Kindergarten:
Animal Homes: (Kindergarten) Students will understand that
all animals live in a habitat and identify the four basic resources all animals
need in their habitat to survive: food,
water, shelter, and space.
Let it Snow! Let it Melt!: (Kindergarten) Students
will make observations and draw conclusions about what makes ice melt as well
as begin to understand the properties of and differences between solids and
liquids.
Sun Rays: (Kindergarten) Students will see evidence of the
Sun’s radiant energy through solar beads and sun print paper. Through these
activities students will learn all living things need the Sun’s energy, what
happens when people get too much of the Sun’s energy, and how to protect
themselves during hot days.
Dinosaurs: (Kindergarten) Students study fossils and learn
how fossils help scientists learn about ancient animals such as dinosaurs.
Earthworms: (Kindergarten) Students learn about earthworms
by observing them in their natural habitats and participating in activities
that exhibit basic worm functions.
Rockin’ Rocks: (Kindergarten) Students will have a rockin’
good time discovering how rocks are different in size, weight, and color. Classes will also discover the difference
between living and non-living things, and finish the lesson with a rockin’
craft.
Our Amazing Moon: (Kindergarten) Students explore the
changing relationships between the Sun, Earth and the Moon through a
kinesthetic model and a hands-on craft project.
Flubber!: (Kindergarten) Students have fun making flubber
while using the scientific method.
1st Grade:
Snowflake Symmetry: (1st
Grade) Students examine properties of
snowflakes and use snowflakes to identify and describe symmetry.
Energy Sleuths: (1st Grade) In this lesson
students will learn that energy is what gives people, animals ,objects and
machines the ability to move and survive. They will also uncover different
forms of energy that humans use to perform human functions.
First Explorers: (1st Grade) Students learn about the
changing seasons and how plants, animals and humans prepare for winter. During
a nature walk, students have the opportunity to act as scientists as they
collect fall specimens and use their five senses to answer the question: what
is fall? Flower Functions: (1st Grade) Students learn the
basic structure of a plant and how each part works together as a system to
obtain essential resources needed for the plant’s survival.
Rocks of the Earth: (1st Grade) Students will be introduced
to the layers of the Earth and learn the specific characteristics of each layer
by constructing a kinesthetic model of the Earth.
Yellow/Blue Switcheroo: (1st Grade) Through an
exciting experiment, students are introduced to the steps of the scientific
method and apply their knowledge to make hypotheses and detailed observations.
Our Special Planet: (1st Grade) Students take an
interactive tour of our Solar system to explore the other planets and how they
compare to our special planet, Earth.
2nd Grade:
Animal Tracks: (2nd Grade) Students will learn
there are many ways to know of an animal’s presence other than actually seeing
the animal. This lesson will introduce students to animal tracking and the
concept of using tracks to access an animal’s presence and activities.
Can You Measure the
Wind?: (2nd Grade) Through a
variety of experiments and the creation of their own wind gauge, students will
learn how to measure the strength and direction of wind.
Solar Energy: (2nd Grade) This lesson will
introduce students to the concept the Sun provides energy to Earth and all
living things. Through experiments, students will see how people can capture
its energy to create heat.
Native American Myths -Why Seasons Change: (2nd
Grade) Students understand that seasons change and that nature and storytelling
play a large role in Native American culture. They have the opportunity to
listen to and create myths about why the seasons change.
Pollination Investigation: (2nd Grade) Students
will dissect a flower to discover the parts used in pollination and fertilization.
Sorting Rocks: (2nd grade) Students will have
the opportunity to hone their observational skills, and take rock
classification to a new level, as they sort and group rocks based on their
physical properties.
Our Solar System: (2nd Grade) Students will
travel through the solar system and learn how far apart the planets are and how
they move through the solar system.
Mentos Super Fountain Mentos + Pop = Fun: (2nd
Grade) Through a fun experiment with Diet Coke and Mentos, students learn about
the scientific method and enjoy a super fountain!!
3rd Grade:
Owl Pellets: (3rd Grade) Students will discover
what owls are and how they live by dissecting owl pellets; they will make the
connection that we can learn a lot about animals by making observations of what
they ingest, and in this case, regurgitate.
Winter Adaptations: (3rd Grade) The onset of winter brings
change which affects all animals. Animals respond to this change in three basic way: migration, hibernation and resistance. This lesson gives students the opportunity to
explore these themes through a hands-on winter adaptations activity.
