This lesson plan is part of the DiscoverySchool.com lesson plan library for grades K-5. It focuses on the similar features of Earth and Mars, and how these features may be useful for supporting life on both planets. Included are objectives, materials, procedures, discussion questions, evaluation ideas, suggested readings, and vocabulary. There are videos available to order which complement this lesson, ... Full description.

This lesson is designed to teach elementary students to make observations and form hypotheses by using the concept of trace fossils. Using tennis shoes to create different track types and patterns, students write stories and draw conclusions about what kinds of activities might have created such track patterns. Full description.

In this lesson, students will learn about sampling through an investigation of rocks found in the schoolyard. This will provide a start to understanding everyday statistics. They will first collect and analyze a sample of rocks from the schoolyard and array the collected rocks by characteristics such as size, weight, and color, to see if any generalizations can be made about the types of rocks that ... Full description.

In this lesson, students will observe and document similarities and differences between parts of plants. It supports students interacting with nature and provides them with a framework for their observations by offering them opportunities to explore, question, and document similarities and differences among plant parts. Students will identify and sort plant parts through hands-on activities and group ... Full description.

This lesson demonstrates that simple models can be used to represent real world objects that are not easily brought into a classroom. Students will create a wave model using two different types of simple models. The approach of creating, describing, and understanding qualitative models is critical because it is the type of learning that students will most closely relate to their experiences. Full description.

This lesson is the second in a two-part series on fossils. It explores the information that can be discerned by comparing fossils to living organisms. Students explore fossils and are responsible for using what they have learned to do their own extrapolating. Students conduct an interview with the remains of a Protoceratops. In preparation for the interview, they brainstorm the questions for which ... Full description.

Plants and animals are usually organized by their family tree (origin) and by their physical and genetic characteristics. This activity helps to demonstrate to students that geologists do the same with rocks, which are usually organized by their origin and by their physical and chemical characteristics. To have a better understanding of nature and as one of the initial steps of scientific understanding, ... Full description.

This activity gives students a look at the rugged terrain of the ocean floor. Using modeling clay, students create a landform model complete with mountain ridges, plateaus, rivers, and canyons in a large waterproof pan. Then they pour in blue-tinted water to see that the ocean is simply flooded land with many of the same landforms found above water. The activity includes an extension that has students ... Full description.

This site allows students to take a closer look at three rocks: Gowganda Tillite, Loraine Quartzite, and Gowganda Glacial Conglomerate. On the opening page, there are side-by-side photos of the three rocks and students are asked to describe each one. Clicking a photo of the rock takes students to a magnified view of the rock. The site also includes links to a Tips for Adult Helpers page and to a printable ... Full description.

This site provides an interactive way to learn about the rocks and minerals found in everyday objects. Here, kids start with a clickable kitchen scene. For each item, students are taken to an information screen that explains a rock or mineral and how it has been used in the item. The list of over twenty items includes pots, pans, plates, flatware, acid, matches, and even the kitchen sink. Full description.