To teach the scientific method, introduce the students to a simple experiment. Present students with a selection of tape and ask them which tape is stickiest. This helps students learn that science begins with questions, and the answers come through the scientific method. Students come up with their own experiments to decide which tape is stickiest. If your students are young or new to the scientific method, however, give them some help with the procedure. Have them roll marbles down a wooden ruler with a channel in the middle that is propped up at one end. Put a piece of tape sticky-side-up at the end of the ruler and measure how far the marble rolls on the tape. Try the experiment with different types of tape. Explain to your students the importance of constants and variables in scientific experiments.
Students will remember the differences between series circuits and parallel circuits much longer if they learn about them in an interactive lesson. Help your students design their own circuit boards using cardboard, aluminum foil, masking tape, paper fasteners (also called brads) and recycled Christmas tree lights. The students cut the aluminum foil into strips and design the two types of circuits on the cardboard with the aluminum foil. It is best to spread this lesson out over several days because of the time involved with building the circuit boards.
Few students have seen all of the world's biomes, but you can help them get a better feel for the world's biomes by having them fill out and color a map. Teach students that there are seven biomes in the world: desert, tundra, taiga, savanna, grassland, temperate deciduous forest and tropical rain forest. As you talk about the characteristics of each biome and show the students pictures of these areas, have them individually color their own maps and label the different biomes. They will understand more about the world's topography and learn some geography at the same time.
Atoms seem like an abstract concept to many students because they are so small. Help your students visualize and understand atoms by helping them build models of various atoms. Before you begin to build anything, introduce your students to the periodic table of elements. Explain how the table is organized and what the symbols and numbers mean. Next, help your students to build models of various elements using Styrofoam balls or pom poms as protons, neutrons and electrons. Once the students have each made a model, let them quiz each other about which atoms they have made.