Energy Chains: (3rd Grade) Students will act out
a skit to demonstrate how energy makes its way from the sun to us, allowing us
to run, play and even do homework. Students will understand that energy doesn’t get “used-up” it just
changes form with some unusable energy escaping along the way.
Photosynthesis: (3rd Grade) Students discover
the process of photosynthesis and see what happens if a plant’s resources are
limited. Students also learn why plants are green and the importance of plants
to our world.
Boulders to Bits: (3rd Grade) Through a
competition to build the strongest mountain, students will explore erosion and
weathering; they will conduct experiments to model erosive forces on the land
and record their observations.
Eggs-plosion!: (3rd Grade) Students conduct
egg-mazing eggs-periments while learning about the scientific method.
Play-Doh Planets: (3rd Grade) It’s hard to
imagine the size of Jupiter compared to the size of Pluto. Through this hands-on activity, students will
use a scale model to easily visualize such hard to grasp concepts and to learn
about the relative volumes of the planets in our solar system.
4th Grade:
Skins and Skulls: (4th Grade) By exploring skull
characteristics and specific evidence left behind by animals, students will
learn animals have specific eating habits being carnivores, herbivores, and
omnivores.
Beaver Adaptations: (4th Grade) Students will
discover the impressive physical and behavioral adaptations that help beavers survive
in their unique aquatic environment.
Freezing Point: (4th Grade) Through various
experiments, students will investigate the properties of water and find out
what changes it from one state to another.
What’s In Your Trash?: (4th Grade) Students will
discover the hidden energy in what they throw away and what they can do to save
that energy.
Emigrant Trails: (4th Grade) Through
discussions, journaling and an interactive activity students relive the
hardships and good fortunes American emigrants experienced as they traveled
west along the emigrant trails.
The Many Uses of Plants: (4th Grade) Students learn about the
different materials that are made from plants as well as how important plants
are to our everyday lives.
Discovering Minerals: (4th Grade) Through a
series of hands-on activities, students will learn the characteristics of
minerals and how crystals form.
Putting it into Context: (4th Grade) Through a
series of activities, students learn about the importance of artifacts in
context for learning about the past and the people who lived there in
preparation for their field trip to Lovelock Cave.
H2Olympics: (4th Grade) Students will learn
about properties of water: cohesion, adhesion and surface tension, through a
series of experiments while using the steps of the scientific method.
5th Grade:
Terrariums: (5th Grade) Students have the
opportunity to see the water cycle happen right before their eyes. The students
construct their own terrarium, plant seeds, and learn about the water cycle in
the process.
The GREAT Great Basin
Desert: (5th Grade) Students
will understand where the Great Basin Desert is located, its climate and
physical characteristics, and how the animals that live there are affected and
adapted to this unique desert environment. Students will use this knowledge to create an animal specially adapted
to the Great Basin Desert.
Ride the Rock Cycle: (5th Grade) Students will travel through the Rock Cycle
and learn that like the water cycle, the rock cycle has various stages and does
not necessarily move linearly through those stages.
Why are Sunsets Red?: (5th Grade) Through a series of
experiments, students learn light travels in waves, how light is separated and
the reason sunsets have brilliant colors.
Forces in Motion: (5th Grade) Students learn
about Newton’s Laws of Motion. Through a series of experiments, students
explore Newton’s Third Law of Motion in greater depth.
Static Electricity: (5th Grade) Through a series
of experiments, students will learn about static electricity and how it
explains lightning.
Know Before You Go: (5th Grade) Participants get
a visual of the importance of Leave No Trace after a drawing of their favorite
place gets overrun by impact monsters. Next, students will take a closer look
at the principle Know Before You Go, which teaches students how to prepare for
trips into the great outdoors.
Blood-Typing: (5th
Grade) Through an experiment with Kool-Aid, students follow the steps of the
scientific method to learn about the experimental procedure of blood typing.
6th Grade:
Coaster Physics: (6th Grade) Explore conservation of energy by
experimenting with marble roller coasters and pendulums.
Mystery Box: (6th Grade) Students explore the nature of
scientific inquiry by investigating and determining the contents of a sealed
mystery box.
Chemical Reactions: (6th Grade) Students use the scientific
method to explore a set of chemical reactions and discover how organisms use
chemistry to survive.