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| | Why not begin the school year with some outdoor explorations? This collection includes some great lessons that take students outside where they can actively explore earth and life science. The lessons engage students in scientific explorations that give them opportunities to make observations, record data, and draw conclusions.
Also be sure to take a look at Ohio Focus Resources. You'll find a wide selection of natural history resources and field guide types of resources that will help you answer the "What is this?" questions your students are bound to ask as a result of outdoor explorations. |
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|  | | | | | Look At All Those Leaves (ORC#: 3507) | The purpose of this best practice lesson is to observe, measure, and sort tree leaves. Students will learn to examine leaves individually, in groups, and in relationship to the entire tree.
This lesson begins with students observing leaves in hands-on ways. As they observe attributes, they will group the leaves according to these attributes and consider any patterns they see emerge. In addition, they will communicate what they have learned about leaves in quantitative terms. The activities in this lesson will challenge students to consider how standard units of measurement help clarify for others what they are trying to convey.
In the second part of this lesson, students will become more familiar with the seasonal changing of leaves. They will realize that these and other changes repeat themselves, and that these patterns of change are called cycles and are part of our environment.
This lesson includes an interactive online animation. The animation is presented in an audio enhanced version (requires Flash) and a graphics only version. (author/ts) |
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| | | | | Pond 2: Life in a Drop of Pond Water (ORC#: 3539) | | The objective of this promising practice lesson is to investigate the living creatures in a drop of pond water. Students travel to a local pond where they collect samples of pond water. They then observe the samples with a hand lens and microscope. Their hands-on investigation is followed with an Internet investigation into protists.
This lesson is the second in a two-part series on microorganisms. It is designed to follow the first lesson, but it can also stand alone. In Pond 1: Pond Life (ORC #3538), students explore how various organisms satisfy their needs within their environments and the kinds of relationships that exist between organisms within an environment. (author/ts) |
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| | | | | Investigating Local Ecosystems (ORC#: 514) | | Students investigate the habitats of local plants and animals and explore some of the ways animals depend on plants and each other. In this lesson, students will observe living organisms in a local ecosystem and create detailed drawings and descriptions of them. The final section of this lesson offers a few Internet resources to extend the ideas of this lesson. (author/kct) |
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| | | | | Outdoor Observation (ORC#: 5243) | | Students use the five senses to explore seasonal changes in this promising practice lesson. This lesson gives young scientists an opportunity to record their observations through drawings and/or words. It also provides an opportunity for students to engage in an exploration that is sustained over a long period of time. (ts) |
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| | | | | Interdisciplinary Task: Weather (ORC#: 2598) | | This task assesses students' abilities to observe scientific phenomena, communicate findings, synthesize multiple ideas, develop interpretation/personal response/critical stance, appropriately use language, and write to inform.
This performance assessment is part of the PALS (Performance Assessment Links in Science) collection. (author/ts) |
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| | | | | Day and Night (ORC#: 1329) | | Children compare and describe the sun and moon through a variety of activities. This lesson is associated with PBS's Jay Jay the Jet Plane series. Three videos Jay Jay and the Stars at Night, Learn About...The Sun and Learn About...The Moon are included. Real One Player (available as a free download) is required to play the videos. (ts) |
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 | | | | | Moon Journal Activity (ORC#: 409) | | A subsection of A Private Universe Project, this resource allows students to investigate the earth-moon system and motion of planetary bodies. Using a journal, teachers gain insight into the students' understanding and the learning process. Students record their predictions, observations, explanations, and questions about the things that puzzle them, and express amazement about the phenomena they witness. Teachers can use the journal as a tool for ascertaining the student's prior knowledge and understanding, identifying any alternative ideas a student might have. Professional and content resources are included, allowing the development of teacher understanding of the concepts. |
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