In this 7-12 Earth  Science lab, students will get a chance to hone in on their observation and inference skills. Students will work in groups to observe 4 different rocks. They will make inferences about the environment that the rocks came from as well as take an educated guess as to which rock type the rock belongs, igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary. Students will write those observations down and then share one of their rocks with the class.

At the beginning of science courses, usually, the scientific method is taught. My high school students have to demonstrate their knowledge of the scientific processes and especially show an understanding of data collection, variables, and conclusions. This document contains the rubric I use to grade their assignment as well as the student instructions that I give. This is in a Google doc so that you can edit the instructions or manipulate the rubric.

This is an animated video that describes how the Declaration of Independence came about.  

 Summary of the Video:

The Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, two days after the resolution of independence was approved on July 2, 1776. Despite the adoption date, Americans celebrate July 4 as the nation’s birthday.

Introduction: The Opinion Essay Organizer is a valuable tool designed to help students structure and organize their thoughts when writing a five-paragraph opinion essay. It provides a clear framework for students to express their opinions coherently and support them with solid reasons and supporting details. The organizer consists of sections for the topic sentence, restating the prompt, three reasons, supporting details for each reason, and a conclusion paragraph. Using this organizer, students can effectively plan and outline their essays before diving into the writing process.

In this activity, students will first begin by exploring the area and perimeter.  Tell your students to make a shape that has a specific area or perimeter and then give them time to explore and create.  As you go, make the math challenges more difficult.  When they have had a chance to explore, have them play the game.  The challenge is to see how many levels they can complete.  Keep in mind that the last level is unique in that students now have to create a shape with a specific area while creating a fraction of the shaded color like the second image below.

In this lab, students will design and experiment to determine which sediment type is the most permeable and porous. This is very open to a student's design. The teacher should give little to no help with this experiment. I use this lab to assess a group's ability to design and experiment and come up with a statement of conclusion. I am looking for their ability to use time wisely, set up an experiment, gather data, practice safe lab techniques, and use variables correctly. Teacher reflection and procedures are included.

This Study Jam video does a great job demonstrating the differences between weather and climate.  It discusses how temperature and air pressure can change due to a change in elevation.

This video can also be used during reading units dealing with compare and contrast.

This "It's OK to be Smart" video discusses the human nose and its awesome ability to sense smells.  Please note that this video does talk about human sperm so you need to judge your students' maturity level.  Nerves, olfactory receptors, eyes, and ears are also discussed in the video.

This is a great video to help introduce the idea of bartering, trade, and money in economics.

This music video might be a great way to start a Professional Development meeting.  In this video, a third-grade teacher sings about her wish for having a snow day.  It is sung to the tune of "Hello."  If you are a teacher, especially in the elementary schools then she nails our thoughts on the head with this song.  It is very well done and funny.