Students participate in several activities on seed exploration. For this biology lesson, students classify seeds according to their dispersal method. They explain the different adaptations plant have to disperse their seeds.

Students investigate major landforms (e.g., mountains, rivers, plains, hills, oceans and plateaus). They build a three-dimensional model of a landscape depicting several of these landforms. Once they have built their model, they act as...

Students review and evaluate the ways land is covered and used in their local community. They consider the environmental effects of the different types of land use. Students act as community planning engineers to determine where to place...

Fifth graders pull a paper clip sitting on paper with a magnet beneath the paper. They experiment to see what happens if they substitute the paper with thicker paper and other materials (plywood, glass, foil, etc.)

Students investigate types and sources of indoor air pollutions both at home and in school. They decide on how to prevent poor indoor air quality. They debate smoking in order to determine how language usage can be an influence in...

Students explore solid waste and its effects on the environment. They explain some of the major problems caused by waste disposal and the use of landfills. They suggest ways to reduce the amount of solid waste going into a landfill.

Young scholars explore the causes of water pollution and its effects on the environment through the use of models and scientific investigation. In the accompanying activities, they investigate filtration and aeration processes as they...

Students are "Energy Detectives" working for an engineering firm that does energy evaluations at schools. In teams, they locate energy sources around the school, and record their findings on an Energy Detective Worksheet.

Students apply the principles and concepts associated with energy and the transfer of energy in an engineering context through the designing and making of a musical instrument. After the accomplishment of the design, students must...

Learners participate in a simulation of the equal and unequal distribution of the earth's renewable resources. They discuss renewable resources and how food resources can increase and decrease, participate in the simulation, and analyze...

Students study three different muscle types and investigate the affect of space travel on astronauts' muscles. They examine how exercise has a positive affect on muscle both on Earth and in space while looking at engineers' roles in...

Students distinguish between latitude and longitude on the map. In this mapping lesson, students participate in mapping skills to recognize spatial relationships, and where to find natural resources on the map. Students create...

Students investigate scientific methods by analyzing an article from the Natural Inquirer.  In this data analysis lesson plan, students read an article from the magazine and discuss at least 2 scientific methods that could be used...

Learners explore environmental safety by planting seeds outside their classroom. In this Earth Day lesson, students identify the different ways to recycle and conserve resources on Earth while facilitating recycling bins around campus....

Students are introduced to the space environment. This lesson covers the major differences between the environment on Earth and that of outer space and the engineering challenges that arise because of these discrepancies. In order to...

Students investigate how pollution is a global issue. They locate the countries affected by radiation from Chernobyl, sequence the progress of radiation transport from Chernobyl and plot the pollution points on a world map, and read and...

Students conduct an experiment. In this Earth's layers lesson, students learn about soil, sand and rock. They complete their own Jell-O Mountain and investigate the Earth's layers on-line.

Fifth graders construct a voltaic battery. They change chemical energy into electrical energy by inserting copper wire into a lemon. They discover the tingle of the wire on their tongue is due to the movement of electrons.

Students compare and contrast the properties of salt water in the oceans/seas and freshwater elsewhere on the planet. They also analyze mixing caused by currents in the ocean, including the effects of warm and cold water as well as with...

Learners continue their examination of the existence of life on Earth. In groups, they determine the role of the water cycle and other biogeochemical cycles play in keeping balance on Earth. They participate in experiments to discover...

Fifth graders recall prior knowledge about rocks. In this igneous rock lesson, learners work in cooperative groups to perform experiments to classify the properties of igneous rock. They write a detailed paragraph and illustrate the rock...

Students dissect an owl pellet. In this rodent and bone structure activity, students work in groups to take apart an owl pellet. Students separate all the tiny bones from the fur and use the bones to reconstruct the rodent on a tag...

Fifth graders examine the differences between chemical and physical changes. As a class, they are read a scenerio and determine whether it was deliberate act or not. In groups, they observe the changes of an alka-seltzer tablet and...

Listen to the sound of children's fingers flying across their keyboards as they perform these fun typing lessons. From creating alphabet books and multimedia presentations to researching presidents and writing class...