Charlotte's Collaborative Projects

This activity is a hands-on lab that meets the Next Generation Science Standard for fifth grade - 5-PS1-1 Matter and Its Interaction: Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen. Students learn that molecules and compounds are made of different combinations of elements. They have to determine which elements are in the given compounds and molecules, then build the compound/molecule with a molecular model set and, finally, sketch their constructions. My stud

This activity is a hands-on lab that meets the Next Generation Science Standard for fifth grade – 5-PS1-1 Matter and Its Interaction: Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen. Students learn how the three parts that make up an atom: protons, neutrons and electrons. They research several different elements to find how many protons, neutrons and electrons are in each element and interesting facts about the elements by using provided websites. Then, stude

This activity is a hands-on project that meets the Next Generation Science Standard for third grade: 3-LS4-2 (Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing) and 3-LS4-4 (Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change). This project also includes sev

This activity is a hands-on project that meets the Next Generation Science Standard for third grade: 3-ESS2-1 Earth's Systems (Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season). This activity is a year-long project that allows students to compare temperatures throughout the different seasons. Students will complete a daily temperature calendar, a line graph plotting the daily temperature for each month, and a double ba

This lab meets NGSS standard PS1.B: Chemical Reactions: MS-PS1-6 - Some chemical reactions release energy, others store energy. Students will be mixing chemicals together, making sure to take initial and final temperatures. From the temperature readings they take, students will then determine whether the reaction was endothermic or exothermic. Finally, they will create a bar graph showing their initial and final temperatures.

This flow chart fits nicely into NGSS Standard 5-LS1-1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes. Each student will research a different plant to determine whether their plants are nonvascular or vascular. From there, vascular plants are broken down into seed and seedless plants, and flowering and nonflowering plants. Each student will then add their research to a class flow chart to show the variety of types of plants. In doing their research, students will learn the difference

This activity lets students use their knowledge of what resources plants need in order to live while looking at a variety of environments. This activity meets the NGSS Standard 3-LS4-4 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity -Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change. Students will add their own drawings to the environments pictured in order for the plant to survive in each. The

This genetic puzzle is for low to average students studying heredity at the middle school level. It meets the Next Generation Science Standard MS-LS3 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits. Students use a short description on a puzzle piece to design a Punnett Square with the given traits. They will have nine different puzzle pieces used to create a unique person. Students then use the specified square within the Punnett Squares to determine which traits their person will inherit. I

5-ESS2-1 Earth's Systems (Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact.) 5-ESS2-2 Earth's Systems (Describe and graph the amounts and percentages of water and fresh water in various reservoirs to provide evidence about the distribution of water on Earth.) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.1.b (Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.) CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.2.b (Develop the topic with facts, definitions,

This is a great lab to include while teaching your students about food chains. Students have the opportunity to dissect an owl pellet and discover the contents within. Using those pieces as clues, students will be able to answer the questions in this lab to determine where in the food chain an owl and its' prey fall, as well as what type of habitat owls live in based on their diet.

This activity is a great way to either teach or review the different tools available for scientists to use in order to calculate mass, volume, time, length or look at objects closer. Students will cut out and glue together 6 envelopes to keep their task cards in. They will then label them (Mass, Temperature, Length, Volume, Time and Optical) and glue the unit of measurement on the correct envelope. From there, students will have task cards with a description and a picture of each tool that th

This activity is a hands-on project that meets the Next Generation Science Standard for third grade: 3-ESS2-2 Earth’s Systems (Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world). Using a provided website, students will research a different climate around the world. They will find specific information about their climate and then create a travel brochure to persuade travelers to visit. Students will give a practice presentation to their classmates in the f

This product is a great way for students to learn about mechanical waves. NGSS standard MS-PS4-1 (A simple wave has a repeating pattern with a specific wavelength, frequency, and amplitude.) is covered by this collection of foldables, and it also will help lead right into MS-PS4-2 (A sound wave needs a medium through which it is transmitted). Taking information from a textbook or PowerPoint becomes much more streamlined for students and these foldables make sure they have all the important inf

This product is a great way for students to learn about magnetism and electromagnets. NGSS standard MS-PS2-3 (Electric and magnetic (electromagnetic) forces can be attractive or repulsive, and their sizes depend on the magnitudes of the charges, currents, or magnetic strengths involved and on the distances between the interacting objects) and MS-PS2-5 (Forces that act at a distance (electric, magnetic, and gravitational) can be explained by fields that extend through space and can be mapped by

This lab aligns with Next Generation Science Standards for Middle School Physical Science: PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter. Students will be pouring multiple liquids into a graduated cylinder to observe how density plays a key role in their final position. I was amazed at how many of my students had misconstrued notions about density and how “heavy” liquids were. This lab allowed them to make predictions and see immediately if they were right or not, and they were excited to keep ad

This genetic puzzle is for average to high students studying heredity at the middle school level. It meets the Next Generation Science Standard MS-LS3 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits. Students use a short description on a puzzle piece to design a Punnett Square with the given traits. They will have nine different puzzle pieces used to create a unique person. Students then use the specified square within the Punnett Squares to determine which traits their person will inherit. I

This lesson aligns with Next Generation Science Standards for Middle School Physical Science: PS1.A: Structure and Properties of Matter. Students will be given the task of describing objects that are extremely similar in a very detailed manner so that the specific object they described can be picked out. The entire lesson is hands-on, so there are no student pages necessary, only a lesson plan. This was by far one of my most successful lessons and loved by my students.