Subject(s): Music Grades(s): Grades 2-3

You may also want to take a look at our Weekly Science Experiments section!

Astronomy:

• This simple idea uses computers to teach about the planets
• Here’s a brief idea for teaching moon phases
• In this fun idea, students create travel brochures for the planets
• Students learn the names of the stages of the U.S. Space Program in this lesson
• Here is an integrated thematic Solar System research lesson plan
• In “Moon Munch,” students bite out the phases of the moon from Nilla Wafers
• In this idea, students send postcards from Pluto
• This lesson uses an astronomy website and Kidspiration 2 software to make a planet graphic organizer
• This is a solar system lesson with an art component
• Students create a photo story of the eight phases of the lunar cycle here
• Many creative kinesthetic devices are used here to help students learn the planets and their characteristics
• Young students write and illustrate sentences about “Earth and the Eight Milky Way Planets” in this lesson

Atmosphere & Weather:

• This is a lesson about air
• Here’s a lesson plan on clouds that involves making one in a jar
• This lesson plan is on melting snow and thermometers
• This is an idea for teaching seasons and precipitation
• This lesson on thunderstorms involves a thunderstorm simulation
• Here’s a lesson plan on lightning safety
• This one is for studying the uses of water
• Here’s a multidisciplinary plan on “The Water Cycle”
• The following are 5 ideas for a unit on Weather:
  • This idea looks at forecasts and how we prepare for weather
  • This one looks at the instruments used to forecast the weather
  • This idea brings in a weather forecaster from your local news
  • Here’s an idea for using poetry (reading and writing) to help think about weather
  • Students view a video of Bill Nye the Science Guy in this idea
• This atmospheric science unit is on types of clouds and how they are formed
• This is a lesson on tornadoes and their location
• In this lesson, students classify real and crafted snowflakes
• This lesson employs bubbles to observe changing wind speeds and directions
• Here we graph the weather with help from the weather channel website
• In this webquest project, students discover how the water cycle relates to changes in matter
• This is a changing seasons webquest
• Here students create a water cycle diorama, a rainfall journal, and a photo story of the water cycle and weather systems
• Children (Special Ed) learn rain concepts here by making a rain cloud out of construction paper and yarn, after discussing a related story and Power Point
• Find more weather lessons plans, videos and addition resource links on our Seasons, Severe Weather, Natural and Man-made Disasters page

Biology – Animals:

• Two well-developed lessons on Animals in Asia and Africa
• This Science lesson is on Chameleons and uses Stories and Journals
• Here students write a story about using their newly acquired animal adaptation
• Kid Pix software is used here to create an animal habitat and climate slide show

• Below are the parts to a small unit on Birds:
  • This part involves Bird Houses and Making a Book
  • The goal of this portion is to teach about the Bird’s Body
  • This one is a Bird Poem Sequencing Activity
  • Using the book, “The Magpies’ Nest,” this lesson teaches how Birds Build Nests and allows students to Build Nests
• This one is on dinosaurs and involves creating “Dinosaur Prints”
• This lesson on birds focuses on their beak adaptations
• This dinosaur lesson plan focuses on the Pteranodon
• This lesson is on researching and charting farm animal information
• This one is on Frogs and uses the Senses to Observe their Characteristics
• Here’s a game idea called Animal Tic-Tac-Toe
• Here’s a large, 5 day thematic unit on Penguins
• In this lesson, students work in groups to study different animal habitats and their own survival
• In this lesson, students create 3-D models of ocean animals, and you create a 3-D ocean bulletin board
• This is a “Producers and Consumers” tag game idea

• This is an excellent multidisciplinary Flatfish Unit:
  • Here is a Flatfish Movement activity (K-2)
  • This is a Flatfish Data Collection activity (K-2)
  • “Each One Teach One” is a Flatfish stations activity (3-5)
• Children identify animals using camouflage in these activities
• Here students label the parts of an owl’s body with descriptor words
• These center activities serve as a delightful introduction to the common garden snail
• In this unit, students capture SMARTboard images of nesting hawks observed live via the internet for a photo presentation about their life cycle
• This lesson on sequencing and the food chain asks “Which came first? The chicken or the egg?”

