This cluster includes the following access points.
Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this topic.
| Name |
Description |
| Pnyx Hill: The Crumbling Foundation of Democracy (Part 2): | Students will use information related to weather patterns and the climate of Greece to explore weathering and erosion as potential contributing factors to the change in appearance of Pnyx Hill over time. They will then consider how similar factors could impact stone structures at the U.S. Capitol in this integrated lesson plan. |
| Pnyx Hill: The Crumbling Foundation of Democracy (Part 1): | Students will be introduced to Pnyx Hill in Athens, Greece, a historic political meeting site. They will explore how weathering and erosion have likely changed its appearance over time using scientific and creative thinking with models based on archaeological and historical information. After learning that Pnyx was the site of early democratic meetings, students will conduct a visual and structural comparison to our current Congressional halls in this integrated lesson plan. |
| Just Right Goldilocks’ Café: Temperature & Turbidity: | This is lesson 3 of 3 in the Goldilocks’ Café Just Right unit. This lesson focuses on systematic investigation on getting a cup of coffee to be the “just right” temperature and turbidity level. Students will use both the temperature probe and turbidity sensor and code using ScratchX during their investigation. |
| Just Right Goldilocks’ Café: Turbidity: | This is lesson 2 of 3 in the Just Right Goldilocks’ Café unit. This lesson focuses on systematic investigation on getting a cup of coffee to be the “just right” level of turbidity. Students will use turbidity sensors and code using ScratchX during their investigation. |
| Just Right Goldilocks’ Café: Temperature: | This is lesson 1 of 3 in the Just Right Goldilocks’ Café unit. This lesson focuses on systematic investigation on getting a cup of coffee to be the “just right” temperature. Students will use temperature probes and code using ScratchX during their investigation.
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| Gr. 6 Lesson 3-Florida’s Limestone–Tums for Our Water and Soil : | Students will conduct a controlled experiment to determine the effect Florida's limestone has on the pH levels of Florida's water and soil. Students will compare limestone's effect to that of other rocks and minerals found naturally in Florida. At the end of this investigation, students should be able to articulate the effect limestone has on the pH of water in Florida, the importance of this phenomenon, and a basic understanding of the process by which limestone affects pH levels in water. |
| Body in Balance : | The student will create explanations that fit evidence in science relating to how the human body maintains homeostasis. Students will discover body system interactions and how the organ systems work together to maintain homeostasis. |
| Fluid Streams Affecting Weather : | The student will complete a series of stations in order to explain how jet streams and ocean currents influence local weather. Students will rotate through six stations in order to gain background knowledge about jet streams and ocean currents. The students will also answer questions at each station to elaborate their understanding of jet streams and ocean currents and how they affect local weather. After the stations are completed, the teacher will lead a whole group discussion to connect the student's learning to the big ideas of the lesson. |
| Build Me a Beach House: | This is a multi-day activity that reinforces science, math, and technology skills by taking the students through the design process. Students will be tasked with designing and building a structure that could withstand high winds and water as would be found close to the seashore. |
| Bottymals @ RobottoysTM: | In this Model Eliciting Activity (MEA), students will learn how to use very different pieces of information and data to select the best "Bottymals" for a company that wants to manufacture them and place them on the market. The MEA includes information about animal/insect anatomy (locomotion), manufacturing materials used in robotics, and physical science of the 6th grade level. Extensive information is provided to students, thus pre-requisites are minimal.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx |
| Long Live Periphyton!: | In this Model Eliciting Activity (MEA), students will become familiar with the use of scientific names, Linnaeus' binomial nomenclature, and Classification of Living Things. At the same time students will be learning about periphyton in the Everglades, how it forms, its importance, and the factors that affect its development. They will engage in solving a problem situation in which they will have to select the best area to reinsert some fish species that depend on periphyton.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx |
| Pokemontures App.: | In this Model Eliciting Activity (MEA), students will understand how global patterns affect the temperature of an area by studying the features of an application's virtual creatures called the "Pokemontures." These creatures have the ability to match the temperature of their environment. As students study the Pokemontures' features and calculate their approximate temperature, they will apply concepts linked to the patterns that affect temperature. Students will also review heat transfers and sea/land breezes with the use of this MEA.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx |
| Robots Get a Job: | In this MEA, students will select the robots that are more efficient at doing a certain type of job. They will have to analyze data tables that include force, force units, mass, mass units, and friction.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx |
| Sea Ice Analysis Grade 6: | The changing climate is an important topic for both scientific analysis and worldly knowledge. This lesson uses data collected by the National Snow and Ice Data Center to create and use statistical analysis as a tool to evaluate the mean and variation from the mean of sea ice loss. |
| Measurement and Data Collection: | In this interdisciplinary lesson, students will practice the skill of data collection with a variety of tools and by statistically analyzing the class data sets will begin to understand that error is inherent in all data.
