This document provides a simplified version of an investigation that uses quadrats to compare habitats in your schoolyard. Depending on your focus, the activity can be adapted to compare the diversity or amount of ground insects, invertebrates or plants in two areas. Students use the Next Generation Science Standards’ Planning and Carrying Out Investigations practice and the Cause and Effect and/or Stability and Change crosscutting concepts to build understanding of the needs of animals, differences in ecosystems and/or change in ecosystems.

Download and print this colorful "Science Inquiry Map" Poster featuring the web of inquiry processes as described by the Five Essential Features of Inquiry from the National Science Education Standards. In addition, the model of inquiry described by the Five Essential Features aligns directly with the Science Practices described in the Next Generation Science Standards. Generally, this poster is used by elementary and middle-school teachers to support learners in being metacognitive about what science practices are in the foreground of their current work during an investigation.

This document is the step-by-step instructions for planting Fast Plants in a deli-container growing system like is used in Reading Green. The instructions include measurements that are then integrated into mathematics problems that are on the flip side of the planting instructions. The instructions are illustrated by our Fast Plants artist, Amy, to help all learners understand the steps.

This performance assessment aligns with NGSS Performance Expectation K.LS1.1 and is intended to be used as an interim assessment. These assessments can either be used summatively, as an end of learning activity, or formatively, utilizing student responses to identify next instructional steps.

This professional development course is a series of Next Generation Science Standards-focused workshops developed by IslandWood with funding from the OSPI ClimeTime Grant. A PowerPoint slide deck and accompanying handouts are available to supplent the course outline.

Incorporating your schoolyard into your classroom can be a powerful tool for making learning meaningful and engaging for your students. Local and relevant phenomena can engage your student’s prior understandings, better connect to their interests and identities, and help in draw in students who don’t see science, reading or writing connecting to their lives.  This online course is a series of professional development workshops for Early Elementary (K-2) educators, developed by IslandWood with funding from the OSPI ClimeTime Grant. A slide deck and accompanying handouts supplement the course outline for a complete picture. 

Different animals eat different foods, based on their needs, environment, and what their bodies are able to digest. There are similarities across animals, some are herbivores (eat only plants), some are carnivores (eat only other animals), and some are omnivores (eat both).

Students will use a variety of materials to create a mural of a coral reef environment. Video and PDF links are also included. Users are encouraged to remix the lesson to fit own needs and to keep up to date.

The teacher leads a discussion in which students identify the physical needs of animals, and then speculate on the needs of plants. With guidance from the teacher, the students then help design an experiment that can take place in the classroom to test whether or not plants need light and water in order to grow. Sunflower seeds are planted in plastic cups, and once germinated, are exposed to different conditions. In particular, within the classroom setting it is easy to test for the effects of light versus darkness, and watered versus non-watered conditions. During exposure of the plants to these different conditions, students measure growth of the seedlings every few days using non-standard measurement. After a few weeks, they compare the growth of plants exposed to the different conditions, and make pictorial bar graphs that demonstrate these comparisons.

Integrated ELA and Social Studies Unit incorporating Washington State's Since Time Immemorial content. Students learn native values in plant care, the oral tradition of storytelling and share and celebrate their learning.