Earth science enthusiasts experiment to compare the heating rates of soil and water. They relate their findings to the weather conditions near bodies of water. Consider also having middle schoolers measure the cooling rates to...

Can you feel that? Can you smell that? Since pupils can't ask worms about their sense of smell and touch, they design and complete an experiment to answer these questions. Individuals expose nematodes to different stimuli using their...

How do you teach kids to "science" effectively? Inquiry cubes are a "sort of" puzzle with no answer—promoting even more questions! Group members work together to use the evidence on the visible sides of each cube to infer what lies on...

What do our brains have to do with reaction timing? Everything! In a hands-on learning activity, young scientists participate in four card activities that measure reaction timing. Each activity gets progressively more complex, and...

Make sure your class gets on your nerves! Learners of all ages practice peering into the nervous system to see what's inside. Groups examine prepared slides of mammalian nervous system tissues, all while gaining microscope skills. The...

Test the efficiency of your memory! Scholars test each other's memory as they explore factors that affect memory retrieval. Through experimental analysis, they discover there are different types of memory, which has an impact on the...

What do you call a skull without neurons? A no-brainer! A hands-on activity asks scholars to build a model of a neuron using beads. They use their models to study the parts of the neuron and their functions.

Investigate experimental design through a hands-on exploration. A creative lesson allows learners to design an experiment to monitor the effects of alcohol on the C. elegans worm. After conducting the experiment, individuals analyze...

Your taste buds may be saying Pepsi, but your brain is saying Coke! By analyzing experimental research, learners discover ways in which our brains impact decision making. They conclude with a discussion of neuromarketing and how it...

Don't go around and around with the same concept! A hands-on activity explores the vestibular system and circular motion. After spinning a group member, lab partners examine their eye movement. Making observations allows the group to...

Caterpillars' and moths' most obvious change is physical, but what happens to their nervous systems as they complete metamorphosis? Through a hands-on investigation, young scholars construct the nervous system of a caterpillar. They then...

Caterpillars have an amazing, yet tough job to perform in their short lives — eat much, avoid predators, and try not to let all those comments about being the unattractive stage of the life cycle get to them. How do they handle it all?...

Playing follow the leader has never been so interesting! Get the class up and moving while they take on the roles of nervous system components. Through trial and error, they learn the importance of the "pioneer" growth cone that leads...

Why does practice make perfect? Give your class insight into procedural memory, where we learn to do new things — then continue to improve through repetition. By attempting to draw shapes while looking in a mirror,...

Something is happening here, and what it is is becoming increasingly clear. Middle schoolers investigate the connections between processed foods and health issues and the movement back, especially by Native Americans, to other food...

Many young people act globally by reducing, reusing, and recycling, Now they take it to the next level by upcycling. Middle schoolers design a proposal to eliminate waste by exploring the new material cycle and applying...

How do meteorologists differentiate between droughts and dry spells? Introduce the concepts of weather forecasting and prediction with an insightful research-based lesson from the K20 series. Partners synthesize individual research from...

When you don't follow the rules, bad things can happen! Kick off your next lab safety lesson using a resource from the K20 Center. Pupils partner up to decipher MSDS for common lab chemicals, brainstorm common safety rules and their...

How has human activity affected Earth's watersheds? An action-packed lesson plan, part of the K20 Center, examines water's ability to go with the flow regardless of what is in its path. Scholars build model watersheds, examine time-lapse...

Why are we here? Well, if you happen to be a Golgi body, the answer is simple! Young biologists embark upon a journey through the tiny world of cellular organelles with an engaging lesson from the K20 Center. The activities open with an...

Examine the sequence of key events in the history of genetics. An engaging instructional activity asks scholars to sort events to create a timeline of biotechnology milestones. Arranging the events gives learners a perspective on...

Explore the changes genetic modifications make just to make it in our world. Scholars track the production of insulin over time and discover how genetic modifications make the treatment of diabetes possible.

Can you breed the perfect cat? Scholars study how to control genetic traits through breeding. The 15th lesson in a 18-part genetics unit considers the process of cross-breeding to develop a cat with a specific set of predetermined traits.

Your pupils become geneticists as they create cat offspring. The next lesson in a series continues an exploration of genetic makeup as scholars consider parent traits to build their offspring. Using household items, they create kittens...