• ProScope HR (recommended) or Scope on a Rope with video capture board
• A set of school supplies (crayons, markers, pencils and pens, art paper, paper clips, etc.)
• Printouts of images of magnified school supplies (see examples below)
• Hand lenses and microscopes (if available)

The student will learn how to use various scientific tools to observe properties such as color, size, and texture of items used in the classroom.

Place actual school supplies in a basket at the science center.

Instruct students in the correct use of hand lenses and, if available, microscopes. Allow time for them to use these tools to look at objects in the classroom (or found outside) which they select, and to describe what they see.

Ask students to generate a list of “describing words” for the objects they observe, with and without the lenses/microscopes. In this context, introduce the word “property” as “something you can observe or measure” and get students to practice using the word in their descriptions (e.g., “One property I noticed was…”, or “This book has the property of being green.”)*

Have students notice the properties of the school supplies in the basket and compare them to properties shown in the images, so as to match each image with the correct object. (This may be done as a class activity, or you may wish to set up stations for students to visit individually or in groups of 2-3 members).

As a class activity, use the hand-held microscope to display magnified images of the objects and verify the matches. (As you do this, be sure to model the action of describing aloud what you see in the image and the use of the word “property”.)