Biology – Human Body:

• A great Human Body activity
• Something different – a fun lesson idea on Feet
• This lesson plan is on the Interacting Systems of the Human Body
• This in depth lesson plan is on Discovering The World Around Us with our Senses
• This great lesson plan on the Heart is called How Does Your Heart Rate?
• This Science lesson is for introducing the Human Skeleton
• This interesting lesson mixes two topics: The Five Senses and Poetry
• This is an in-depth lesson on the Five Senses
• Here’s a lesson on the 5 Senses that uses “Brave Little Monster” and was written by the book’s author
• In this idea students use Smell to make Hypotheses about Objects
• Here is a lesson on the human genome project
• In this excellent taste bud lesson, students predict, sample, describe, identify and chart bitter, sweet, sour, and salty Jelly Bellies.
• This lesson on lungs is called the “Breathing Machine”
• This is a user submitted revision of “The Breathing Machine” lesson
• This great five senses lesson includes a “listening walk”
• “The Color of We” is a multi-disciplinary look at skin color
• “Love Your Lungs” is an excellent respiratory system lesson
• This is an excellent five senses learning station lab
• Here is a taste test for your taste buds
• This exercise teaches the anatomy of the eye, the usefulness of models in science and critical thinking
• Students make replicas of bones in this collaborative art project to call attention to the atrocities of genocide and mass violence

Biology – Insects & Spiders:

• Here is a lesson on Ladybugs and Aphids
• Here’s one on Spider Webs
• Here’s a lesson for Valentine’s Day called Love Bugs, used to discuss Bugs
• This lesson on Spiders uses the book “The Very Busy Spider”
• Here’s an idea for teaching about Insects and Spiders
• This lesson looks at Arachnids and their Webs and compares them to Insects
• A lesson on Spiders (Structure, Appearance, & Habitat) and Scientific Theory
• Below is a complete multidisciplinary thematic unit on Butterflies:
  • What Caterpillars Eat
  • From Caterpillar to Butterfly
  • Life Cycles of Butterflies
  • Life Cycle Sequencing
  • Eat Like a Butterfly
  • How to Attract Butterflies
  • Symmetry Lesson
  • Butterfly Poetry
  • What Have We Learned?
• This lesson on insects involves observing a cricket
• Here are some ideas for teaching about spiders using “Miss Spider’s Tea Party”
• “The Amazing Caterpillar” lesson utilizes live butterfly kits, internet sites, books, puppets, etc. to investigate the life cycle of a butterfly
• This cooperative learning mini-lesson teaches the differences between butterflies and moths
• This lesson is “All About Ants”
• Here is a multi-disciplinary lesson on “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” and sequencing of events
• The complete metamorphosis of butterflies is the subject of this lesson
• Students summarize their butterfly life cycle research here with the help of a graphic organizer
• Here students observe the life cycle of mealworms while taking care of their needs
• In this “All About Butterflies” lesson, students make colorful models and create a life cycle chart using Kidspiration software
• “Chipo’s Gift” is a thematic cross-curriculum book unit about an inquisitive mopane worm
• In this new Chipo’s Gift activity, two species of moths will be compared and contrasted
• Here is a “Baggie Butterfly” art project to complement an insect unit
• Here children order the steps in the butterfly’s “life cycle” and learn the meaning of that word

Biology – Plants:

