“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly”. - Old English ProverbStudents will observe the world of the butterfly through hands-on activities and learn about its amazing journey from a tiny egg to a beautiful butterfly.  Your students will investigate and understand the sequential order of the butterfly’s life cycle.

Computer Abstraction seems to be a difficult concept along with Translating mRNA into Proteins. Why not use one to help explain the other and how important both are in our everyday life, and in living.  This lesson comes with a Slide Deck and a worksheet that will help students understand both topics and has options hands-on kits and extension activities to drive the points home.

Children are always taught “not to play with their food” but in this sensory lesson, that’s exactly what we are going to do.  We are going to use our five senses to explore some healthy fruits. We are going to learn how to gather, use and analyze our data to answer questions.

Overview:  I created this activity to provide my students with a fun way to learn about the parts of the flower. The student will investigate and understand basic plant anatomy and life processes.  NOTE: The word “pistol” is used in the story in reference to the female part of the flower (pistil).   Key concepts include:a) the structures of typical plants and the function of each structure;b) processes and structures involved with plant reproduction. (VA SOL 4.4 )  

Living things must move materials into, out of, and within the cell. Substances can move across the cell membrane passively (i.e., osmosis and diffusion) or actively (i.e., active transport). This module focuses on the two types of cellular transport and assumes knowledge of cell membrane (components and functions, ie. Fluid Mosaic Model) has already been addressed. This module was developed by Teresa Ballou as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education.

PhD Science Grade Levels K-2 is available as downloadable PDFs. The OER consists of Teacher Editions and student Science Logbooks for every module.
With PhD Science¨, students explore science concepts through authentic phenomena and events-not fabricated versions-so students build concrete knowledge and solve real-world problems. Students drive the learning by asking questions, gathering evidence, developing models, and constructing explanations to demonstrate the new knowledge they've acquired. The coherent design of the curriculum across lessons, modules, and grade levels helps students use the concepts they've learned to build a deep understanding of science and set a firm foundation they'll build on for years to come.

Cross-curricular connections are a core component within PhD Science. As an example, every module incorporates authentic texts and fine art to build knowledge and create additional accessible entry points to the topic of study.

Three-dimensional teaching and learning are at the heart of the curriculum. As students uncover Disciplinary Core Ideas by engaging in Science and Engineering Practices and applying the lens of Cross-Cutting Concepts, they move from reading about science to doing science.

PhD Science Grade Levels K-2 is available as downloadable PDFs. The OER consists of the Teacher Edition and student Science Logbook.

Throughout the module, students study the anchor phenomenon, life at a pond, and build an answer to the Essential Question: How do pond plants and pond animals survive in their environment? As students learn about each new concept, they revisit and refine a model that represents how plants and animals survive in a pond environment. At the end of the module, students use their knowledge of the ways plants and animals survive to explain the anchor phenomenon, and they apply these concepts to a new context in an End-of-Module Assessment. Through these experiences, students develop an enduring understanding that plants and animals have body parts that function in ways that help the plants and animals survive in their environment. Students also develop the understanding that plants and animals of the same kind are recognizable as similar but can vary in many ways and that many animal parents engage in behaviors that help young offspring survive.

With PhD Science¨, students explore science concepts through authentic phenomena and events-not fabricated versions-so students build concrete knowledge and solve real-world problems. Students drive the learning by asking questions, gathering evidence, developing models, and constructing explanations to demonstrate the new knowledge they've acquired. The coherent design of the curriculum across lessons, modules, and grade levels helps students use the concepts they've learned to build a deep understanding of science and set a firm foundation they'll build on for years to come.

Cross-curricular connections are a core component within PhD Science. As an example, every module incorporates authentic texts and fine art to build knowledge and create additional accessible entry points to the topic of study.

Three-dimensional teaching and learning are at the heart of the curriculum. As students uncover Disciplinary Core Ideas by engaging in Science and Engineering Practices and applying the lens of Cross-Cutting Concepts, they move from reading about science to doing science.

Sustaining life processes requires substantial energy and matter inputs. The complex structural organization of organisms accommodates the capture, transformation, and elimination of the matter and energy needed to sustain life. Photosynthesis is an important metabolic activity within living cells important in the transfer and transformation of energy for life processes.  This module focuses on photosynthesis and the energy molecule ATP.This module was developed by Teresa Ballou as part of a Virginia Commonwealth University STEM initiative sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education. 

In this minds-on activity, students analyze the relationships between photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and the production and use of ATP. Students learn that sugar molecules produced by photosynthesis are used for cellular respiration and for the synthesis of other organic molecules. Thus, photosynthesis contributes to plant metabolism and growth. The optional final section challenges students to explain observed changes in biomass for plants growing in the light vs. dark. This activity helps students meet the Next Generation Science Standards.

Simple diagram illustrating the process of photosynthesis.

Download this flow chart as a word document and share with students in google classroom or print the paper copies. Please feel free to edit and make any needed changes to make it relevant to your classroom.

A modified version of the chart has also been included to accommodate different learning styles and provide differentiation.

Simple diagram illustrating the process of photosynthesis.

Download this flow chart as a word document and share with students in google classroom or print the paper copies. Please feel free to edit and make any needed changes to make it relevant to your classroom.

A modified version of the chart has also been included to accommodate different learning styles and provide differentiation.

Simple diagram illustrating the process of photosynthesis.

Download this flow chart as a word document and share with students in google classroom or print the paper copies. Please feel free to edit and make any needed changes to make it relevant to your classroom.

A modified version of the chart has also been included to accommodate different learning styles and provide differentiation.

Students learn about the similarities and differences between photosynthesis and cellular respiration through research, the creation of comic strips/videos, and then assess themselves with a google drawing.

Students learn about the similarities and differences between photosynthesis and cellular respiration through research, the creation of a comic strip or story book, and then assess themselves with a google drawing.  REMIX of https://goopenva.org/courseware/lesson/43