This lesson starts out with a guided discussion about the statement "Birds fly in the sky; airplanes fly in the sky; therefore, airplanes are birds" and goes on to cover logical fallacies and reliable sources, relating these to the topic...

Test your pupils' reasoning skills with several activities and a quick mystery to solve. Learners watch and analyze a few video clips that demonstrate reasoning in action, practice deduction with an interactive and collaborative...

Biotechnology pros produce their own biofuel using waste oil and fresh vegetable oil. They test the quality of their product using titration techniques and pH analysis. They write their observations and report their findings. Be aware...

Whodunnit? Find out who killed Mr. Brooks through a logical examination of evidence. Class members fill out a couple of data tables to help them pin down the suspect. After they've figured out just who the culprit is, pupils compose...

Students use a hypothetical scenario to investigate inhalation of an airborne pollutant and ingestion of a waterborne pollutant. They work in pairs, investigating differences in overall exposure to contaminants by calculating inhalation...

Upper graders play the voting game to help them understand voting patterns, political movements, and build a content specific vocabulary. Each student creats a chart to determine if his or her political view veers liberal or...

James Madison, under the pen name “Publius,” justifies the need for an American Republic in Federalist Paper 10, which is perhaps one of the most influential contributions to the Federalist Papers. Readers examine his perspective with...

Learners make origami frogs to race. After the race they measure the distance raced, collect the data, enter it into a chart. They then find the mean, median, and mode of the data. Next, students enter this data into Excel at which time...

Mystery is an exciting genre for young readers to investigate. The plots are so intriguing! Here is a series of lessons featuring Sherlock Holmes stories that invite learners to enter the world of the mystery genre.  Based on what...

Compare and contrast the characteristics of fresh and salt water marshes. After exploring the typical plants and animals found in each marsh type, participants use a set of flash cards to sort into fresh and salt water marsh life. Their...

Structure and Function SynopsisStudents choose some biological object, examine its structure, and identify or speculate on one particular function. Next they create a blueprint of the object, focusing on the particular function. Then...

Students are introduced to the genre of detective fiction. Based on their reading level, they are given a different series of books to read. For each story, they are to make predictions and practice decoding messages. To end the...

Students determine which of several soil samples (sand, soil, and slit) produces puddles, providing insight into the permeability of these different soils. This task assesses students' abilities to make simple observations, collect,...

Here are some outstanding lessons on the geology and history of the Great Lakes. These lessons are divided into Grade 4 -6, and Grade 7 - 8 activities. The activities all use the background information, maps, graphs, data, and Great...

First graders study that day and night result from shadows produced by Earth's rotation. Students work to show how shadows are produced, look for and identify shadows and observe shadows produced from different sources.

Students work in groups for up to three weeks to investigate the possibility of acid rain in your area and to investigate the damage that acid rain can do to buildings, monuments, and plants. Each group prepares a report to local...

Middle schoolers examine how to act as archaeologists by examining artifacts. The inquiry is meant to teach learners about analysis of ancient civilizations and scientific finds. Fossil evidence is also covered to make connection to the...

Using geoboards, computer programs, and hands-on manipulative materials, elementary schoolers engage in a study of two and three-dimensional geometric shapes. This lesson is chock full of good teaching ideas on the subject, and the...

Third graders take a walk around the outside of the school and examine their clothing to see if they picked up any seeds while on their walk. They discuss how seeds travel and how a new plant thus can form. They then observe root...

Students investigate the characteristics of different soil samples. In this physical science lesson plan, students play the role of forensics solving a crime by matching soil from the suspect's shoes. They formulate a conclusion after...

Students examine the various types of dancing present in Korea. In groups, they discover the history and cultural purposes of the dances and how society influenced the role of dance in its culture. They answer discussion questions and...

Pick and choose which activities to include in this crime scene investigation. Junior detectives can examine fingerprints, DNA, blood samples, or bone structure.  The plan suggests you have teams solve a mystery, but it does not...

Young scholars view the propaganda film, "Triumph of the Will". Identifying propaganda techniques used, they review any fallacies in logic or persuasive appeals. They discover elements in German culture and their meaning in 1934. They...

Young scholars discuss the scientific method and construct their own Mobius Strips. They examine their Mobius Strip, and write observations and a hypothesis on how many strips of paper they have when they cut the strip in half length-wise.