science research lesson plan

• Research Skills

50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills

Please note, I am no longer blogging and this post hasn’t updated since April 2020.

For a number of years, Seth Godin has been talking about the need to “ connect the dots” rather than “collect the dots” . That is, rather than memorising information, students must be able to learn how to solve new problems, see patterns, and combine multiple perspectives.

Solid research skills underpin this. Having the fluency to find and use information successfully is an essential skill for life and work.

Today’s students have more information at their fingertips than ever before and this means the role of the teacher as a guide is more important than ever.

You might be wondering how you can fit teaching research skills into a busy curriculum? There aren’t enough hours in the day! The good news is, there are so many mini-lessons you can do to build students’ skills over time.

This post outlines 50 ideas for activities that could be done in just a few minutes (or stretched out to a longer lesson if you have the time!).

Learn More About The Research Process

I have a popular post called Teach Students How To Research Online In 5 Steps. It outlines a five-step approach to break down the research process into manageable chunks.

This post shares ideas for mini-lessons that could be carried out in the classroom throughout the year to help build students’ skills in the five areas of: clarify, search, delve, evaluate , and cite . It also includes ideas for learning about staying organised throughout the research process.

Notes about the 50 research activities:

• These ideas can be adapted for different age groups from middle primary/elementary to senior high school.
• Many of these ideas can be repeated throughout the year.
• Depending on the age of your students, you can decide whether the activity will be more teacher or student led. Some activities suggest coming up with a list of words, questions, or phrases. Teachers of younger students could generate these themselves.
• Depending on how much time you have, many of the activities can be either quickly modelled by the teacher, or extended to an hour-long lesson.
• Some of the activities could fit into more than one category.
• Looking for simple articles for younger students for some of the activities? Try DOGO News or Time for Kids . Newsela is also a great resource but you do need to sign up for free account.
• Why not try a few activities in a staff meeting? Everyone can always brush up on their own research skills!

• Choose a topic (e.g. koalas, basketball, Mount Everest) . Write as many questions as you can think of relating to that topic.
• Make a mindmap of a topic you’re currently learning about. This could be either on paper or using an online tool like Bubbl.us .
• Read a short book or article. Make a list of 5 words from the text that you don’t totally understand. Look up the meaning of the words in a dictionary (online or paper).
• Look at a printed or digital copy of a short article with the title removed. Come up with as many different titles as possible that would fit the article.
• Come up with a list of 5 different questions you could type into Google (e.g. Which country in Asia has the largest population?) Circle the keywords in each question.
• Write down 10 words to describe a person, place, or topic. Come up with synonyms for these words using a tool like  Thesaurus.com .
• Write pairs of synonyms on post-it notes (this could be done by the teacher or students). Each student in the class has one post-it note and walks around the classroom to find the person with the synonym to their word.

• Explore how to search Google using your voice (i.e. click/tap on the microphone in the Google search box or on your phone/tablet keyboard) . List the pros and cons of using voice and text to search.
• Open two different search engines in your browser such as Google and Bing. Type in a query and compare the results. Do all search engines work exactly the same?
• Have students work in pairs to try out a different search engine (there are 11 listed here ). Report back to the class on the pros and cons.
• Think of something you’re curious about, (e.g. What endangered animals live in the Amazon Rainforest?). Open Google in two tabs. In one search, type in one or two keywords ( e.g. Amazon Rainforest) . In the other search type in multiple relevant keywords (e.g. endangered animals Amazon rainforest).  Compare the results. Discuss the importance of being specific.
• Similar to above, try two different searches where one phrase is in quotation marks and the other is not. For example, Origin of “raining cats and dogs” and Origin of raining cats and dogs . Discuss the difference that using quotation marks makes (It tells Google to search for the precise keywords in order.)
• Try writing a question in Google with a few minor spelling mistakes. What happens? What happens if you add or leave out punctuation ?
• Try the AGoogleADay.com daily search challenges from Google. The questions help older students learn about choosing keywords, deconstructing questions, and altering keywords.
• Explore how Google uses autocomplete to suggest searches quickly. Try it out by typing in various queries (e.g. How to draw… or What is the tallest…). Discuss how these suggestions come about, how to use them, and whether they’re usually helpful.
• Watch this video  from Code.org to learn more about how search works .
• Take a look at  20 Instant Google Searches your Students Need to Know  by Eric Curts to learn about “ instant searches ”. Try one to try out. Perhaps each student could be assigned one to try and share with the class.
• Experiment with typing some questions into Google that have a clear answer (e.g. “What is a parallelogram?” or “What is the highest mountain in the world?” or “What is the population of Australia?”). Look at the different ways the answers are displayed instantly within the search results — dictionary definitions, image cards, graphs etc.

