Does smiling take as much energy as running a lap around the track? Everything the body does requires energy. The more vigorous the activity, the more energy the body requires to perform the activity. Compare different low-energy...

Emerging nutritionists explore what it means to be healthy. In the beginning of the unit, your class will examine the five food groups and learn how food gets from the farm to our plates. This leads into the investigation of...

How much activity is appropriate for elementary school youngsters? What kind of activities do they need to do? Check out the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Look to see what are age-appropriate activities for each grade...

What do lowfat yogurt, baby carrots, fresh fruit, and rice cakes have in common? They are all healthy snacks that can be eaten daily. Investigate healthy eating/snacking guidelines, learn how to make lowfat ice cream and practice some...

Three activities allow young flight engineers to understand the 4 principles of flight (weight, lift, thrust, and drag), to construct a glider, and to create a propeller. Multicultural history and literature are integrated by reading...

Sixth graders investigate the forces that move certain objects.  In this physics instructional activity, 6th graders design and create paper flying objects using origami methods, which they practice flying in different conditions....

A series of lessons about dance would be a great addition to your physical education class. Straightforward as well as creative, it teaches the basic skills of dance movement. A rubric helps guide the dancers to let them know what steps...

Celebrate the geography of the Americas and develop map skills through a series of activities focused on the Western Hemisphere. Learners study everything from earthquakes and volcanoes of the Americas and the relationship...

Rally your administration and facilities manager to let your class examine the water flow rates in different areas of the school. After the audit, the class researches opportunites for conserving water and writes a report or develops a...

Third graders start writing papers with much more regularity than they did in the previous grades. They are starting to differentiate between the styles of writing and know why each is important. This activity gives the them a chance to...

Seventh graders play physical movement games to enhance their health and research Indian cultures. For this movement lesson plan, 7th graders research Indian movements and use them in physical activity.

What could be more relevant to teens and preteens than experiencing stress? Use an article from the New York Times website to practice valuable Common Core skills for informational text reading, and also get a discussion going in your...

The best way to really learn something is to teach it! Using this worksheet as their guide, your class members will each create a 20-minute fitness lesson to teach to their peers. Lesson plan template calls for identification of the...

How do the changing seasons affect the homes where we live? This question is at the forefront of engineering and design projects. Challenge your physical science class to step into the role of an architect to build a model home...

Using this creative lesson idea, your class can explore music with a message. Upper elementary learners create their own rap song to express their feelings about physical education and sportsmanship. The resource includes an...

Learning about the rainforest can be more fun than you think. The class discusses vocabulary-in-context as they cut cardboard boxes, destined to become part of a rainforest model. Small groups of children color, cut, and construct...

Students understand the importance of physical fitness as part of a healthy lifestyle.  For this health lesson students create a display and presentation about what they learned. 

Young scholars listen to a song that teaches the elements of the periodic table and write their own song to be used as an aid in remembering scientific information.

Students explore their physical abilities by participating in team sports.  In this physical education lesson plan, students collaborate in groups in one of several team sports before moving on to the next station.  Students...

How many practice lay-ups do you think Michael Jordan has done in his lifetime? Too many to count, but he had to start somewhere! Practice is the key to getting better in any activity. Look through this basketball lesson as there are...

While this is not really a step by step lesson, it's a fabulous idea to do a presentation instead of the usual drone lecture on the first day. This project takes a little work each year to take digital pictures throughout the year to use...

Help overcome challenges in eating pizza. Scholars work in groups to design a device that assists a physically handicapped person eat pizza. They build a prototype of such a device to test their designs before building. To...

Learners explore healthy eating habits by conducting a physical food challenge. For this food pyramid lesson, students identify the main concepts behind the food pyramid and what choices they should be making with their food intake....

What do cereal, fog, and space shuttles have to do with newspapers? A collection of science investigations encourage critical thinking using connections to the various parts of the newspaper. Activities range from building origami seed...