POP Science

OverviewLooking for an engaging and interactive notes page to teach or review complete and incomplete metamorphosis? This interactive folding notes page is designed to teach students to differentiate between incomplete and complete metamorphosis. It also helps student compare and contrast various types of life cycles including: insects, frogs, birds, and plants. It is important that students understand that all living things have life cycles with distinct forms. The note portion under each t

This interactive, folding notes page is designed to teach students the anatomy of the heart as well as the circulation pathway of blood through it. Students complete the notes and labels under the inside tab and color each part of the heart a distinctive color. (See image provided below for example.) The back side of the foldable gives students an opportunity to trace the pathway of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood through the heart, to and from the lungs, and to and from the lower and upper bo

Looking for a fun, engaging way for your students to practice transformation of energy? This activity is designed to help student develop a deeper understanding of how energy is transformed from one form to another. Overview:Students must analyze various examples of energy transfer and then determine the original form of energy and what form that energy is being transformed into. This activity can be used as a card sort manipulative or played as a card game activity. The instructions for ho

OverviewLooking for something to handy and straightforward to teach seasons and the effect of the tilted Earth? This is just the resource for you. This interactive folding notes page with a built in card sort is designed to visually model for students that the revolution of Earth with a tilted rotational axis is the cause of the seasons. It helps students understand the relationship between a tilted Earth and seasonal characteristics including temperature, angle of sun rays, intensity of sola

Overview: This activity includes both animal and plant cell foldables. These foldables are used to teach students the structure and functions of plant and animal cell organelles. The students are required to identify and color the organelles on each tab of the foldable using a color key provided. Fill-in-the-blank notes for each organelle are included under each tab for students to complete as well. After the foldable is complete, each tab has a specific organelle colored. When the student

Concept Taught: Types of Energy Purpose: This activity is designed to help student form a deeper understanding of the different types of energy. In this activity, I have included the following types of energy: light/solar, thermal (heat), mechanical, electrical, sound, and chemical. Students must analyze various examples of objects (or actions) and determine which types of energy are associated with that object (or action). For example, a picture of wood burning would be associated with hea

Overview: This is a foldable designed to help students identify the various types of microorganisms. As shown in the picture below, students identify the microbes and record important examples, ideas, definitions, and attributes about each. This is a great activity/handout for interactive notebooking. Depending on how you utilize the foldable, it could serve as a nice formative assessment. Materials prep: o Print foldable in color (two-sided printing option) or copy in black and white (two-

Summary: This activity is designed help students understand how different organisms use their external body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp, protect themselves, move, and obtain food. According to the National Academy of Sciences’ Next Generation Science Standards, by the end of 2nd grade student should know and understand how animals use their body parts in various ways to help them live and function in their environment. (LS1: From Molecules to Organisms: Structure and Processes

This is a fill-in-the-blank notes page that highlights the similarities and differences between prokaryoteic and eukaryotic cells. It also provides students with visual representations of each type of cell. A teacher key is included. This notes page could be trimmed down or folded in half to fit in a science notebook. When notes need to be given, this fill-in-the-blank note taking strategy saves tons of time and tends to be more engaging for the students.

Looking for a manipulative activity that comes in both digital and print version to help your students understand the role of internal negative feedback mechanisms in the maintenance of homeostasis. During this activity students will learn about the components of negative feedback mechanisms and explore various examples of negative feedback mechanisms in living and non-living systems. In each example, students must describe the components and process of the feedback mechanism as well as how it

By the end of this lesson, students will demonstrate how DNA is condensed (supercoiled) into structures called chromosomes by building a quick and simple chromosome model. This activity is great for teaching students about the levels of organization w/in genetic material. Using the model they built, students will differentiate between DNA, chromatin (upper grade levels), chromosomes, and genes. Students will use their model to identify a gene as a section of DNA that codes for a protein (trait

This particular connection card activity (see strategy explanation below) requires students to make connections between various body systems. It requires students understand the interrelatedness of human body systems. Students must analyze the interrelatedness among the systems and use academic vocabulary to explain the interactions. Students often memorize anatomy and physiology and fail to conceptualize that memorization into actual understanding of how the body works together as a whole.

This activity is designed to help students recognize, identify, and define geological features and processes related to plate tectonics. In this interactive manipulative, students have a set of cards containing those key geologic features, definitions and processes. They must correctly play the cards on the “game” board in the correct boxes. Plate tectonics is a fundamental concept in Earth science and geology and this manipulative activity is a great way to teach, review, and/or formatively

This card sort manipulative allows students to build an understanding of interactions within body systems. It is a great formative assessment piece as well. Students are using cooperative learning to sort through information and build a deeper understanding of body system functions.

Objectives: At the end of the activity the student will be able to: o Explain the relationship between ocean tides and the lunar cycle/moon phases. o Explain the relationship between ocean tides and the position of the moon, earth and sun. o Construct a model of tidal change throughout a particular day given the position of the moon, earth and sun. o Differentiate between neap tides and spring tides. o Recognize the moon phase based on the position of the moon, earth and sun. Overview: In thi

The “Cut-up Paragraph” strategy is a quick, highly effective learning tool. It develops long-term conceptual understanding of a topic by requiring students to read critically and interpret information rather than simply skimming through textual information. Students are given a paragraph with important information that has been cut apart into individual sentences. They then must read and interpret the sentence cards and use them to build the paragraph. In this particular Cut-up Paragraph ac

This hands-on manipulative requires students recognize and identify the components of photosynthesis. Students must be able to identify the reactant and products of the chemical process as well as explain where reactants and products are coming from and where they going. This game is a great for learning the basics of photosynthesis. In addition to the game board manipulative, an assessment handout is included that requires students to identify where the reactants of the process come from and

This hands-on manipulative requires students recognize and identify the various carbon sinks and process that drive the carbon cycle. Students must be able to identify each of the five major carbon sinks and then identify the processes that move carbon to and from that sink. This manipulative game helps students conceptually understand how and where carbon is moving in the cycle. This manipulative is a great for learning the fundamentals of the carbon cycle. In addition to the manipulative, a

Patterns of Change Interactive Diagrams Activity: Yearly, Monthly and Daily Cycles of Shadow Position, Shadow Length, Seasons, Sun’s Path Across Sky, Tides, and Moon Phases Developed by: Marianne Dobrovolny – www.science-lessons.org Suggested level: Elementary and Middle School Objectives: At the end of the activity the student will be able to: o Describe patterns in moon phases, shadows throughout the day and year, tidal patterns throughout the day and month, yearly seasonal patterns, year

Overview: This States of Matter Interactive Diagram Game is an interactive, learner-centered way to learn the states of matter and what causes matter to cycle through the states. Students are given a game board, and a set of cards, and they must correctly play the cards in the correct boxes on their game board and verbally explain the process taking place in that step. It is a great formative assessment activity to see just how much your students know about the states of matter. This activity