This lesson uses the Hip Sciences Sensor Wand and Temperature Probe. Please refer to the corresponding Hip Science Sensor Guide(s) for information on using the sensor. |
| Cool Special Effects: | In this MEA, students will apply the concepts of heat transfer, especially convection. Students will analyze factors such as temperature that affect the behavior of fluids as they form convection currents.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| Measurement Data Error: | In this interdisciplinary lesson, students will practice the skill of data collection with a variety of tools and by statistically analyzing the class data sets will begin to understand that error is inherent in all data. |
| Measurement and Data Collection: | In this interdisciplinary lesson, students will practice the skill of data collection with a variety of tools and by statistically analyzing the class data sets will begin to understand that error is inherent in all data.
This lesson uses the Hip Sciences Sensor Wand and Temperature Probe. Please refer to the corresponding Hip Science Sensor Guide(s) for information on using the sensor. |
| The Human Catapult: | Students will replicate an investigation to test a new amusement park ride, The Human Catapult. They will build a prototype catapult and compare their findings with that of the company, Innovative Engineering Design, Inc. Students will learn the importance of replication; the safety of future riders is at stake! |
| More Than One Way, Scientific Investigations: | Students will compare and contrast two short articles to learn that scientific investigations are not always controlled experiments and that the traditional scientific method is not always appropriate or most effective for understanding the natural world. Later in the lesson, students will choose their own article and reflect on the scientific methods used in that scientific investigation. |
| Water, Water Everywhere!: | This lesson addresses current events regarding flooding in St. Petersburg, Florida. Students will create a water removal device from materials provided then use a 3D scanner to 3D print their devices. |
| Levitation Engineers: Exploring Forces: | Students will explore, observe, and infer about the properties and behaviors of magnets by conducting their own experiments with the magnets and the differences between contact and non-contact forces. Students will plan and design a magnetic levitation device using the engineering design process. |
| Energy of Art: | The students will follow the scientific process to investigate the movement of a pendulum and then apply that knowledge to design and build device that automatically creates a "splatter" painting. |
| An Investigative Look at Florida's Sinkholes: | This is a 6th grade inquiry lab lesson for students to model what factors affect sinkholes, along with weathering and erosion. |
| Small but Mighty: The progression of the Cell Theory: | The cell theory has had a major impact on modern science, from the development of the theory to the present day. This lesson will examine strategies students can use to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the development of the cell theory. |
| The Penny Lab: | Students will design an investigation to collect and analyze data, determine results, write a justification and make a presentation using U.S. pennies.
Paired student teams will determine the mass of 50 U.S. pennies. Students will also collect other data from each penny such as minted year and observable appearance. Students will be expected to organize/represent their data into tables, histograms and other informational structures appropriate for reporting all data for each penny. Students will be expected to consider the data, determine trends, and research information in order to make a claim that explains trends in data from minted U.S. pennies.
Hopefully, student data reports will support the knowledge that the metallic composition of the penny has changed over the years. Different compositions can have significantly different masses. A sufficiently random selection of hundreds of pennies across the class should allow the students to discover trends in the data to suggest the years in which the composition changed. |
| An Inquiry into Albedo, Land Surface and AirTemperture: | This lesson is designed to provide a hands on inquiry on Sphere Interactions by investigating the relationship between Surface Albedo and Atmospheric Temperature. In this activity, students will develop an Argument Driven Inquiry (ADI) with the Guiding question: "What is the relationship between the land surface Albedo and Atmospheric Temperature?" |
| Let's Play Ball: | Students will investigate if the pitcher's mound and center field are the same temperature, since they are in the same location but have two different surfaces. |
| Investigation vs. Experiment: | This lesson explains and demonstrates the difference between an investigation and an experiment. This lesson includes teacher presentation and hands-on activities that will keep your students engaged. This lesson is very interactive and can be spread over several day. Each student should be recording their own individual data to simply get used to the process of collecting data. However the teacher can decide if the students will work in groups for the Final presentation. This lesson can lead into lessons for the following benchmarks:
SC.6.N.1.2 Explain why scientific investigations should be replicable SC.6.N.1.4 Discuss, compare, and negotiate methods used, results obtained, and explanations among groups of students conducting the same investigation. |
| How do scientists draw the invisible?: | A short lesson on ways that scientists develop their understanding of things that they cannot see by developing models based on testing and hypothesis.
Students will collaborate, discuss and develop a way to draw the landscape inside a shoebox that has been sealed using minimal tools. Students will NOT be attempting to say what is in the box but what the layout (landscape) is inside the box.
