Lesson Plan Sites
Science
Science (Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS): Chapter 112)
This page includes education-related web sites from government agencies which contain lesson plans for use by teachers, home schoolers, and independent learners. It is not an exhaustive list and will be updated periodically. Each entry includes the grade levels and possible subject areas in Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) covered by the lesson plans. It is your responsibility to confirm compliance with TEKS and/or other federal and state codes regarding education.
Lesson Plan Sites Home | Alphabetical List of Lesson Plan Sites
By Grade Level: Kindergarten | Elementary School | Middle School | High School
Comprehensive Sites
National Park Service (U.S. Department of the Interior)
Grade Levels: PreK-12
TEKS: Literacy and Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies
- The Teachers’ National Park Service website provides resources from all 401 national parks. The site includes distance learning resources and is searchable by location, keyword, and more than 125 subjects, from archeology, to biology, to Constitutional law. Teachers will, for the first time, be able to rate NPS-provided content. In addition to park-created content, the site also features educational materials created by NPS national programs like the National Register of Historic Places and its award-winning Teaching with Historic Places series of 147 lesson plans.
TEA Curriculum & Instructional Materials (Texas Education Agency)
Grade Levels: PreK-12
TEKS: Comprehensive site
- Information on curriculum, assessment, and rules. Also available; contact information, a Science mailing list, and links to TEKS.
Agriculture in the Classroom (U.S. Department of Agriculture, Classroom and Curricula)
Grade Levels: K-12, Higher education
TEKS: Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics
- Themed Resources include Agriculture and the Environment; Plants and Animals for Food, Fiber and Energy; Food, Health & Lifestyles; STEM – Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics; and Culture, Society, Economy & Geography.
Argonne National Laboratory (Education Program, U.S. Dept. of Energy)
Grade Levels: 6-8
TEKS: Science
- Argonne National Lab’s Teacher Resources web page includes links to Lesson Plans from Argonne’s Sustainability Workshop for Middle School Teachers, resources for students, event information, and the Newton Ask a Scientist program.
Coverdell World Wise Schools Lesson Plans (Peace Corps)
Grade Levels: 3-5, 6-9, 10-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Science; Social Studies
- Coverdell World Wise Schools (CWWS) is an innovative education program that seeks to engage learners in an inquiry about the world, themselves, and others in order to: broaden perspectives; promote cultural awareness; appreciate global connections; and encourage service. Educators use these materials to teach subjects as varied as language arts, environmental education, and international economics. Teacher-tested lesson plans are organized by grade range (3-5, 6-9, 10-12), geographic region, topic, and publication title. Topics include Cross-cultural Understanding, Environmental Studies, Reading and Writing, Service Learning, and Social Studies.
Curriculum Supplement Series (Office of Science Education/National Institutes of Health)
Grade Levels: 1-2, 6-8, 9-12
TEKS: Career Orientation; English Language Arts & Reading; Health Education; Health Science Technology Education; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies; Technology Applications
- The Teachers Guide under each topic includes a section of lesson plans. Topics: cell biology & cancer, emerging & re-emerging infectious diseases; human genetic variation; the brain: understanding neurobiology through the study of addiction; sleep, sleep disorders, and biological rhythms, and using technology to study cellular and molecular biology. Under the “Web version” the curriculum supplement text can be viewed or printed and the optional multimedia activities accessed. Proceed to the teacher’s guide section for complete details on all of the activities. Print copies with accompanying CDs for some titles are also available in the Library (Cell biology and cancer. US Documents: HE 20.3065:C 33; Emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. US Documents: HE 20.3065:IN 3; Human genetic variation. US Documents: HE 20.3065:G 28).
Energy Kids (U.S. Energy Information Administration. U.S. Dept. of Energy)
Grade Levels: K-12
TEKS: Science
- Use the teacher’s guide to provide energy lessons that use this student-friendly website to explore energy sources and ways to save energy, through online puzzles, quizzes, and experiments.
Fossil Energy (Office of Fossil Energy, U.S. Department of Energy)
Grade Levels: 1-12
TEKS: Science
- Fossil Energy created printable study guides and activities emphasizing the importance of coal, natural gas, and petroleum to our everyday lives. The office hopes to familiarize students with the science and technologies that make using fossil fuels cleaner. Lessons and activities are available for elementary, middle school, and high school levels.
From Stargazers to Starships. Lesson Plans for Teachers (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
Grade Levels: 9-12
TEKS: Mathematics; Science
- Part of a book-on-the-web, From Stargazers to Starships, by David P. Stern. Lesson plans cover astronomy, physics, and Newtonian mechanics. Includes a “Math Refresher.”
The Harnessed Atom (Office of Nuclear Energy/U.S. Department of Energy)
Grade Levels: 6-8
TEKS: Engineering, Mathematics, Science, and Technology
- A new middle school science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum extension that focuses on nuclear science and energy. It offers teachers accurate, unbiased, and up-to-date information on the roles that energy and nuclear science play in our lives. The curriculum includes essential principles and fundamental concepts of energy science.
Imagine the Universe Lesson Plans (Teachers’ Corner. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)
Grade Levels: 6-8, 6-9, 6-10, 7-12, 9-12, 11-12
TEKS: Mathematics; Science
- Math and science lesson plans developed by teachers and the Imagine the Universe! Team.
