Increase your sample and increase your accuracy! Scholars complete an activity that compares sample size to variability in results. Learners realize that the greater the sample size, the smaller the range in the distribution of sample...

How confident are you? Explore the meaning of a confidence interval using class collected data. Learners analyze data and follow the steps to determine a 95 percent confidence interval. They then interpret the meaning of the confidence...

Ninth graders investigate whether stronger hurricanes are signs of global warming. In this environmental science lesson, 9th graders research both sides of the issue about global warming. They debate for or against this issue in class.

Here is a multiple choice question that would make a good assessment question. Algebra students are to look at the structure of the formula for a given radius of a cylinder and find the resulting radius when the height of the...

This is one in several lessons that explore the relationship between temperature and phase changes of water. After some discussion, elementary physical scientists place wet paper toweling on a hot and a room-temperature water bag...

Sixth graders use small electronic devices known as thermistors to measure the temperature beneath an object such as a coffee cup as it slides across a surface. By choosing different surfaces, 6th graders can compare in a quantitative...

Explore the connection of surface area to bonding within atoms. Learners complete lab investigations to model changing surface area with different sizes and concentrations of atoms. A flour fireball demonstration follows the labs to...

Young scholars visit a local wetland and record observations of waterfowl on downloadable worksheets. They compile class data and list similarities and differences among species of birds observed.

Snakes and lizards can be very tiny or very long. Your class will get out their rulers to see just how big snakes and lizards can be. They discuss several different reptiles by reading the included animal fact cards, then each small...

Can you feel the weight of the air on your shoulders? Your classes may not believe that air has weight. A straightforward experiment asks individuals to weigh a bottle before and after adding air. Their results may surprise them!

Students develop their own techniques for drawing a small sample of solutions into a straw. They hypothesize ways to increase the density of water, and discuss how salt-free rainwater tends to float on top of salty seawater.

Students practice mirroring human moves by performing a dance in class.  In this physical education lesson, students utilize different spaces around them to perform a dance expressing their full motion.  Students cooperate in...

Students discover how and why the settling rate of particles differs with the size of the particles. Using different soil samples, they calculate the amount of time it takes for a sample to settle in water for up to forty minutes. They...

Discover a world too small to see. In the lesson, young scientists learn about nanotechnology and brainstorm ideas for new applications of it. They perform an activity to determine how surface area changes when objects are made smaller...

Sixth graders simulate the creation of impact craters on Mars.Through the creation of model surfaces, the effects of an impacting object's mass, velocity and size are determined, and the features of the resulting crater are identified.

Using an assortment of hardware, junior biologists explore the theory of evolution. They consider how simple pieces of hardware might be changed into similar items and display their discoveries on a poster. The lesson would be...

Here is a physical science activity where pupils place thermometers inside of a white and a black paper pocket and place them under a lamp. They record and compare the temperature increase over a ten-minute period. Have your class...

When it comes to rating educational calculators, this calculator is always near the top of this list. Now it's available as an app. There is a lot of calculator power wrapped up in this app. Not only is this a fully functioning...

Young scholars discuss how different objects are different sizes. They work together to brainstorm ideas of objects that do not stay big or little all of the time. They choose one of their ideas to illustrate and share with the class.

Fourth graders investigate pitches of sound.  For this physical science lesson, 4th graders participate in two activities that help them explore pitch--one activity has them working with string telephones and the amount of tension...

Students investigate meteor impacts on the Earth's surface by using different size balls and charting their impacts, given their diameter and mass.

Students illustrate a schematic circulatory system of a human body including heart, lungs, arteries, veins and capillaries. Next, students conduct an experiment to increase understanding of the relationship between heart rate/pulse and...

Students explore visual perception and how objects change as distance changes. For this distance and vision lesson, students practice their scientific inquiry skills. Students practice drawing objects from different points of view in...

Students use 2 sets of colored beans to represent the genes of an organism. In this genetic probability lesson plan, students use the colored beans to represent the genotypes of offspring which they pull out of a box at random while the...