Lesson Plans You Can Use
Science and Math Educators -- Below you will find links to a multitude of federal agency resources for teachers. We are continuously updating the sites below, so check often for the latest resources.
General:
National Science Digital
Library (NSDL) (grades K-8)
A digital library of exemplary resource
collections and services, organized in support of science education at
all levels.
NSDL Middle School
Portal (grades 5-8) - This site is a portal to math, science and technology
subject matter for middle school students that can be browsed by subcategories
in the 3 areas or by national standards. Further links lead to specific
lesson plans and teacher materials.
Digital
Library for Earth Systems Education (DLESE) (grades K-12) - Geology and Earth Science resources
include electronic materials for both teachers and learners, such as
lesson plans, maps, images, data sets, visualizations, assessment activities,
curriculum, online courses, and much more.
Mathematical Sciences Digital Library (MathDL) (grades K-16) - The NSDL node specifically geared towards mathematics.
Teachers Domain (grades K-16) - This NSDL portal specializes in providing multimedia resources for the classroom that enhance learning experiences in ways no textbook can. Includes collections on life science, physical science, engineering, and even social studies.
Educator's Reference Desk (grades K-12)
Collection of more than
2000 unique lesion plans that were written and submitted by teachers
from all over the United States and the world.
Lesson plans are divided by subject. The main page includes a search feature which allows searches
by keyword and/or by grade level.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) (grades K-12)
These supplements are interactive teaching units that combine cutting-edge science research discoveries from the National Institutes of Health with state-of-the-art instructional materials. Each supplement is a teacher's guide to two weeks' of lessons on science and human health. In addition to printed materials, web accessible copies complete with student actitivites are available.
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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Resources
Environmental
Lesson Plans from the Environmental Protection Agency (grades K-12)
Collection
of curricula and activities on a variety of environmental topics. Explore
these links and find creative ways to teach your students about the environment.
Air (grades K-12)
- acid rain, indoor air pollution, ozone, radon.
Conservation
(grades K-12) - energy, environmental stewardship, natural resources, pollution prevention.
Ecosystems
(grades K-12) - ecology, endangered species, global warming, habitats, watersheds.
Human
Health (grades K-12) - drinking water, fish advisories, indoor air, lead, ozone
depletion, pesticides, radon, smog.
In
Your Neighborhood (grades K-12) - databases, local issues, maps.
Waste & Recycling (grades K-12) - garbage, household, hazardous & solid waste, landfills,
superfund cleanups, trash
Water
(grades K-12) - trash, drinking water, ecosystems, lakes, oceans, rivers, water pollution,
watersheds
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Department of Energy (DOE) Resources
DOE
Biological and Environmental Research Program Education Site
Here
you will find a wide number of educational links with information and
lessons plans for biology, weather, global change, chemistry, and genomics,
as well as links to the educational sites constructed by many of the Department
of Energy National Laboratories.
Education Websites at DOE Labs and Facilities (grades 8-12)
Links to the education websites of all the DOE facilities. Many facilities offer lesson plans and/or summer programs and internships for students and teachers.
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy lesson plans (grades K-16)
Here you'll find resources for lesson plans, curriculum, and educational materials for teaching students and children about energy, particularly energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Energy Information Administration's classroom activities page (grades K-12)
Find science fair experiments, as well as a selection of stories, hands-on activities, and research articles for students of all learning styles and levels.
LInC Online K-12 Classroom Projects (grades K-12)
Lesson plans and activites developed by teachers through the LInC summer program at Femilab.
National
Energy Technology Laboratory lesson plans (grades 6-12)
These lesson plans were
developed through the Teachers in the Workplace Program. Geared
toward middle and high school students, they explore such topics as fuel
cell technology, environmental management, and biomass burning.
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National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Resources
Educator Guides (grades K-12)
Designed to incorporate NASA-related topics into existing curriculum, NASA's guides utilize problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Each guide contains background information, education standards, hands-on activities, and NASA educational resources.
Imagine the Universe Lesson Plans from Goddard (grades 612)
A collection of math and science lesson plans for classroom use.
Lesson Plans from JPL (grades 5-12)
Make a comet in the classroom, explore topics from craters to Venus with innovative hands-on activities.
Live from the Aurora (grades K-12)
Learn about the sun. Age appropriate lesson plans covering such concepts as sunspots, magnetism, and auroras.
Mars curriculum modules (grades 4-12)
A wealth of resources and lesson plans will help you bring Mars into the classroom.
NASAExplores (grades K-12)
This NASA Web site provides weekly lesson plans for Grades
K-4, 5-8, and 9-12. Topics are selected from current NASA Aerospace Technology
and Human Exploration of Space topics.
NASA Space Place (grades K-8)
Many of these lesson plans provide creative ways to teach math using information from space and space research, though a variety of other subjects are also covered, including science, engineering, and language arts. Many of the activities support the Standards for Technological Literacy, as developed by International Technology Education Association.
NASA Quest (grades K-12)
This site has lesson plans that include aerospace (Earth’s atmosphere and the space beyond), astrobiology (the study of the origin, distribution, and destiny of life in the universe), and women of NASA.
Planet Quest (grades 5-12)
Lesson plans revolving around the theme of searching for extrasolar planets.
