A small-group or independent science project designed to allow learners the chance to experience physical science according to their own interests and the household objects they have available to them. Learners will spend time researching a strange phenomenon explainable using physics and preparing a demonstration of the experiment for the class. On presentation day, the class will circulate to watch groups of learners give their demonstrations, make hypotheses about the outcomes, and write the explanation given for the experiments they view. WHAT’S INCLUDED This resource contains: –> Project Description –> Physics Demo Project Brainstorm –> Observer Notes Sheet –> Project Rubric STORY Science Fair Projects can often be very time consuming - thinking of a project, designing an experiment, collecting results, gluing things to a board, and bringing it all back to school. I decided this year to simplify the process and let learners work as partners to give a physical science demonstration about how the world works. I had given many demonstrations in class like the classic “egg sucked into a bottle” trick, “pulling the table cloth out from under the dishes” trick and the ever popular “cola sinks, diet cola floats” trick. Learners were fascinated by these demonstrations, and I got the idea to let them come up with their own experiments so we could run our own mini science fair. IMPLEMENTATION This resource consists of a project description page which, through the teacher’s guidance, can facilitate great conversation and exploration into many real-world phenomena which seem like “tricks” but can be explained through an understanding of physical science. You have several options for setting up a presentation day which gives opportunity for the whole class to benefit from the science explorations. Overall, this project should take students about one week to research, develop, rehearse, and present their experiments. POSSIBLE EXTENSIONS Download this project and let the students teach the science concepts for the day. Invite other classrooms over and have yourself a proper mini-science fair!

A small-group or independent science project designed to allow learners the chance to investigate the many fields of science. Learners will spend time researching a chosen or assigned field of study and preparing a slide presentation to share the information with the class. During presentations, the rest of the class will take notes on specific aspects of the branches of science being showcased. WHAT’S INCLUDED This resource contains: –> Project Description Worksheet –> 2-page note taking organizer for presentations STORY Before jumping into a wide variety of topics in a school year, I enjoy a beginning-of-year research project into the fields of science. This also allows time for learners to practice research methodology, presentation skills, and note taking. IMPLEMENTATION This resource consists mainly of a project description page which, through the teacher’s guidance, can facilitate great conversation about the many branches of science that exist. The research learners will conduct on their specific field of science centers around four main questions as well as a search through the information listed on the US Bureau of Labor Statistics site. POSSIBLE EXTENSIONS As you go throughout the year, have learners make connections between the topics they are learning to the fields of science they researched.

A whole-group scientific exploration of how fingerprinting can be used to identify a subject. This resource offers opportunity for learners to glimpse into the world of forensic science. “Frame” one of your students secretly and let the rest of the class match up the types of fingerprints in this relevant-to-the-real-world activity. WHAT’S INCLUDED This resource contains: –> A one page printable sheet for collecting fingerprints –> Detailed instructions for setting up and implementing the activity STORY Last year, I wanted to expose my students to as many different branches of science as possible. Forensics ended up being a one day unit and this activity was involved! IMPLEMENTATION This resource consists mainly of a worksheet that can help students document the fingerprints of their peers as well as teacher instructions for framing one member of the class in the “perfect crime” of your choosing. POSSIBLE EXTENSIONS Possible discussion topics to extend the activity are outlined in the file. MATERIALS/PRE-REQS Besides this resource, you may require: –> Tape –> Several ink pads

An independent and whole-group exploration of phenomenon related to how the Sun, Moon, and Earth interact using the scientific method. This resource touches on some key topics of early astronomy instruction: the Earth’s rotation, the Earth’s revolution around the Sun, moon phases, tides, eclipses, and the uneven heating of the Earth’s surface. WHAT’S INCLUDED This resource contains: –> 2 pages of rich, scientific questions related to the Sun, moon, and Earth –> Teacher guide for implementation with plenty of links to other exciting resources about Space –> Answer Key with explanations, sample diagrams, other resources, and digging deeper questions STORY I created an astronomy unit around the same time that my learners were also exploring the scientific method. As a way to reinforce the connection between the two, I developed this activity which prompts students to hypothesize about 6 key Earth-related questions. IMPLEMENTATION This resource consists mainly of a worksheet which, through the teacher’s guidance, can facilitate deep conversation about how the heavenly bodies of our Solar System interact. The exploration begins with an independent task; learners will hypothesize about why certain phenomena occur, like “how do night and day occur?” or “what causes seasons?” Then a whole-group discussion brings about the variety of postulates in the room. Learners should be encouraged to model their thinking to their peers with a globe and a flashlight. The learning community then comes to an agreement on their collective theory of why a certain phenomenon happens. Then, after a little exploration together of the provided resources, learners are able to synthesize what they discovered through a drawing and explanation of their own. POSSIBLE EXTENSIONS This file includes multiple links to deeper questions about the universe or interesting developments in our understanding of Space. MATERIALS/PRE-REQS Besides this resource, you may require: –> Computers with internet access –> A Globe (or something to model the Earth like a basketball) –> A Flashlight (or a light to model the sun - must be bright & direct enough to cast shadows) –> A “Moon” (something relative to the size of your “Earth” to model the moon like a tennis ball)

