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Kindergarten-8 Lesson Plans

Creating Lesson Plans from Educational Programming

A great way to create fun science lesson plans for your class is to make use of some of the great educational programming available. This can be a great way to enhance your students' elementary education. NOVA on PBS has some great suggestions for teachers of all ages on their web site. One great idea that you can incorporate into your science lesson plans is through using their film "Ancient Creature of the Deep". In this video NOVA chronicles the discovery of a "living fossil", a fish called the coelacanth that has remained relatively unchanged since prehistoric times.

This program recalls some key points, such as Darwin's prediction that some creatures would have not undergone any major adaptations due to selective pressures and would have remained relatively the same since prehistoric times, while relating the 1938 discovery of the coelacanth off the cost of South Africa. Science lesson plans for younger students could include discussing this ancient creature while completing coloring projects. Not only will they have fun learning about this relatively unheard of creature, but they'll also enjoy your efforts to enhance their elementary education.

Other science lesson plans for elementary education can be as varied as your imagination. One teacher suggests making use of NOVA "Ancient Creature of the Deep" Web site. After viewing this safe material, she has read the "Other Fish in the Sea" essay by Lexi Krock and then assigns students to do a jigsaw, assigning one of the eight fossil fishes to each group of four students. Once they finish their jigsaw, they can do a show and tell presentation to the class. Not only will this make learning about science fun, but your class will have something to show off when they are done.