JPL (NASA) Lesson Plans (Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA)
Grade Levels: K-12
TEKS: Chemistry, Engineering, Mathematics, Science
- Standards aligned lesson plans in earth processes, engineering, mathematics, physical science, space science, and more for grades K-12
Lesson Plans (Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Education Gateway. Classroom Activities)
Grade Levels: K-12
TEKS: Science
- Lesson plans on earth and space science.
Lesson Plans & Activities (USGS)
Grade Levels: K-12
TEKS: Science; Social Studies
- Tap into over 140 years of USGS research in the natural sciences in the form of lesson plans and activities, maps, podcasts, online lectures, videos and animations, datasets, and much more. Browse thousands of ideas for using these resources in elementary, secondary, university, and informal education settings.
Lesson Plans from TES (Teaching Environmental Sciences) (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality)
Grade Levels: K-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies
- Teachers who participated in the TCEQ’s Teaching Environmental Sciences (TES) program developed the lesson plans and ideas for field trips and other activities contained in this publication. (TES is a graduate-level course for teachers and non-formal educators interested in integrating environmental topics into their lessons and activities.) Correlations to TEKS is shown on each lesson plan. Chapters cover air, water, and waste. Appendix A is a list of lesson plans by grade level. This is an online version of a TCEQ publication also available in print in the Library. (Texas Documents: N330.5 L566P 2001)
NASA STEM Engagement
Grade Levels: K-4, 5-8, 9-12, Higher Education
TEKS: Career Orientation; Mathematics; Science; Technology Applications
- Educational resources include items for students, educators, and home activities. Search by grade level, type and subject. Broad subject areas include: Careers, Earth Science, Engineering, History, Life Science, Mathematics, Physical Science, Space Science, Spanish, and Technology
- NASA Wavelength is a digital collection of Earth and space science resources for educators of all levels – from elementary to college, to out-of-school programs.
NASA Quest (National Aeronautics and Space Administration)
Grade Levels: K-12
TEKS: Mathematics; Science; Technology Applications
- NASA Quest is no longer an active site. However, the Library of Congress archived the site covering the dates of 2001-2015.
- NASA Quest offers a wide range of free online tools and resources for teachers, students, parents and others including web and print lesson plans, educator guides and workbooks. Some units include correlations to Texas standards.
NGA Classroom for Teachers and Students (National Gallery of Art)
Grade Levels: K-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Fine Arts; Mathematics; Science; Social Studies
- A place where teachers and students can connect art and curriculum. Resources can be accessed by curriculum, topics, or artists. “Featured Lessons” include topics such as self-portraits in art (explores identity using self-portraits and creative writing), new angles on art (explores the intersection of art and math concepts such as geometry), and counting on art (using works of art to introduce and practice math concepts).
NOAA Ocean Exploration (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Grade Levels: 5-12
TEKS: Science
- The lesson plans correspond with a specific ocean exploration and can be supplemented with daily logs prepared by scientists and educators during each mission at sea. Images and video captured in the daily logs provide an invaluable resource for teachers and students as they explore these lessons.
Smithsonian Lesson Plans (Educators. Smithsonian Education)
Grade Levels: PreK-3, 4-8, 9-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Fine Arts; Science; Social Studies; Technology Applications
- Lesson plans in art & design, science & technology, history & culture, and language arts are available. Browse lesson plans by subject area or search by grade levels and keywords.
STEM Rising (U.S. Department of Energy)
Grade Levels: K-12, Higher education
TEKS: Science
- STEM resources for students, teachers, and the energy workforce. Includes links to resources for grade-appropriate lesson plans, curriculum, and educational materials for teaching students and children about energy, particularly energy literacy, efficiency, and renewable energy. Includes links to sites that are non-governmental agencies and institutions.
Teacher Toolkit: Activities and Lesson Plans (Texas Parks & Wildlife)
Grade Levels: K-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Science
- Lesson plans on ecological concepts, terrestrial ecology, aquatic activities, archeology, and journaling and creative writing.
Teachers (U.S. National Park Service)
Grade Levels: PreK-12
TEKS: Literacy and Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies
- Brought to you by the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Teachers’ National Park Service website provides resources from all 401 national parks. The site is searchable by location, keyword, and more than 125 subjects, from archaeology, to biology, to Constitutional law. Teachers will, for the first time, be able to rate NPS-provided content. In addition to park-created content, the site also features educational materials created by NPS national programs like the National Register of Historic Places and its award-winning Teaching with Historic Places series of 147 lesson plans.
Teaching with Documents: Lesson Plans (Digital Classroom. National Archives and Records Administration)
Grade Levels: 9-12
TEKS: English Language Arts & Reading; Science; Social Studies
- This section of the “Digital Classroom” contains reproducible copies of primary documents from the holdings of the National Archives of the United States, teaching activities correlated to the National History Standards and National Standards for Civics and Government, and cross-curricular connections.
Wildlife & Wildlands Toolkit (U.S. Global Change Research Program)
Grade Levels: 6-8
TEKS: Science
- Designed for classroom teachers and information educators in parks, refuges, forest lands, nature centers, zoos, aquariums, and science centers..
- Developed by the Environmental Protection Agency, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NOAA, NASA, U.S. Forest Service, and the Bureau of Land Management to aid educators in teaching how climate change is affecting the Nation’s wildlife and public lands.
- Kit includes introduction video and a variety of materials such as global warming wheel card, case studies, activities, and more.
Government Documents Home
Updated December 2021: Kimberly Wirth, Coordinator of Information Literacy/Research Librarian.