A small- and whole-group exploration geared toward creating a to-scale model of the solar system that fits within the walls of a classroom. By leveraging their understanding of ratios and scale factors, learners can scale down the actual distances between planets and the diameters of those planets to a reasonable size for display from the ceiling. WHAT’S INCLUDED This resource contains: –> Step-by-step instructions for accurately scaling down the diameters of the planets and distances from the Sun –> Teacher guide for strategic implementation in the classroom, leaning on the learners to provide the mathematical reasoning for building accurate models STORY In an effort to create a fun, visual representation of the Solar System during my astronomy unit, I came up with this activity. Instead of just being another art project, I decided to have learners flex their mathematical reasoning muscles to discover scale factors. IMPLEMENTATION This resource consists mainly of an activity which, through the teacher’s guidance, can facilitate great conversation about the connections between proportional reasoning and a scale model of the Solar System. Using two separate scale factors, learners will create a model with scaled planet diameters and distances from the Sun. With this, you will be able to create an accurate model for drawing deeper conclusions together in class. POSSIBLE EXTENSIONS There is always more research or exploration that can be done about the things scientists have discovered in our Solar System. MATERIALS/PRE-REQS Besides this resource, you may require: –> Computers with internet access –> Meter or yard stick –> Construction, butcher, or printer paper for creating planets

A small-group or independent, scientific exploration of purpose and prevalence of simple machines in our daily lives. This resource offers opportunity for learners to experience brainstorm items that contain the six simple machines in four different areas of a home. Then, they will examine everyday household items that contain 2 or 3 simple machines considering the purpose of how these systems assist our lives. WHAT’S INCLUDED This resource contains: –> 2 different activities exploring simple and compound machines –> Possible answers are included for both activities STORY After watching Bill Nye’s episode about simple machines, my students were interested in exploring more on the topic. Our discussion also moved into the realm of compound machines. The next day, I created for them this activity and we had a group competition to see who could name the most household items containing simple machines. IMPLEMENTATION This resource consists mainly of a worksheet that can help students navigate an exploration of simple and compound machines in their homes and at school. Choose to frame this as an independent or small group activity for learners to extend their understanding of the six simple machines. In any case, push learners to continue inquiring about how science is used to make our lives easier - specifically within systems. POSSIBLE EXTENSIONS After completing this activity with your class, you can also have students think of an item and let classmates guess which simple machines can be found in it. In class, this was my lead up to conversations about potential and kinetic energy. In that unit, we had students build Rube Goldberg machines, and this knowledge was very helpful in the successful creation of those machines. MATERIALS/PRE-REQS Besides this resource, you may require: –> Some knowledge of simple machines –> Sample simple / compound machines for students to consider

This 4-week unit plan will give you a great framework for a unit in discovering the secrets and science of Space. Using these resources, you’ll debunk a few misconceptions about the cause of seasons, moon phases, distances between and sizes of planets, and the levels of our atmosphere. This unit plan offers multiple lessons involving great technological resources for conceptualizing the ideas. Inside this .zip file you will find a Read Me.pdf that will guide you through the 4 weeks of the unit. See the “What’s included” section below for the details. This is an all-inclusive unit plan! Although this was designed and implemented in a sixth grade classroom, it can be easily modified to fit a fifth grade or seventh grade classroom as well. WHAT’S INCLUDED This resource contains: –> A planning & pacing guide –> Four comprehensive, technology-integrated activities –> A group research project & presentation –> Group rubric and peer evaluation rubric for the project –> A simple assessment (for use as a pretest) –> A in-depth assessment (for use as a summative) –> Reteaching resources for all 6 major topics of the unit –> Answer keys and teacher implementation info included for each rubric STORY I originally developed this unit plan to address a variety of concepts surrounding the wonder and science of Space. I weaved in situations where practice with the scientific method could be included as well. IMPLEMENTATION This unit plan contains a guide for a suggested path through the scientific content. In addition, each activity or project has a teacher forward detailing options for how to implement the activity in any classroom. There are also resources for effectively reteaching concepts from the unit. From start to finish, this plan has four weeks of science learning in your classroom covered. POSSIBLE EXTENSIONS The reteaching materials included in this file are a great, multi-day possibility for extending learning and curiosity. MATERIALS/PRE-REQS Besides this resource, you may require: –> Computers with internet access –> Meter or yard stick –> Construction, butcher, or printer paper for one activity –> Wooden skewers or stakes for one outdoor activity