• This science lesson on leaf observation uses some math
• Here is a lesson on seeds
• This tree lesson uses leaf rubbings and “The Giving Tree”
• Plants are the subject of this lesson, and the book “Jack’s Garden” is used
• This brief idea on seeds uses a jelly bean to show how seeds grow
• Called “My Life As A Tree,” this lesson is on Tree Rings, Bark, Cambium, and Heartwood
• In this lesson students create Art from the Natural Dyes in Vegetables
• This lesson looks at Plants compared to Trees, Edible Parts, and involves a Celery Analysis
• In this idea students go on a Nature Walk to look at Trees and Leaves
• This lesson on Plant Parts involves their Function and a Mobile
• In this lesson, the poem “Tommy” inspires students in their house plant maintainance and observation tasks
• Students learn the parts of a seed and the effects of lack of sunlight on the growth process in this multi-disciplinary lesson
• Here students investigate and create flowers using inventive materials for an “April Showers – Bring Me Flowers” mural
• Learn the four ways that seeds travel in this lesson
• This is an idea for growing shamrocks
• In this lesson, students use yarn to illustrate the life cycle of a flowering plant
• A carnation magically turns green in this osmosis idea
• In this greeting card idea, students collect and identify leaves, write a poem and discuss photosynthesis
• In this well-developed lesson, students create a Photo Story 3 presentation on the life cycle of a plant.
• This poster idea teaches the differences between monocot and dicot plants
• Students observe the life cycle of a flowering plant grown from seed over a period of time in this “5E” lesson plan
• Zig Zag Zinnias are paper sculptures of flowers in a pot for Mother’s Day or for teaching about parts of a plant

Biology – Other:

• This idea is on Oceans and the Math topic of Classification of Seashells
• This lesson is on Germs and Cleanliness
• Here’s a lesson for looking at Where and How Plants and Animals Live
• “Life in a Pond” is an outstanding web-enhanced lesson on pond ecosystems
• This simple idea transforms plants (collected leaves) into animals (art project)
• Here is a short food chain lesson idea
• In this lesson, students sort things found on the beach and classify their origins as animal, plant, or human

Chemistry:

• Two recipes that are useful in Science for exploring substances like Flubber
• A Science lesson on Acids and Bases for the earlier grades
• This is a good lesson plan on Changes of State of Matter
• This is an idea for Mixing Colors using an Eyedropper
• This idea is on exploring Chemical Reactions with Milk
• This lesson helps students learn the differences between Solids, Liquids, and Gases
• Explore Solids, Liquids, and Gases using Balloons with this lesson
• Students Mix Food Colors to Dye Eggs in this lesson appropriate for Easter
• Here’s a lesson on Food Chemistry; Acids and Bases in particular
• In this clever Easter science experiment, students witness absorption, diffusion, and primary color combinations while dyeing coffee filter Easter eggs
• The entire class models molecular behavior in this clever gas-liquid-solid lesson
• This awesome demonstration is simply magic – seriously, go try it now!
• In this changes in matter lesson, students go outdoors to make slushies
• An “Edible Slime” alginate polymer is mixed up here from brown seaweed
• In this activity, students make a rubber ball from latex
• Here students identify different states of matter in everyday classroom objects
• Does a square bubble wand make a square bubble?” Click here to find out

Ecology – Rainforests:

• This lesson involves people, animals, and life in the rainforest
• This is a rainforest song

• This rainforest bird lesson is an introduction to research and CD art
• Can you guess who is in the Kapok Tree? This descriptive paragraph lesson answers this question
• After comparing the “Magic School Bus in the Rainforest” book to its video, students research and present rainforest animal facts to the class here
• See our Social Studies – Environment – Rainforest lessons for more on this topic

Ecology – Other:

