the life cycle; it gives the students a different view of plants that they may have never seen before.

This page of experiment and projects has a bit more than the previous one I posted. It also has them for older ages. There are pictures of them completed with all of the work that went into them directly from the students. It is great!

Water, ice, steam: Three states of matter. In this animated movie, you'll learn about the tiny atoms and molecules that make up matter and how changes in temperature and pressure cause these particles to gain or lose energy, thereby changing a material's physical properties! This video provides students with a lesson on the different states of matter. It explains why the matter change to different states and what they are made up of. I believe that this can help student understand what the different states of matter are as well as provide the student with extra knowledge.

"Hand rolled soap has been made for centuries, and is easier to make than you think! Your child can learn more about the history of soap as well as rolling up some soap the whole family can use for getting clean. Soap has been around for thousands of years, first referenced in the second century AD!" We all want to be clean! But what is soap made of and what science aspects does soap bring to the table? This experiment is a perfect introduction and leading question to get students engaged. The child will add their own uniqueness to their individual soaps and the flexibility to be creative. They will also learn science concepts of liquid turning into solid and states of matter exploration. If the students are anything like me-they will be intrigued!

This website was designed by a teacher that has taught biology and chemistry to middle school and high school students for 37 years. This is the culmination of materials and resources that she has created, modified, and gathered over the years. She provides a multitude of various links to different activities, worksheets, labs, demos, test reviews, etc. She even provides her email information so you can be in contact with her and discuss the material on the website and other teaching strategies. I selected this resource because there are so many different activities that can be used by middle and high school biology and chemistry instructors. It is particularly valuable to me because I will more than likely use many of the materials and resources provided from this website in my own classroom. Personally I find it challenging to create really fun and yet beneficial, educational activities for students on my own, so it is very useful to have some ideas available for me to start with. 

This website provides several resources for teachers. There are several science experiment lesson plans along with supplemental materials. There is also a JustAsk section that addresses classroom issues such as bullying.

This site has a lot of neat experiments where you can choose the grade level and content. For my unit plan I would select "Earth and Space Science" in order to get ideas on different activities and experiments to do in class with my students. I picked this site because the activities are ones where the students could use their creativity to come up with something unique. For instance, they could make a homemade planetarium, make a spaceship using old CD's, or even make a solar system of students. I would use this site in the classroom to get ideas on how to get the students out of their seats, but yet keep them interested. The activities from this site are ones that the students would definately enjoy.

I chose this as an activity resource. This would be a great activity to do with students near the end of the school year after they have gotten the hang of creating their own solutions and putting them to the test to see if they work out well. This particular activity treats a water balloon as a brain and students construct a "skull" made out of different objects to keep the brain safe and secure when it's dropped from a certain height. I would use this with many different materials for students to use so we could study the outcome of all of the materials and then complete some kind of chart or graph to show our findings.

The Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, IL is filled with many hands on activities for all kinds of science. Why does a tornado spin? Why does a wave break? Why does a flame burn? Why does lightning strike? Our questions about the world begin almost as soon as we're aware of it. I have been to this museum but it has been a long time. After trying to think of an interesting place to go and looking at several, this museum seems to be filled with many hands on science experiences and that is why I chose this museum. Also, for field trips, chaperons and students get into the museum for free but there are small fees for the omnimax and certain special exhibits. I also loved that there were labs you could rent, online resources, and they also include worksheets for activities they do in the museum. For the labs they also include standards on their website, including the next generation standards! Many exhibits interest me but this one on Science Storms would be great to take your students after doing a lesson on weather in science. This would give students an insight to mother nature, it's strength in an up close view. There are so many more to include though. So you could even do an end of the year field trip, or maybe an 8th grade trip and include an educational engaging experience for the children.

The Touch of Nature environmental program offers both land-based activities and water-based activities for students. The best way to experience Touch of Nature is to spend three-five days in their camp program. Students are set up in cabins for the night while during the day they can go on field trips to the local lake, ponds, or night trips looking for owls. This extended field trip is more specified to students grades 6 to 12. It gives students the opportunity to learn about their surrounding environment and how they can use ways to conserve it. "Your Touch of Nature experience can be designed to supplement and enrich classroom curricula or enhance youth group experiences. With nature as your classroom, it can provide insight to groups of all ages and backgrounds. You are encouraged to request a program that serves your specific needs (SIU Touch of Nature)

I found this lesson and was immediately intrigued by the different activities. For a young group of students, I would set the different activities up in a stations format and let them explore the sounds and vibrations. This lesson also asks a lot of questions that encourage students to expand on their knowledge of sound. I chose this as a resource because I love the lab stations. I would use the lab stations in a lesson, but I would not follow the lesson exactly as it is written.

In this exploratory activity, the students will play around with different producers of sound to test what they see, feel, and hear. The students should figure out that vibrations make sound. I chose this activity because it is very hands on and gives the students the opportunity to discover things on their own. I would use this activity after already introducing the simple ideas about sound.