• Watch the video How Does Google Know Everything About Me?  by Scientific American. Discuss the PageRank algorithm and how Google uses your data to customise search results.
• Brainstorm a list of popular domains   (e.g. .com, .com.au, or your country’s domain) . Discuss if any domains might be more reliable than others and why (e.g. .gov or .edu) .
• Discuss (or research) ways to open Google search results in a new tab to save your original search results  (i.e. right-click > open link in new tab or press control/command and click the link).
• Try out a few Google searches (perhaps start with things like “car service” “cat food” or “fresh flowers”). A re there advertisements within the results? Discuss where these appear and how to spot them.
• Look at ways to filter search results by using the tabs at the top of the page in Google (i.e. news, images, shopping, maps, videos etc.). Do the same filters appear for all Google searches? Try out a few different searches and see.
• Type a question into Google and look for the “People also ask” and “Searches related to…” sections. Discuss how these could be useful. When should you use them or ignore them so you don’t go off on an irrelevant tangent? Is the information in the drop-down section under “People also ask” always the best?
• Often, more current search results are more useful. Click on “tools” under the Google search box and then “any time” and your time frame of choice such as “Past month” or “Past year”.
• Have students annotate their own “anatomy of a search result” example like the one I made below. Explore the different ways search results display; some have more details like sitelinks and some do not.

• Find two articles on a news topic from different publications. Or find a news article and an opinion piece on the same topic. Make a Venn diagram comparing the similarities and differences.
• Choose a graph, map, or chart from The New York Times’ What’s Going On In This Graph series . Have a whole class or small group discussion about the data.
• Look at images stripped of their captions on What’s Going On In This Picture? by The New York Times. Discuss the images in pairs or small groups. What can you tell?
• Explore a website together as a class or in pairs — perhaps a news website. Identify all the advertisements .
• Have a look at a fake website either as a whole class or in pairs/small groups. See if students can spot that these sites are not real. Discuss the fact that you can’t believe everything that’s online. Get started with these four examples of fake websites from Eric Curts.
• Give students a copy of my website evaluation flowchart to analyse and then discuss as a class. Read more about the flowchart in this post.
• As a class, look at a prompt from Mike Caulfield’s Four Moves . Either together or in small groups, have students fact check the prompts on the site. This resource explains more about the fact checking process. Note: some of these prompts are not suitable for younger students.
• Practice skim reading — give students one minute to read a short article. Ask them to discuss what stood out to them. Headings? Bold words? Quotes? Then give students ten minutes to read the same article and discuss deep reading.

All students can benefit from learning about plagiarism, copyright, how to write information in their own words, and how to acknowledge the source. However, the formality of this process will depend on your students’ age and your curriculum guidelines.

• Watch the video Citation for Beginners for an introduction to citation. Discuss the key points to remember.
• Look up the definition of plagiarism using a variety of sources (dictionary, video, Wikipedia etc.). Create a definition as a class.
• Find an interesting video on YouTube (perhaps a “life hack” video) and write a brief summary in your own words.
• Have students pair up and tell each other about their weekend. Then have the listener try to verbalise or write their friend’s recount in their own words. Discuss how accurate this was.
• Read the class a copy of a well known fairy tale. Have them write a short summary in their own words. Compare the versions that different students come up with.
• Try out MyBib — a handy free online tool without ads that helps you create citations quickly and easily.
• Give primary/elementary students a copy of Kathy Schrock’s Guide to Citation that matches their grade level (the guide covers grades 1 to 6). Choose one form of citation and create some examples as a class (e.g. a website or a book).
• Make a list of things that are okay and not okay to do when researching, e.g. copy text from a website, use any image from Google images, paraphrase in your own words and cite your source, add a short quote and cite the source. 
• Have students read a short article and then come up with a summary that would be considered plagiarism and one that would not be considered plagiarism. These could be shared with the class and the students asked to decide which one shows an example of plagiarism .
• Older students could investigate the difference between paraphrasing and summarising . They could create a Venn diagram that compares the two.
• Write a list of statements on the board that might be true or false ( e.g. The 1956 Olympics were held in Melbourne, Australia. The rhinoceros is the largest land animal in the world. The current marathon world record is 2 hours, 7 minutes). Have students research these statements and decide whether they’re true or false by sharing their citations.

Staying Organised

• Make a list of different ways you can take notes while researching — Google Docs, Google Keep, pen and paper etc. Discuss the pros and cons of each method.
• Learn the keyboard shortcuts to help manage tabs (e.g. open new tab, reopen closed tab, go to next tab etc.). Perhaps students could all try out the shortcuts and share their favourite one with the class.
• Find a collection of resources on a topic and add them to a Wakelet .
• Listen to a short podcast or watch a brief video on a certain topic and sketchnote ideas. Sylvia Duckworth has some great tips about live sketchnoting
• Learn how to use split screen to have one window open with your research, and another open with your notes (e.g. a Google spreadsheet, Google Doc, Microsoft Word or OneNote etc.) .

All teachers know it’s important to teach students to research well. Investing time in this process will also pay off throughout the year and the years to come. Students will be able to focus on analysing and synthesizing information, rather than the mechanics of the research process.

By trying out as many of these mini-lessons as possible throughout the year, you’ll be really helping your students to thrive in all areas of school, work, and life.

Also remember to model your own searches explicitly during class time. Talk out loud as you look things up and ask students for input. Learning together is the way to go!

You Might Also Enjoy Reading:

How To Evaluate Websites: A Guide For Teachers And Students

Five Tips for Teaching Students How to Research and Filter Information

Typing Tips: The How and Why of Teaching Students Keyboarding Skills

8 Ways Teachers And Schools Can Communicate With Parents

10 Replies to “50 Mini-Lessons For Teaching Students Research Skills”

Loving these ideas, thank you

This list is amazing. Thank you so much!

So glad it’s helpful, Alex! 🙂

Hi I am a student who really needed some help on how to reasearch thanks for the help.