Remote Sensing Lesson Plans (grades K-12)
A collection of lesson plans geared toward various grade levels designed to introduce students (and teachers) to remote sensing and some of its applications.
Sky Tellers (grades K-10)
Native American myths explore the mysteries of our universe and our place in it. The stories are accompanied by explanations of the space science phenomenon as currently understood by scientists and hands-on activities to reinforce learning.
Space Science
Curriculum Standards Quilt (grades K-12)
Search for activities and
lesson plans by grade and National Science Education Standards
Sun-Earth Day (grades K-12)
This celebration traditionally falls on the Spring Equinox.
The site provides lots of suggestions and opportunities for you and
your classroom to explore our relationship to the Sun.
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National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Resources
NOAA
Education for Educators (grades K-12)
links to classroom resources which introduce
the major topic areas covered by NOAA's jurisdiction. While the site offers
many different types of resources, the next several links are a sampling
of the more specific opportunities found within this site.
JetStream (grades K-12) - NOAA's Online Weather School. In
addition to providing lesson plans on basic weather occurrences, JetStream's
goal is to advance weather safety. The JetStream
homepage lists the topics down the left side, or educators can access
the topics in a matrix
format that outlines the order of provided lesson plans.
Activities
in Meteorology (grades K-12) - Links lead directly to simple classroom activities and
experiments that illuminate the underlying effects of meteorological
events.
The Resource Listing for Weather
and Climate Instruction (grades K-12) hosts the text of the publication "Resource
Listing for Weather and Climate Instruction" and several links
to ideas on how meteorological events can be used to teach basic principles
of math and science.
The National Weather Service's Resources
for Educators (grades K-12) provides links to classroom materials to suggest new
and different ways to use atmospheric science to highlight other scientific
subjects.
Lesson Plans from Ocean Explorer
This section provides direct access to 165 lesson plans developed by scientists and educators during the 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 Ocean Explorer field seasons. These lessons are geared toward students in Grades 5-12. Presented here as Web-based education materials, each lesson plan corresponds with a specific ocean exploration and can be supplemented with daily logs prepared by scientists and educators during each mission at sea. Images and video captured in the daily logs provide an invaluable resource for teachers and students as they explore these lessons.
Science
with NOAA Research (grades K-6) has teachingmaterials - student activity books,
teacher information, and teacher activity keys - for various weather and
atmospheric topics ready to be printed and used immediately in any age-appropriate
classroom.
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National Science Foundation (NSF) Resources
Biology Lessons for Prospective and Practicing Teachers (grades K-8)
Biology lesson plans and activities embracing the constructivist philosophy of student learning and designed to facilitate students' learning about population biology, molecules, and cells.
CIBL, Center for Inquiry-Based Learning (grades pre-K-12)
Hands-on, inquiry based science and mathematics activities. [at the home page click on "science & math exercises"]
Clearinghouse on Mathematics, Engineering, Technology and Science (COMETS) (grades K-Post-Sec)
An educational clearinghouse designed to assist teachers in educating deaf and hearing students in mathematics, engineering, technology, and science. [at the home page click on "K12 Teachers"]
Strange
Matter: Discover the Secrets of Everyday Stuff (grades 5-8)
A collection
of virtual activities for students to explore the science behind everyday
materials. [at the home page click on "for teachers"]
Kit
and Curricular Companions (grades K-8)
Links to curricula resources
for technology, life, Earth, and physical science teachers; supplement
to national standards-based science kits.
Problems
With A Point (grades 6-12)
Provides resources to support a problem-based
approach to support existing math curricula.
PIE Network
(grades 3-8)
PIE (Playful Invention and Exploration) is an approach to using new technologies that integrates art, science, music, and engineering.
The pH Factor (grades K-12)
Background information, lesson plans, and activities about pH based on a constructivist approach to learning.
WISE, the Web-based Inquiry Science Environment (grades 4-12)
Projects for analyzing current scientific controversies using real-world evidence; WISE is also a research project.
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Smithsonian Institution
Science & Technology Lesson Plans (grades 3-8)
The
Smithsonian Education department offers some well constructed lesson plans on topics from biology to archeology to oceanography and more.
The
Smithsonian Educational Resource Library (grades K-12)
A good resource for teachers
looking to mix lesson plans from several subjects. It will search the
Smithsonian lesson plan database based on age, subject, or media type.
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USGS
Bureau of Land Management Teacher Resource Center (grades K-12)
These classroom activities cover a range of topics from science to social studies and math. There are projects on everything from ecology to paleontology, from energy to archeology. A wide array of other classroom resources are also available.
Minerals Management Service Kids Page (grades K-12)
Lesson plans covering topics from "What's in seawater?" to "Tidepool Math" and "Ocean Energy".
National Park Service Curriculum-Based Programs (grades K-12)
Sorted alphabetically by park name, you can find information about pre-visit, on-site, and post-visit curriculum-based education programs for everywhere from Acadia to Zion.
USGS Learning Web
Here you'll find K-12 lesson plans, ideas for classroom activities, education materials, homework help and more.
USGS lesson plans (grades K-12)
Life Scence, Earth Science, and Geography lesson plans from the U.S. Geological Survey. Explore fossils and climate change, learn to understand and use maps, or why we have volcanoes.
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