Small and large are relative terms; what's the best way to quantify them? Young scientists take on that challenge as they complete an interactive activity to explore size. They build structures during their exploration and begin using...

Individuals measure a computer monitor and determine how accurate their measures are. The eighth segment in a series of 20 introduces the concept of percent error. Pupils find the percent error of their measurements and discuss the...

Elementary learners listen to a story, then sort objects from largest to smallest at six different stations around the classroom. Adaptable for a large range of age and ability groups. 

Is the price of chocolate a good indicator of taste? Your learners will approach this question through experimentation and analysis, and will then delve into the rich history and complexity of cacao and chocolate.

Does standard deviation work for non-symmetrical distributions, and what does it mean? Through the use of examples, high schoolers determine the standard deviation of a variety of distributions and interpret its...

Turn your classroom into a pig sty with a instructional activity based on the Appalachian folktale The Pig Who Went Home on Sunday. Similar to the story of The Three Little Pigs, the folktale tells a story of four pigs who leave...

Watch the damage from a forest fire in this interactive simulation activity that challenges learners to estimate the burn area using different approaches. Learners are given a worksheet to track the different burn patterns and practice...

A small little ant can have a large impact on its ecosystem. Young researchers explore the different species that live in a plains ecosystem. They find the characteristics of several species and then compare species to determine how...

Two activities explore the concept of size, especially small sizes down to the nano. Scholars practice determining volume, mass, and density and calculate exponential increases and decreases. They then predict and test the effect of size...

Scientists classify everything from the smallest cells to the largest galaxies, but how do they decide on a classification system? Scholars use 40 pictures of galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to sort and try creating their...

Each member of a four-student group takes on a specific aspect of an assigned planet to research. After gathering information, the team works together to create a travel brochure and a presentation intended to convince other classmates...

Teach your class the descriptive characteristics of soil. Provide information about particle size and a flow chart for assessing texture. Soil scientists then analyze samples and hypothesize which would be the best type for a rain...

This teaching packet is for grades five through eight, and it is organized around geographic themes: location, place, relationships, movement, and regions. There are four full lessons that are complete with posters, weblinks, and...

Build foundational knowledge of volume by building boxes. Given dimensions for a piece of grid paper, young mathematicians determine the number of possible open-top boxes it will make. As part of this task, they also find the box with...