• Here is a lesson on the causes of pollution
• This lesson plan is on forest ecology and human interactions with Forests
• Here’s an idea for an Earth Day song
• This is a brief idea for studying soil with discussion questions for class
• Aquatic wildlife and pollution are the topics taught in this lesson plan
• This miscible/immiscible lesson demonstrates how oil and detergents pollute water
• This is an ecology lesson on the endangered Manatee
• In this lesson, students learn the difference between the terms reuse and recycle
• Cartoon stories are used in these lessons to promote keeping (FOGG) fat, oils, grease and grit out of sewer systems
• The student categorizes nonrenewable vs. renewable resources in this lesson and learns the effects of overusing our resources
• Groups view and create videos on habitats and their organisms in this lesson
• Students identify causes of pollution and ways they can prevent it in this bilingual photo story
• This ESL recycling lesson integrates English vocabulary, science and environmental consciousness
• Students love this Earth Day Jeopardy game activity
• “Taking Care of the Earth” is a four seasons lesson plan
• See our Earth Day and Social Studies – Environment lessons for more on this topic

Geology & Earth Science:

• A lesson on Landforms and the Weathering of them
• This lesson is on Volcanic Eruptions and involves creating a Volcano in class
• Listed below are the lessons for a big multidisciplinary unit on Rocks:
  • This section is meant to be a general Exploration of Rocks in general
  • This one is on Rocks from an Ant’s Eye View
  • Here you can teach Art Concepts using Rocks
  • This lesson introduces Moh’s Hardness Scale to test the Hardness of a Rock
  • This part is on Native Americans and their Rock Art
  • Similar to the one above, this one is on Native American Rock Designs
  • This part deals with “Pet Rocks”
  • Here’s an interesting idea for keeping Pet Rock Journals
  • Rock Sculptures are the subject of this lesson
  • This portion is on Rock Streaking
  • Careful here, this one is on Rock Throwing
  • To integrate Music, this section is on making “Rocky Music”
  • This part is on Weight and Balance with Rocks
• Below is a collection of ideas for an Ocean Unit:
  • Here’s a general overview of the Ocean Unit
  • This part is on the Ocean Plants
  • Ocean Animals are the subject of this section
  • This portion teaches about the Ocean Food Chain
  • Teach about the Oceans of the World with this part
  • This lesson discusses the difficulties in Crossing the Ocean
  • This section focuses on Literature on the Ocean
  • Here’s a discussion of the Ships on the Ocean
• This brief idea on Rocks uses Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and includes a Critique of the book
• This lesson plan is an Exploration of Volcanoes
• This is a very interesting Geology lesson where students eat “Metamorphic Rock Pancakes”
• A 5 Step lesson plan on Erosion
• This lesson involves an Experiment with Volcano Explosions
• In this geology lesson, students dig for chocolate chip fossils inside cookie rocks
• This outstanding cartography lesson combines the elements of art, geography, geology, math, and more
• Here the rock cycle is demonstrated with chewing gum and Pop Rocks

Physics:

• A Science Lesson on Magnets
• A Science lesson on friction
• A lesson on sound that incorporates music and literature (The Magic School Bus)
• This is a well-developed unit on Magnetism:
  • This part of the Magnetism Unit is on What Attracts
  • This portion involves Making a Magnet
  • The last section Makes and Uses a Compass
• This lesson is called “What is Work?”
• Below is a collection of lesson plans to form a Magnet unit:
  • A good introductory lesson, this one is on What Attracts and Why
  • This one deals with Magnetic Attraction through Objects
  • Here’s a lesson for measuring Magnetic Strength
  • This lesson is on the North and South Poles of a Magnet
  • A lesson plan on Problem Solving with Magnets
• Force, Motion, and Velocity are the subject of this lesson using Balloon Rockets
• A lesson plan that looks at how Sound Travels Through Objects
• Another good lesson on Magnets – Poles, Strength, and Attracted Objects
• This is a Special Education lesson idea on What Sinks and Floats
• Here are 3 lesson ideas on Sound and Musical Instruments
• This is a Song that can be used to help teach about Simple Machines
• A brief idea for exploring items that Sink or Float
• This physics idea has students predicting and comparing results of bouncing various sports balls
• Read this lesson and then “Go Fly a Kite”
• Here students “Go Fly A Kite,” and learn about drag, thrust, lift, and gravity
• This is a 20-day unit on renewable energy and energy conservation
• In this Leonardo da Vinci lesson, students also study Italian phrases and make a parachute kite, a compass and a scaled map
• The phase changes of matter are studied here by making ice cream in a recloseable plastic bag