Students will discover the difficulty that scientists have encountered as they begin the process of answering questions about things that they can not see. Students will learn that not all questions are easily solved and that sometimes only a partial answer is learned until another scientist adds more to the answer. |
| Motion and Position of the Human Body: | In this lab students will explore the interactions of the muscular and skeletal systems and how they contribute to homeostasis. Students will collect data based on their own body movements and identify how movement occurs through muscles, tendons, joints and bones. Finally students will conclude that temperature maintenance, cell production and nutritional factors are all variables controlled, in part, by these body systems for the purpose of homeostasis. |
| Exotic Tadpole Explosion!: | Inquiry based challenge to develop a plan to investigate a large tadpole population growth in the town of Belle Pole. Students analyze preexisting data and make conclusions about the data. Student groups compare their approaches and conclusions with other student groups. A whole group discussion leads students to conclude that results often varied based on methods used to conduct the same investigation. The lesson ends with students writing a self reflection from their student group and whole group discussions. |
| Sound Is Not The Only Place You Hear About Volume!: | This lesson introduces the idea of finding volume. Volume in sixth grade math is very "rectangular" (cubes, rectangular prisms) and this lesson brings to light that volume is simply a measure of available space, but can take on many shapes or forms (cylinders for example - graduated cylinders and beakers) in science. Students will be left to design their own data collection and organizing the data that they collect. They will apply the skill of finding volume to using fractional parts of a number (decimals) and finding the product using the volume formula. |
| Scientific Replication: | This lesson explores the idea of replication when completing scientific investigations. Students are asked to create a plan for Science Incorporated to determine if their investigations are replicable. |
| pH: The Power of Health is in Balance: | In this Model-Eliciting Activity (MEA), students work in collaborative learning groups to classify pH values. Students are faced with a problem of correcting possible affects of contaminating pollution. Scenarios of a problem statement help students apply factors to water resources in real world events. They recognize and explain that a scientific theory is well-supported and widely accepted explanation of nature and not simply a claim posed by an individual. Students may prove their proposal by performing a pH wet lab with common kitchen solutions. pH - The Power of Hydrogen Ions implies that the "power of health is in balance" with balanced "Hydrogen Ions." Life exists inside a certain range of pH values.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx |
| Inland Flood Protection Using Levees-An Engineering Design Challenge: | This Engineering Design Challenge is intended to help students apply the concepts of protecting human life from hazardous weather as they build levees to prevent flooding. It is not intended as an initial introduction to this benchmark. |
| Energy of Water: Erosion: | In this lesson, students will investigate the energy of water as it relates to erosion. After guided exploration of an erosion tray, students will devise, carry out, and evaluate a plan to slow down or stop the effects of erosion with as little environmental impact as possible. |
| NASA Beginning Engineering, Science and Technology: | The NASA BEST Activities Guides is designed to teach students the Engineering Design
Process. These lessons are created to accommodate grades 6-8.
All follow the same set of activities and teach students about humans' endeavor to return to the
Moon. Specifically, how we investigate the Moon remotely, the modes of transportation to and on
the Moon, and how humans will live and work on the Moon. |
| Got You Covered!: | Students will develop a procedure for selecting car covers to protect the fleet of vehicles used by the Everywhere Sales Corporation. They will use a given data table to consider the attributes of several different brands of car covers, analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and then rank and weight the attributes according to their level of importance. The procedure will be written out in detail and a rationale provided to advise the company which car cover(s) should be used.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| Circulatory System Lesson: | The lesson will begin with the teacher engaging the students with a presentation of "How the Blood Gets Around the Body" following a think quest presentation that covers the parts and functions of the circulatory system, including the brain, veins and arteries, heart and blood. Students will explore blood vessels by watching a short video clip, conducting a hands-on investigation about blood pressure. Next the teacher will lead a discussion and explain about the human heart and will use a "Map of the Human Heart" to show the class exactly how the heart pumps blood throughout your body and learn facts about the human heart. Students will get a chance to elaborate by creating a color picture of blood flow to, through and from the heart in their notebooks. To evaluate the students, they will watch a short video clip about the circulatory system and take the accompanying quiz. |
| Tree-mendous Choice for Erosion Prevention: | In this Model-Eliciting Activity (MEA), students are provided with an open-ended, realistic problem for which students will research, discuss, and present the characteristics of 8 trees based on characteristics, type of wood, and suitability for growth in wet or dry climate with current weather patterns. Their objective is to promote the soil erosion prevention Students support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence, as they produce clear and coherent writing to describe the project of their structure ins development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx |
| Punkin Chunkin - An Engineering Design Challenge: | This Engineering Design Challenge is intended to help students apply the concepts of the transfer of potential and kinetic energy. It is not intended as an initial introduction to this benchmark. |
| Survivor Millennium!: | Students will discover the importance of scientific replication by performing an investigation requiring them to write, and then follow, step-by-step instructions. The scenario will be based on the show Survivor and will involve making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. |
| Immunity Lesson Plan: | This lesson plan has power point to support it. The lesson requires students to complete a project comparing bacteria, fungus, and viruses. |
| Uncle Henry's Dilemma: | Uncle Henry's Dilemma is a problem solving lesson to determine the global location for the reading of Uncle Henry's will. The students will interpret data sets which include temperature, rainfall, air pollution, travel cost, flight times and health issues to rank five global locations for Uncle Henry's relatives to travel to for the reading of his will. This is an engaging, fun-filled MEA lesson with twists and turns throughout. Students will learn how this procedure of selecting locations can be applied to everyday decisions by the government, a business, a family, or individuals.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| Dissolving Gobstoppers Using Controls and Variables: | Students will conduct a simple laboratory experience that practices the proper use of controls and variables. Students will conduct a controlled experiment in their laboratory groups. |
| Experiences and Experiments - There is a Difference: | Students have had many experiences in science and have participated in and designed simple investigations. This lesson directs students in identifying the steps of experimentation. While microorganisms are the topic and the subject of the experimentation, the emphasis and learning should center on scientific steps and processes of scientific experiments.
Designing and conducting an experiment involves an integration or combining of science process skills. |
| MYSTERY BOXES - Uncertainty & Collaboration: | Students manipulate sealed "mystery" boxes and attempt to determine the inner structure of the boxes which contain a moving ball and a fixed barrier or two. The nature and sources of uncertainty inherent in the process of problem-solving are experienced. The uncertainty of the conclusions is reduced by student collaboration. The students are asked to relate this activity to how to learn about "mystery boxes" in nature (interior of the earth, the atom, etc). |
| Potential and Kinetic Energy; "To Move or not to Move".: | Students will investigate, through a guided exploration lab, using a tennis ball, the Law of Conservation of Energy to differentiate between Potential and Kinetic Energy, and identify real life situations where potential energy is transformed into kinetic energy and vice versa. |
| THE GREAT FOSSIL FIND: | Students are taken on an imaginary fossil hunt. Following a script read by the teacher, students "find" (remove from envelope) paper "fossils" of some unknown creature, only a few at a time. Each time, they attempt to reconstruct the creature, and each time their interpretation tends to change as new pieces are "found".
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| Differences between Climate and Weather: | Students will collect weather data over several days or weeks, graph temperature data, and compare the temperature data collected with averaged climate data where they live, to better understand the differences between weather and climate. |
| Building a Skyscraper—An Engineering Design Challenge: | This Engineering Design Challenge is intended to help students apply the concepts of contact and non-contact forces as they build structures able to withstand the forces of wind and gravity. It is not intended as an initial introduction to this benchmark. |
| Falling Water: | Students drop water from different heights to demonstrate the conversion of water's potential energy to kinetic energy. |
| Impact Crators : | In this activity, marbles or other spheres such as steel shot, ball bearings, golf, or wooden balls are used as impactors dropped from a series of heights onto a prepared "lunar surface." Using impactors of different mass dropped from the same height will allow students to study the relationship of mass of the impactor to crater size. Dropping impactors from different heights will allow students to study the relationship of velocity of the impactor to crater size. |
| Is it valuable to repeat an experiment?: | It is important that experiments are repeated by other scientists. If similar results are not gathered, the conclusion(s) drawn would not have validity. |
| Lunar Landers: Exploring Gravity : | The attached engineering design lesson plan elaborates on the PBS Kids online resource and will probably take from 4-5 class periods. It takes the students through the engineering design process which includes the following components: Identify the Problem, Brainstorm and Design a Solution, Test and Evaluate, Redesign, Reflect and Share the Solution. |
| Marshmallow Design Challenge: | This fun design/build exercise teaches some simple but profound lessons in collaboration, innovation, hidden assumptions, and creativity that are central to the engineering process. |
| Replication or Repetition? Why bother?: | Teacher will do demonstration mixing a clear liquid (vinegar) and a white powder (baking soda) resulting in a bubbling chemical reaction. The students will then be given the packages of materials and be asked to replicate the teacher's experiment, repeating their trial 3 times. Some groups will not be able to do this since their white powder is not baking soda, but cornstarch, which will not react with vinegar. Out of this discrepant event, the guiding questions will evoke the realization that accurate information is necessary to for replication of scientific investigations. Time will be spent differentiating replication from repetition. |
Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