In this 3rd through 5th grade video, students use their science knowledge and apply it using physical activity! Learning about the stages of matter, solid, liquid and gas, students perform an exercise for each as the teacher calls out an object such as soup or fog. _________ This link states the activity is good for third through fifth grade, but I think second grade may also benefit. Through a physical activity, students explore different states of matter. I believe movement and exercise is necessary for students throughout the day. This is a great way for students to get up and move around once you realize they are starting to become antsy or even if there are a few extra minutes of down time. Instead of jogging in place or stretching with no instruction information, have your students do certain movements when you call out the cue for an object that could be a solid, liquid, or gas. This idea could even be a good starting points for other lessons such as vocab words. The teacher could say a definition and students could act it out.

This is a news story about a genetic disorder caused throughout the generations of a family. Due to marrying within the family, family member's generations later have a genetic disorder. Members of this family have a blue pigment to their skin. I selected this source because I think it is important for students to see that genetics is still present in the news and world today. I would use this resource to engage students in genetic disorders. Then I would have my students do a research presentation on other types of genetic disorders.

During a field trip to the Field Museum of Science a class/grade of students can experience many new scientific experiences all in one day! Most exciting is the world-famous fossil known as "Sue"; the largest, best-preserved, and most complete Tyrannosaurus rex ever found. Sue measures 42 feet long from snout to tail and 13 feet tall at the hip. She boasts 58 dagger-like teeth and cuts a fine figure as the Museum's most popular backdrop for visitor photos. We would never be able to experience a real activity such as this inside of a classroom, and the hundreds of ancient and new scientific wonders will have the students enthused to learn more about science. I chose this museum as a field trip that I would love to experience because it has a huge variety of scientific adventures for everyone to enjoy. The main attraction of a giant dinosaur fossil is a great real life encounter to show the children just how huge these prehistoric beings were. This would be a great wrap up experience to a unit on prehistoric earth or fossils in general, and would be fun and educational for all students and teachers involved!

This site provides a source to apply for a field trip for the students to enhance their knowledge in nutrition. They will learn in the classroom the basics about nutrition and eating with a wide variety of colors. Once they gain that knowledge, they can explore the 25 acre UCSC Farm and their organic and seasonal food. I like this option because it is a way to learn outside of the classroom. They can also learn to eat a variety of colors, so it could be connected to an art lesson and being able to make paint with food.

Here are a ton of lesson plans for all areas of science. YOU could take these and make them for all grade levels in the elementary level. I would use this in the classroom a ton. No other resource like your colleagues.

Most of these are fairly advanced concepts. I would be hesitant to use any of those I explored below grade 5.

This is the information for an activity that mimics the idea of launching a rocket. Instead of an actual rocket, however, this experiment uses water and Alka-Seltzer. I think this is a great resource to have because it allows me in have a rocket launch activity with my students at a younger age than what they would typically get to do it. This experiment does not require students to glue, cut, or assemble a rocket. However, they still get the joy of watching one climb into the air. I will definitely use this activity in my future classroom, regardless of the age group. I think this activity is just one of many examples of all the cool things you can do with science. This activity is a great way to get my students interested in science and the suggested questions at the end can persuade them to search farther for questions.

This lesson/activity introduces students to interesting new topics such as the ecosystem, the Artic peninsula, and the food chain. All of these topics come together through the discussion of animals from the Arctic sea and how they live and thrive based off of each other. First the general animal life of the Arctic sea is discussed, then a broken down description of each animal in that particular food chain is provided. The students are able to cut out and color these pictures, and make their own mobiles to help them remember the food chain in the ecosystem. I chose this lesson/activity because I think it had a good mixture of knowledge and activity which allows the students to learn without even realizing it. Animals eating each other tend to be exciting to younger students, and by explaining these topics they will be able to understand wildlife a bit better. This is a great source to use during an ecosystem unit, that will make the class interested in learning the new material and excited about the project at the end.

For this activity you would need a glove, 5 cotton balls, and 5 different types of plant seeds. Label the fingers of the gloves, wet the cotton ball but rid the excess water, place one seed and one cotton ball in the correctly labeled finger of the glove and watch the seeds grow. You can plant cotton ball and seed in garden once they sprout. I chose this because I think that kids really enjoy growing their own plants. I have worked with children and done this before and they love to check on them daily and then be able to take home and grow. I also chose this because each individual child gets their own plants and individual participation for fairly inexpensive project. As we begin a lesson on plants, we would plant our own plants to watch them grown throughout the unit. We would also be able to journal about our plants and their changes over time.

This lesson involves watching plants grow from seeds. Students use a glove and place one seed in each of the fingers and thumb. A damp cotton ball is added to hydrate the seeds as they grow. Students can watch their seeds grow into seedlings and eventually transplant elsewhere to become full grown plants. I would add some things to this lesson (such as a daily or weekly journal to document the growth of the seeds). I chose this because during an observation I saw this lesson in action! The students (grade 1) loved it and were excited to see what their seeds were doing each day and excited to know that when the seedlings were big enough, they would be planting them outside their school. It's valuable to me because I think it's important for students to understand the plant cycle and to appreciate the act of growing things (not just trees or flowers, but we can grow our food too!) I would use this lesson with different books to get the students engaged; I would use journals to monitor and make predictions about our seedlings as well.