So glad it helped! 🙂

seriously seriously grateful for your post. 🙂

So glad it’s helpful! Makes my day 🙂

How do you get the 50 mini lessons. I got the free one but am interested in the full version.

Hi Tracey, The link to the PDF with the 50 mini lessons is in the post. Here it is . Check out this post if you need more advice on teaching students how to research online. Hope that helps! Kathleen

Best wishes to you as you face your health battler. Hoping you’ve come out stronger and healthier from it. Your website is so helpful.

Comments are closed.

Interactive Science: How to Design Research-based Science Lessons

Recently, a school district administrator emailed me and asked, “If you were going to blend strategies that work into a science lesson, how would you do it?” That question really piqued my interest. Mixing instructional strategies that are proven to work with best practices in science teaching and learning sounds like a win/win. After much thinking, here’s how I would accomplish this, based on the research.

Step #1: Set Goals for the Science Lesson

Dr. John Almarode, who wrote Visible Learning for Science , suggests setting the following goals for science lessons. The goals are straightforward and represent a wonderful response to the question asked.

• Get students interested in lifelong learning and science that works.
• Give students more control over their own learning.
• Build in ways to assess students to discover where they are, and then match strategies to what they need to learn.

The first goal is practical and makes learning relevant to the learner. The second ties into John Hattie’s strong belief in the need for students to be self-regulated learners, individuals who must have agency and ownership over their learning and are able to track their progress. In tracking their own growth towards learning targets, they can make decisions, which gives them voice and choice.

Step #2: Pre-Assess Student Learning

When determining what students already know about a topic or skill, you have to ask, “How do we pre-assess students where they are at?” This leads to the question, “What are some formative assessments we could use?” These assessments provide insights into where students may fall on the SOLO Taxonomy. SOLO stands for “Structure of Observed Learning Outcome.” This isn’t the first time I’ve mentioned SOLO , as have many others.

Let’s revisit what SOLO Taxonomy offers:

SOLO illustrates the qualitative differences. It indicates the differences between student responses and their levels of understanding. It classifies outcomes, relying on complexity and understanding.

SOLO does this so that you can make a judgement on the quality of student responses to assessment tasks . It relies on five levels of understanding:

Prestructural: at this level the learner is missing the point

Unistructural: a response based on a single point.

Multistructural: a response with multiple unrelated points.

Relational: points presented in a logically related answer.

Extended abstract: demonstrating an abstract and deep understanding through unexpected extension.

This FutureLearn chart clarifies the levels:

The Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome (SOLO) taxonomy (Adapted from Biggs & Tang, 2011) as cited in source

The main benefit of the SOLO Taxonomy is that it gives you, as the teacher, a set of specific terms (e.g., Unistructural, Multistructural, Relational) that can describe a student’s level of understanding. This level of understanding pinpoints what strategies may work best for them as they more through the learning process.

For students who are unistructural, they are in the surface phase of learning. This means that you might rely on those types of strategies, which could include vocabulary programs, direct instruction, and/or flipped classroom.

For learners who are relational, in the deep learning phase, different strategies work best. These may include concept mapping, metacognition, and reflection.

Knowing where a child falls on the taxonomy helps identify their level of understanding. It also assists you in knowing what to do next and to set success criteria.

What Is Success Criteria?

This phrase involves students knowing and understanding the answer to a simple question. That is, “How will I know I have learned it?” It is sometimes expressed as a statement, “I’ll know I’ve got it if….” You may want to revisit COLOSO in this blog entry .

Step #3: Build Learning into the Science Lesson

Ready to start on lesson design? Let’s take a look at the process Dr. John Almarode elaborates on. I’ve included a few resources for each area. What would you add?

“Science education needs a mix of demonstrations, labs, and experiments. It also needs reading, writing, and discussing with other scientists,” says Almarode. To that end, the lesson process he describes looks like this:

a) Paired Demonstration and Writing Down Observations

• Demonstration
• Encourage students to write about what they observed

b) Clarifying Terms and Vocabulary

• Discussion about vocabulary terms
• Have students revise their writing using correct terms
• Final wrap-up

One key point that jumped out at me?

Every lesson (surface, deep, transfer) needs to have a clearly articulated learning intention. That learning intention must connect to success criteria. Remember, that is “What am I learning?” (learning intention) and “How will I know I have learned it?” (success criteria).

That’s quite a jump. To help the process make more sense, I put this diagram together that captures my understanding. Don’t be afraid to share your version.

Get a copy of this image via Google Slides or via Diagrams.net (requires you to authorize Diagrams.net in Google Drive account).

As you can see from this diagram, there’s a lot going on. To complicate matters, I’ve included some additional tools and strategy suggestions. How would you approach lesson design in your classroom with these three steps?

Matching Process to Resources

To provide some support, please find some relevant resources organized by the step in the process. I’ve organized them into a meta-collection in Wakelet. Explore and have fun.

Feature Image Source

Photo by author.

Miguel Guhlin

Transforming teaching, learning and leadership through the strategic application of technology has been Miguel Guhlin’s motto. Learn more about his work online at blog.tcea.org , mguhlin.org , and mglead.org /mglead2.org. Catch him on Mastodon @[email protected] Areas of interest flow from his experiences as a district technology administrator, regional education specialist, and classroom educator in bilingual/ESL situations. Learn more about his credentials online at mguhlin.net.

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Lesson Plan Sections

• English/Language Arts (3)
• Environmental (17)
• Science (43)

Science Lessons

The teaching of science offers students a view into an overall understanding of how and why things work the way they do. With science, we are able to explain the reasons behind the functioning of systems from transportation to the human body. This section features science lessons created by real teachers working in schools across the United States. The lessons range from elementary through high school and are organized by grade. As more teachers share their lessons, the section will continue to grow. If you would like to share a lesson plan for inclusion on Teacher.org, please contact us .

Science Arts Lesson Plans

Camouflage and environment.

Students will make butterflies of various colors and then they will experience the advantage that butterflies that are the same color as their environment have against predators.

Science English/Language Arts Lesson Plans

Controversial environmental issues.

Students will research and debate multiple topics in the topic of environmental health. The class will take sides on whether they are for or against the controversial issue.

Debate an Environmental Issue

Students will read an article about the sale of tropical fish. Students will analyze the information given and discuss their opinion based on facts from the article.

Reducing Every Day Plastic Use

Students will research and write a persuasive essay about the effects of plastic in every day use. They will be encouraged to send these letters to officials who could make a difference.

Science Environmental Lesson Plans

Better alternatives.

The students, with a partner, will research the negative environmental impact of every day products and identify safer alternatives.

Bird Feeder Fun

Students will create an all natural bird feeder to hang near the school to feed birds during the various seasons.

Classroom Garden From Trash

Students will create several plants (a garden) from parts of a plant that are normally thrown away.

Cost of Recycling

Each pair of students will trace 1 single recyclable product, from manufacturer to recycling center, examining costs of making the product and recycling it, answering the question:  Is recycling worth it?

Eco-Friendly Homes

The student will work in groups of three or four to design an eco-friendly home.

Environmental Impact Studies

Pairs of students will do an environmental impact study for local development near the school or another area.

Food Chain Tag

Students will learn a brief background about energy transfer between the sun, producers, primary consumers, and secondary consumers. ½ of the students are primary consumers (plants) and ¼ of the students are primary consumers (rabbits) and ¼ of the students are secondary consumers (hawks).

Food Web Art Project

Students will discuss food webs and how animals interact together in an ocean biosphere and make a model of how animals get their energy from other animals and the sun.

Keeping Warm in Winter

Students will understand why animals store fat for the winter or colder months and how this affects how temperature is felt. How does the environment and our protection of it help this?

Ocean Pollution

Students will research ocean pollution and compare/contrast current data, hypotheses and other information and check for accuracy.

Two Sides of an Issue

A controversial issue, such as global warming, will be researched using the vast resources of the Internet.  The students will research both sides, either supporting or disputing the facts, opinions, and other information.

Water, Water, Everywhere

The students will identify products that need water to be manufactured, and the amount needed for each product.

Window Garden

Students will plan, experiment, and observe as seeds grow in a window garden. Students will explore why this is important to the sustainability of our environment.

Words of the Environment

On day one, the students will list as many words as possible related to environmental science and on day two connect the meanings of each to real life situations based on research.

Science P.E. Lesson Plans

Science science lesson plans, all about our senses.

Students will use their senses to try to identify common objects found in or around the classroom.

All About Pollination

This lesson is designed to help students develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.

All About the Moon

This lesson is designed for help students understand the importance of the moon. Through multiple activities and demonstrations, students will learn the phases of the moon, what they look like, how it’s lit, and how long it takes for the moon to revolve around the earth.

Animal Habitats

Students will learn to create a small version of an animal habitat using object in the classroom and personal drawings.

This lesson is designed to help students understand the concept of outer space and astronauts. Through multiple activities and discussions, students will learn who astronauts are, where they go, and how they get there.

Chemical Eating

Using the Periodic Table of Elements the students will research ingredients listed on food product labels.

Engineering Design

This lesson is designed to generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Students will create a food web with a partner.

Layers of the Earth

This lesson is designed to help students understand that the Earth has a layered structure.

Learning About Plants

This lesson is designed to teach students understand the elements of what a plant needs to grow, plus the maintenance involved for upkeep.

Learning About Sand

This lesson is designed to help student’s discover what sand look like, how it’s made, and how can we describe it.

Learning About The Sun

This lesson is designed for help students understand day and night; daily changes in the length and direction of shadows; and different positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times of the day, month, and year.

Learning About the Five Senses

This lesson is designed to help students “observe common objects by using the five senses, describe the properties of common objects, compare and sort common objects by one physical attribute, communicate observations orally and through drawings.

Mystery Boxes

Using different sized “mystery boxes” the students will attempt to guess the item inside each box.

Phases of the Moon

Students will create a foldable to help remember the phases of the moon.

Planets and Solar System

Students will create a mini poster with pictures and a ‘memory phrase’ to teach others the planets in order.

Salt Water and Fresh Water

This lesson is designed to help students Communicate observations orally and through drawings.

Six Degrees of Science Separation

Using a list of terms from all fields of science, the students will connect them in six or less steps to a non-science term, explaining scientific relationships during the process.

Solar System

This lesson is designed to help students understand that “the orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns.

Thanksgiving Food Pyramid

Students will discuss the foods that are traditionally eaten at Thanksgiving in the United States and place them into food groups based on the food pyramid.

This lesson is designed to help students understand Earth in relation to the Solar System. Through a series or activities and interactive teaching, students will learn that the orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns.

The Science of Verbs

The student will connect science to everyday, unusual, or rare actions carried out by people.

The United States of Matter

Observe various substances to recognize different characteristics of solids, liquids, and gases.  The students will work in pairs.

Toothpick Structures

The students will create a structure which can hold as much as possible using only toothpicks and glue.

Weather In A Bottle

Students will discuss types of weather and create their own tornado in a bottle.

Ready to Pursue a Master’s Degree in Education? Make it Your Time!

Teacher.org’s lesson plans encourage conceptual understanding and lifelong learning skills in students as well as empower and motivate teachers.

Are you currently teaching but have the desire to pursue a Master’s Degree in Education? Follow your passion for teaching but at the same time give yourself the tools to further your career and learning. Whether it’s higher salaries, advanced career opportunities, or leadership positions, earning your Master’s Degree in Education is one worth pursuing. Make it your time!

Incorporate STEM journalism in your classroom

Educator Guide: The Scientists to Watch Lesson Plan Collection

• Science & Society
• Research & Design

Meet some rising stars of science and find out how they can inspire you.

Sarote Impheng/EyeEm/Getty Images Plus

About this guide

Use this guide, a collection of lesson plans based on Science News ’ lists of up-and-coming researchers, to introduce students to inspiring scientists and encourage them to explore various science fields and pathways to STEM careers. Each lesson plan can be paired with any SN 10: Scientists to Watch list and includes a student worksheet that is easy to download and print. Mix and match scientists from the previous years’ lists to create a brand-new list that’s relevant to your class, or ask students to compile their own lists. You could also direct students to look for scientists through Science News Explores ’ Cool Jobs collection . Learning Outcomes: STEM careers, fields of scientific research

This Guide Includes:

• Exercise type: Comprehension
• Topic: Science & Society

Get to know the SN 10

• Exercise type: Discussion
• Category: Literacy Practices

Forging paths to STEM success

• Exercise type: Activity
• Category: Research & Design

Collaborate with an SN 10 Scientist

• Topic: Earth

Career share and compare

The sn 10 game.

• Haystack Directory
• Telescopes and Facilities
• Open House Events
• Past Conferences
• Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
• SRT: The Small Radio Telescope

K–12 STEM Lesson Plans

• Northeast Radio Observatory Corporation (NEROC)
• Publications
• Astronomy Projects
• Astronomy & Astrophysics (Science)
• Geodesy Projects
• Geodetic Science
• Geospace Projects
• Geospace & Atmospheric Science
• Space Technology Projects

At Haystack, researchers use several basic science concepts every day. Electromagnetic waves, optics, and molecular chemistry are just a few of the core topics that can be incorporated into the high school science curriculum by exploring the atmosphere and the universe with lessons focused around the research specialties at Haystack.

The original material presented here was developed by teachers, with the assistance of the staff at MIT/Haystack. All lesson plans have been successfully used in high school classrooms. These lessons have been prepared with specific attention to the goals and objectives of current science curricula. The object is to create lessons that will enhance your class, not require you to add substantial material.

The development of these educational materials at the Haystack Observatory was funded by the National Science Foundation under the Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) program.

Lesson Plans

Drones and Software-Defined Radio

The focus in these lessons is on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and software-defined radios (SDRs), so we have developed a curriculum in two parts: one using UAVs, targeting kinematics, and the other using SDRs, targeting the electromagnetic spectrum (as well as a brief summary of wave properties). Additionally, we have included an optional capstone project, which integrates both the UAVs and the SDRs, but may not be appropriate for every classroom or curriculum.

The Cryosphere: On Thin Ice

Cryosphere lesson plans: Unit 1: What the cryosphere is Unit 2: How we study the cryosphere Unit 3: Why we study the cryosphere

Geodesy: The Earth Isn’t Flat (but it isn’t round, either)

While these lessons can be taught as a unit for astronomy or earth science classes, their primary purpose is to function as interjection lessons for a physics class. Physics teachers may choose which labs, activities, and discussions are most useful for the instruction and enrichment of standard physical principles and employ them without disrupting their overall curriculum or objectives. Therefore, these lessons are organized by physical principles—such as kinematics or forces—with the aim of enriching a physics curriculum.

In this study of geodesy, students begin by exploring the problem of defining a universal time system and a stationary spatial reference frame in the dynamic conditions of an ever-expanding universe, followed by a review of data gathering techniques. The next layer is a set of discussions, labs, and activities centered on three geodetic techniques: very long baseline interferometry, GPS, and satellite laser ranging. Students will explore these techniques by using a simple acoustic interferometer and other simplified methods to deduce their fundamental physical principles which will be conceptually applied to geodesy. Afterwards, students will explore some of the applications of geodesy such as measuring tectonic plate motion and post-glacial rebound, and using VLBI for interstellar travel.

Information in Radio Waves

Importance: As modern technology becomes more and more advanced, the underlying principles of how something works can often become easily overlooked. Radio waves are a perfect example of this. Almost all of your students nowadays are going to have a cell phone or other handheld devices on them. Same can be said about a television in their respective households or the wireless internet their computer, phone, or even TV rely on. Each of these devices are going to vary in their complexity and functionality, but unbeknownst to them, they all boil down to the same concept. Radio waves and the information it carries!

Bringing Black Holes into the Classroom

Post-Newtonian contributions to science, such as relativity, have been transformational. They have impacted every branch of science and the technology that shapes our daily lives. However, many high schools do not expose students to modern astronomy or post-Newtonian physics concepts. This unit contains two sets of curriculum modules designed for use in high school physics and astronomy classes.

Climate C.H.A.N.G.E.: Concepts Having Anthropogenic & Natural Global Evidence – YOU DECIDE

This unit provides lessons regarding how the Earth’s atmosphere responds to environmental changes in ways which differ markedly depending on the location, altitude, and time period of observation.

This unit will enhance student ability to critically analyze and interpret data. The goal of this teaching unit is for high school students to see that climate change is occurring at all levels of the atmosphere and for them to come to an independent decision on the cause of the change.

A Physics MOSAIC: Scientific Skills and Explorations for Students

This unit includes an introductory unit on measurement, uncertainty, and data analysis.

The goal is to teach students how science is done, they learn skills that will serve them well whether they continue their studies of science or not. The opportunity to do research on the atmosphere provides increased engagement in the classroom, and students have an authentic experience of asking and answering scientific questions when the answer cannot simply be Googled.

Meet Me in the Mesosphere: Investigation of Atmospheric Processes for Classroom Studies

This unit introduces the Mesospheric Ozone System for Atmospheric Investigations in the Classroom (MOSAIC) system. Background is provided on the hardware, signal reception, and Graphical User Interface (GUI) through which students may access a network of installed MOSAIC instruments. This can provide students with an authentic scientific inquiry.

Students and teachers will find materials suitable for investigations in Earth Science, Chemistry, or Environmental Science. Topics covered: Atmospheric Layers, the Greenhouse Effect, Earth’s Energy Balance, Ozone Creation, and Noctilucent clouds.

This unit also explores the Physics principles connected to an instrument such as MOSAIC. Topics included are: Heat Transfer, Heat and Temperature, the Laws of Thermodynamics, Radio Waves, and Fluid Mechanics. Demonstrations and lab exercises are provided.

Versatile System for learning about Radio Telescopes

This unit brings the exploration of radio waves into the classroom through the use of the Very Small Radio Telescope (VSRT). The VSRT system can be assembled by the user from commercially available parts for less than $500.

The unit consists of various activities and experiments that are appropriate in varying degrees for grades 8-12. These hands-on, inquiry–based activities are an excellent introduction to the concept on invisible electromagnetic radiation.

These materials are appropriate for physics classes by experimenting with the transmission, absorption, propagation, polarization and interference of radio waves (not visible light) emitted by a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL).

Use in a general science classroom would include comparing the transmission of light and radio waves through various materials as well as learning about the polarization of both visible light sources and radio waves from a CFL.

Caught in the Solar Wind

Humans in the 21st century are relying more and more on technology that has the potential to be disrupted by the sun’s influence on Earth’s ionosphere. Space weather is a concept that is becoming more familiar to the general public and will be in the spotlight as we approach the next solar maximum.

The goal of this teaching unit is to educate students about the source, mechanisms and impacts of space weather.

The unit contains a variety of activities that can be used with students from middle school through high school. The activities are designed to fit together as a cohesive package, but can also stand alone for teachers to select as they choose for their classes.

Demystifying Scientific Data

Introduces high school students and their instructors to one of the vital aspects of science: the essential skills of data analysis and interpretation. Units based on the scientific research in radio astronomy, geodesy, and space weather. Leads to understanding a critical process of science: transforming raw data into explanatory theories. Appropriate for grades 8-12.

Waves in Motion

The unit consists of a series of interlocking lectures, activities, and investigations that can be used as stand alone units to supplement a teacher’s existing curriculum, as an independent investigation for a student, or as long exploration into radio astronomy with a theme of waves in space: how and where they carry their information.

Specifically students will comprehend the role radio waves play in our daily lives and in the investigation of the universe. Special emphasis is given to the Relativity theories in honor of the “World Year of Physics” to celebrate Einstein’s 1905 contributions. This unit is appropriate for grades 9-12 and concentrates on the fields of Physics and Astronomy.

Outer Space Is Not Empty Space

A teaching unit in AstroChemistry organized around the question “What is the Universe made of?” The unit deals with large themes that can be used in any science class from Biology to Chemistry to Physics. Includes WebQuests on Light, Matter and the Atmosphere, worksheets, hands-on activities, and instructions for using the Small Radio Telescope in the classroom. Lessons appropriate for grades 8-12.

Small Radio Telescope (SRT) Projects

If you have access to a Small Radio Telescope , this page contains a series of introductory lessons using the SRT for the high school classroom. Further descriptions of some of the activities and projects can be found on the main SRT projects page. The page also contains general information about our SRT program, including how you can obtain one of your own. These lessons are appropriate for grades 10-12.

Space Weather

This tutorial walks the student through a pre/post test with questions about space weather, aurora and other sun/earth phenomena. The answer links within the tests link to pages containing descriptions about the various topics.

AM Radio Lesson Plan

This lesson asks the question, “Why can you hear AM Radio better at night than during the day?” The one-week investigation goes on to explore basic wave principles (wavelength, frequency, and speed) and how electromagnetic waves interact with the Earth’s ionosphere. Space Weather and the Aurora are also examined. The use of the Millstone Radar to probe the atmosphere is also discussed. This lesson is appropriate for grades 9-12.

Solar and Geomagnetic Investigations

This six-week program explores the Sun-Earth connection and combines on-line data collection with the use of the Small Radio Telescope in an extensive introduction to electromagnetic waves, activities on the Sun, and their effects that are felt here on Earth. Go to Frameworks for a detailed explanation of how this lesson will conform to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. This lesson is appropriate for grades 8-12.

One of the key principles in radio astronomy is the resolution of ones measurements. These lessons present the concept of resolution as it applies to radio astronomy. Interference patterns and Spectroscopy are also discussed. This lesson includes a teachers guide. This lesson is appropriate for grades 10-12.

Radio Frequency Interference (RFI)

An introductory unit on radio frequency interference for the high school classroom that helps students understand the concepts behind electromagnetic radiation, matter and energy in the Earth system and beyond, and wavelength vs. frequency. This unit is appropriate for students in grades 9-12.

Links explaining how GPS works and a lesson plan that explores the operations of GPS units and their relationship to work that is being performed at Haystack.

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Nature of Science Lesson Sets

The five lesson sets below were developed with the help of practicing science teachers and tackle the most common and pervasive nature of science misconceptions that students bring to the classroom. Contact us with feedback or questions.

Lesson Set One — Science is a Way of Knowing

It’s imperative that all students have a basic understanding of the scientific process. In this lesson set, students gain insight into how science works and an understanding that the process of science is ongoing and that scientific analysis evolves as new evidence emerges. They also gain valuable skills in evaluating the validity of online resources and popular media content that pertains to scientific experimentation and study.

Lesson Set Two — Science is a Never-Ending Process

One of the scientific terms most commonly misunderstood by the public is the word theory. By investigating germ theory in this lesson set, students understand how a theory can change over time while still maintaining its scientific rigor and relevance. Additionally, by participating in a historical case study, students discard the common misconception of a linear, systematic scientific method as the only blueprint for achieving discovery.

Lesson Set Three — Science is an Inquiry-Based Process

This lesson set allows students to see the power of modeling as part of the scientific process. By using models, scientists are able to develop numerous hypotheses, make claims, and engage in inquiry-driven experimentation. Models are often used when the subject of interest is not readily manipulated or available for use in nature due to either scale or complexity.

Lesson Set Four — Science is About the Evidence

The practice of science is conducted in a cyclic way, with scientists working back and forth between pursuing exploration and discovery, assessing benefits and outcomes, and developing analysis and feedback. At the core of this process is evidence, against which ideas in science are constantly tested. This lesson set is intended to allow students to experience evidence in action and appreciate its importance to the scientific process.

Lesson Set Five — Science Can Make You Strong

One of the most essential challenges for high school science teachers is: How do you help students distinguish between sound science and unintentional misinformation or even blatant pseudoscience? This lesson set asks students to apply information and insights gained from the first four nature of science storylines to investigate an important current topic — the effectiveness of masks in preventing the spread of diseases.

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Crafting the Perfect Lesson Plan for Science: A Guide to Maximizing Student Learning Outcomes

Updated: Apr 10

Learn how to plan a lesson methodically to maximize student engagement

Think about that time you walked into a classroom with a hastily written lesson plan or maybe no lesson plan at all. How did your class go? I’ll take a wild guess and say it wasn’t your best.

I've been there. As a new teacher, I struggled to write up good lesson plans and it showed. They were too content-heavy and teacher-centered, my lesson goals were too vague and my planned activities and laboratory practicals were not well aligned with my lesson objectives.

I often lost my class within the first five minutes with a lackluster introduction. My grades at the end of the semester were dreadful since I failed to adequately incorporate formative assessments in my plans.

RELATED : Types of Exit Tickets and How(and when) to Use Them

However, after some careful research and trial and error, I was able to generate a great template that focused on all the things that are required to plan an objective-focused lesson.

The Importance of Having a Lesson Plan for Every lesson you teach

Before we get into the formula for writing up a brilliant lesson, we may need some reminding as to why it is important as a newbie and even as a veteran to use a plan for every lesson.

Research indicates a direct link between student learning and the depth of a teacher's planning.

Rushing through lesson preparation en route to the classroom may inadvertently shortchange our students' educational experience.

Devoting adequate time to map out our lessons meticulously is imperative because:

Planning lessons increases a teacher's chances of carrying out a lesson successfully. It also allows teachers to be more confident before starting a lesson.

By planning lessons daily, teachers can think about and reflect on different strategies that work inside the classroom, including research-based strategies.

Lesson planning enables the preparation of relevant class activities centered around specific lesson objectives.

Through the preparation of effective lesson plans, teachers can review what they need to teach.

In the classroom, well-prepared teachers show ownership of the learning area they teach, which instills student confidence.

With that said it should be stressed that a lesson plan is NOT a blueprint by which teachers have to strictly adhere to . Although your lessons should be methodical they should also be able to evolve as your students' needs change.

In my opinion, lesson planning is more about actively thinking about a lesson’s goal and activities and how they are interconnected and less about filling a template... a lthough templates certainly help when trying to save time and stay organized.

Now that we have that out of the way Let's discuss some of the ways we can plan lessons that enhance student engagement and understanding.

Thinking about Your Lesson Plan: Preplanning

Before sitting down to write my lesson plan I usually do some preplanning. Preplanning involves thinking about the following questions.

What do I want students to know at the end of this lesson? (Lesson Goal)

What do I need to do (Instructional activity)

What do my students need to do (learning activity) to achieve the lesson goal?

How will I know that students have met the goal? (Assessment)

Focus on the four components above drives the conceptualization of a lesson that is goal-focused and ensures that the lesson is designed and sequenced such that each activity integrated into the lesson supports the identified

lesson objectives.

Every teacher or district has its requirements for a lesson plan. The components I have listed below are just suggestions, but they appear to be common to all those I have encountered. How they are organized in a lesson will of course vary.

Planning an Effective Lesson

1. Define Instructional Goal or Learning Goal

Your main lesson goal should only be one or two sentences long.

This provides a purpose for the lesson. This statement should be generalized and can usually be found in your subject's syllabus (if a syllabus is used).

Example: Students will use particle theory to explain the states of matter and the physical properties of matter.

2. List Learning Objectives

The lesson objectives are statements describing your students' expected learning outcomes at the end of the lesson.

The lesson plan objectives should:

describe a student's behavior that should result from the instruction

state the behavior in terms that can be observed and assessed

indicate the content on which the behavior will be performed

When writing specific objectives you should avoid using vague statements such as :

  “ Students should be able to understand….” or “ students will learn about…”

Knowledge-based vs Skills-Based Learning Objectives

Learning objectives can be categorized into two main types: knowledge-based objectives and skills-based objectives.

knowledge-based objectives focus on understanding and recalling information, while skills-based objectives emphasize the practical application and execution of knowledge and abilities.

Both types of objectives are essential components of effective learning experiences, and a balanced approach that integrates both types can lead to comprehensive student learning and mastery of the subject matter.

Generally, I try to limit my specific objectives to 3 to 4 in a 45 - 60 minute period. I have found that having more than four specific objectives in a single period runs the risk of overwhelming students' working memory and potentially hampering the learning process.

3. List Common Misconceptions

If you are new to teaching I highly recommend conducting some research on some of the common misconceptions on your topic. If you are a veteran teacher then you would already have some idea of the misconceptions students have.

Adding this step to my lesson planning has significantly improved how I approach my teaching and how I design /choose my assessments.

We as educators know that students harbor alternative conceptions that can affect their understanding of other topics later in their academic careers.

By becoming more aware of these misconceptions, teachers have the opportunity to address some of these in their lessons.

4. Break Down Lesson Procedures into three parts

The lesson procedure details the steps and activities the teachers and learners will perform during the lesson to achieve the lesson objectives. How a lesson procedure is written may vary from teacher to teacher but is usually comprised of three parts:

Lesson Introduction

The Lesson Proper (the middle or main part of the lesson)

Lesson Closing

A lesson introduction incites student interest and curiosity. This is the opportunity to help students link their prior knowledge and experiences to the current topic.

During the introduction, teachers can encourage learners to be interested in the new lesson through the use of "bellringers" or warm-up activities.

This also allows learners to ask questions about the previous lesson and to connect the new lesson/ topic to the previous one.

The lesson introduction can include (but is not limited to):

A demonstration

A review of the previous lesson or better yet retrieval practice

A diagnostic test

a close reading activity

The Lesson Proper

This is the middle part of the lesson. During this time, the teacher presents the new material to the class, helps them understand and master that information, provides learners with feedback, and regularly checks for learner's understanding.

In your lesson plan, you can include all the activities that you will perform, as well as your students' responses to those activities.

Each activity planned should be focused on addressing a specific objective.

Specific Objective : Use the particle theory to explain differences in volume and compressibility of solids, liquids, and gases.

All lessons should have an adequate conclusion. The lesson closing is meant to reinforce what the teacher has taught and assess whether or not learners have mastered the day's lesson.

In this portion of your lesson plan, you should specify the activities that students will undertake to pull together. the main points of the lesson. This can include the following activities:

Guided Practice: This will include practice exercises to fix skills or competencies taught in the lesson. Your learning objectives should inform each.

Lesson Summary: Teachers can provide a summary of the lesson or ask students to summarize what they have learned. Teachers can also ask learners to recall the lesson's key activities and concepts.

Evaluation/ Assessment: This portion presents the teacher's planned activity to assess the intended learning of the students. In your lesson plan, you should include all assessment methods that will be utilized to regularly check understanding of the material being tackled.

Formative assessment of students' learning may be done before, during, and after a lesson and should be carried out to measure the attainment of the lesson objectives.

Exit tickets are invaluable during this part of your lesson.

5. Write A Reflection

This is the only part of your plan that should be written after the lesson has been completed.

It is a way of assessing whether your lesson was successful; reviewing the results of your formative assessments and determining whether or not your learning goal was achieved.

You can then decide what needs to be reviewed in the next lesson whether or not you should move on, and which students need additional support.

Writing such detailed lesson plans will allow you to create more engaging and interesting lessons. As you become more experienced they can be modified to suit the emerging needs of your students.

Get started writing your detailed lesson plan using these tips. If you need to write a course syllabus check out this blog post:

How to Write a Syllabus from Start to Finish

Until Next time teachers! And don't forget to share!

References:

Anderson, Lorin W., and David R. Krathwohl, eds. 2001. A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives . New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.

Bloom, B. S. (1956). Taxonomies of educational objectives. Handbook 1. Cognitive Domain. NY: McKay.

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