The Unforgettable Science of America

Explore the vast range of scientific discoveries within the United States of America with your class. Discover the prehistoric history of fossilised remains found in North America and learn about how these discoveries teach us about the past. Have your class study the inventions and experiments of famous American inventors and scientists before planning and testing enquiries of their own.

This scheme of work is also part of a Topic Bundle. Perfect if you are teaching 'The USA' as a cross-curricular topic.

Rocks and Erosion

Begin by investigating the creation of the world famous Grand Canyon through millions of years of erosion from the Colorado River. Test the children’s knowledge and understanding when ordering and classifying soft and hard rock using the Mohs hardness test. Alternately speed up the process of erosion in experiments which require your class to make detailed and relevant observations.

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Fossilisation

Investigate the natural phenomena of the Petrified Forest in Arizona. Discover the ancient history of this and the surrounding deserts by exploring the process of fossilisation and how these prehistoric fossils can help us learn about the creatures of the past. Challenge your class to become palaeontologists studying these fossils and posing questions about them.

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Types of Fossil

After learning about how fossils are made over millions of years, your class can look further into the different types of fossils and the different things they can tell us. After learning about these valuable fossil types the children can use their research skills and curiosity to find out about each US state fossil

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Sun Safety

Working long hours in the sun can be tough on a palaeontologist. Your class will learn about the damaging effects of the sun’s rays and what can be done to protect our skin and eyes against UVA and UVB rays. The children have the opportunity to test the protection of different sunglasses and creams, planning a fair test to observe which is the most effective.

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Thomas Edison

Has your class heard of one of America’s most famous inventors? Explore the life of Thomas Edison and how he used the work of others to invent a useable light bulb. Discuss how this invention may have affected the lives of people at the time or use Edison’s invention to test circuits to see if they are complete or not.

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Benjamin Franklin

After a brief introduction to one of America’s founding fathers the children learn about his theory of lightning and electricity. How did Franklin use his knowledge of conductors and insulators to give static charge to a key and use this knowledge to invent the lightning rod? Challenge your class to find out more about electrical conductors and insulators and even use this knowledge to create conclusions or design their own lightning rod.

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Travelling Sound

Look back in time to the indigenous people of America, before the explorers came to settle. Children are introduced to the problem of Native American people having to communicate over large distances. They have the opportunity to discover what happens to sound over a larger distance and are challenged to plan and carry out an investigation into how they can help sounds travel further.

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