Other / Multiple Topics:

• Here’s an idea for hosting your own science circus
• Here’s a lesson on decoding Braille
• This end-of-year activity produces next year’s bulletin board
• Here children sort natural and man-made objects
• This lesson models how to glean information from text to write an informative paper

Art Connections:

• This idea involves creating “Penguin light bulbs” (best after studying about them)
• An Art lesson for making Playdough Christmas Ornaments
• This lesson on Rainbows involves students creating a Crayon Resist
• This idea involves using dried Leaves to make Glitter Art
• Here’s an artistic idea for learning about Spiders
• This lesson idea is on Color and Paint Palettes
• This Art lesson involves Painting (or Drawing) Sunsets and Landscapes and some Geology study too
• This is a Thanksgiving project-based multidisciplinary learning plan

Computers & Internet Connections:

• Students create a PowerPoint Slide Show on Animals in this lesson

Language Arts Connections:

• Students learn about pumpkins with “The Pumpkin Book” here
• “W is for Worm” is the title of this cinquain poem lesson
• The question “What if Dinosaurs Returned?” is answered in this classroom book lesson
• This is a well-developed “Cam Jansen and the Missing Dinosaur Bones” lesson
• In “Poppin’ Corn,” students use descriptive language, inventive spelling and their five senses
• Here insect literature is read
• “Chipo’s Gift” is a thematic cross-curriculum book unit about an inquisitive mopane worm
• This is a program for writing and illustrating a hardbound class book
• This lesson teaches a writing process for informative non-fiction science research-based papers

Math Connections:

• A Science and Math lesson on volume (uses pumpkins)
• This lesson on Angles integrates Science, Social Studies, and Art
• This Math and Science lesson plan involves creating Favorite Flower Graphs
• Teaching Temperature is the title of this lesson involving Fahrenheit Vs Celsius

Music Connections:

• Here classes compose their own concert songs about frogs or other themes
• This Vivaldi’s “Spring” lesson correlates music with weather and history
• Here “The Magic School Bus’ takes us through a unit on sound

Physical Education / Health Connections:

• In this lesson, students demonstrate their knowledge of the three states of water in a shuttle run
• In “All the Fish in the Sea,” students cross the ocean while avoiding obstacles
• Students prepare and eat a healthy vegetable snack in this step-by-step idea

Social Studies Connections:

• This lesson on Cacti is called Cactus Hotel
• Here’s a four part thematic unit on Aviation:
  • This first part is on Pilot Jobs and Vocabulary
  • The second lesson is on Measurement, Graphing, and Creating Art for their plane
  • This lesson involves writing a paper as a culminating activity
  • Here is a collection of extension activity ideas
• This lesson on Oil Spills focuses on Writing a Letter to a Senator
• The unit below is on Simple Machinesand includes 10 lesson ideas:
  • The unit begins with an introduction to the Simple Machines Unit
  • First we look back to before there were any “Machines,” and look at Simple Machines like Corkscrews and Screwdrivers
  • Lesson 2 involves exploring Simple Machines in groups
  • This part focuses on Safety Equipment needed for some Machines
  • This is a Matching Activity with Simple Machines and their Definitions
  • This second part of lesson 4 continues the Matching Activity above
  • Lesson 5 discusses Assembly Lines and the making of products
  • Levers are the subject of this part of the unit
  • We continue with Wedges in this lesson
  • This lesson discusses Pulleys and their use
  • Force and Work are discussed in this portion of the unit
  • This brief idea involves Wheels and Axles
• After reading The Borrowed Hanukkah Latkes by Linda Glaser, why not make some?
• In this creative lesson, students make an animal and choose an environment
• This well-developed lesson on the components of a community includes a suggested science component

More Lesson Plans: HotChalkScience.com

Now You Can: