Got Force?
Students use various surfaces and a weighted car to see how far the car will travel using balanced and unbalanced forces.
Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells
Students will categorize cells as prokaryotic or eukaryotic by identifying the presence or lack of a nucleus.
Teacher Summing Up Lesson
Lights, Camera, Action!
Students compare and contrast potential and kinetic energy by creating a real-world model through a movie.
Does it have Potential?
Students will work with partners to investigate how mass, potential energy, and kinetic energy act on objects dropped from varying heights.
Video of the lesson being taught
Scientifically Magnetic!
Students will review the steps of the scientific method and conduct an investigation that involves sorting magnetic and nonmagnetic objects.
Biotic and Abiotic Factors of an Ecosystem
Students will explore abiotic and biotic factors in various ecosystems by working through stations. Students will be able to identify and describe abiotic and biotic factors within an ecosystem.
Motion Pictures
In this lesson, students will be introduced to the concept of motion representation using distance vs. time graphs. Students will recognize labeling of axes, steepness related to speed, horizontal lines as non-motion, and downward slope as return to origin.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Related to the Unit
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Earth: A Tilted Affair
After a brief review of direct and indirect sunlight, students will arrange heat maps and globes around a drawing of the Sun based on the tilt of Earth and how it affects Earth’s temperature.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Related to the Unit
Click below to learn about the TEKS related to this unit.
Drumming Up Some Sound Energy!
Students will explore sound energy by creating their own drums using a variety of materials. Then, students will listen for the loud and soft sounds that each of the drums creates.
Introduction of Lesson using a video of drums
Push Back, Pull Forward
Students will conduct an experiment to demonstrate force such as pushes and pulls.
Types of Science Investigations
Students will distinguish between descriptive, comparative, and experimental investigations.
Experimental Design
Given investigation scenarios and lab procedures, students will identify independent variables, dependent variables, constants, and control groups.
Disruptions of the Cell Cycle: Cancer
Given illustrations or descriptions, students will identify disruptions of the cell cycle that lead to diseases such as cancer.
Taxonomy Standards
Given examples, students will recognize the importance of taxonomy to the scientific community.
Taxonomy: Major Groups
Given illustrations or descriptions, students will determine the classification of organisms into domains and kingdoms.
Homeostasis: Ecological Systems
Given images, videos, or scenarios, identify and describe the responses of organisms, populations, and communities to various changes in their external environment.
Biological Systems: Homeostasis
Identify and describe internal feedback mechanisms involved in maintaining homeostasis given scenarios, illustrations, or descriptions.
Relationships Between Organisms: Food Chains, Webs, and Pyramids
Given illustrations, students will analyze the flow of matter and energy in food chains, food webs, and ecological pyramids.
Organisms' Adaptations
Given scenarios, illustrations. or descriptions, the student will compare variations and adaptations of organisms in different ecosystems.
Theories
Given laboratory investigation scenarios, students will distinguish between scientific hypotheses and scientific theories.