How does your garden grow? An inquiry-based, organic gardening unit asks young scientists to research a vegetable or flower, create an environment for it, and then plant and tend to the seedling. Gardeners develop their own research...

Focus on inquiry-based learning in your science class with a series of activities designed for middle schoolers. A helpful packet samples four different texts, which include activities about predator-prey relationships, Earth's axis...

High schoolers identify the different steps in the scientific method. For this biology lesson, students design an experiment given certain materials. They formulate conclusion and write a detailed lab report.

Blow the minds of young scientists with this collection of inquiry-based investigations. Based on a series of eight videos, these "hands-on, minds-on" science lessons engage young learners in exploring a wide range of topics...

Students investigate how seeds sprout. In this scientific inquiry lesson plan, students make predictions on which seeds will grow the fastest and observe the seeds over a period of time. Observations are recorded into a journal.

Students experiment to determine a way to waterproof a piece of cotton fabric. In this scientific inquiry lesson, students use reference worksheets to explore  waterproofing and the use of nanotechnology in engineering everyday...

Students create a dichotomous key. In this categorizing lesson, students create a dichotomous key for different types of cereal. Students classify the cereal into groups such as flakes and cereal with holes. Students discuss their...

Students explore multimedia components. In this science inquiry lesson, students read "Invitation to the Game" by Monica Hughes and they use the Alice Computer Programming System to better understand population dynamics.

Work together to stay afloat. Using a paper boat, pupils connect properties of materials to their usefulness. They test different paper to determine how many pennies each boat will hold and learn that combining materials with different...

Second graders explore different engineering careers. In this math instructional activity, 2nd graders create a winning cooking recipe. They role play a mock cookie sale during the culminating event.

Students explore the factors that affect how long coffee stays hot. They develop a question and a testable hypothesis for one factor such as initial temperature or size of opening of the container. Then they design and conduct an...

Youngsters compare the heat-holding abilities of three different cans by insulating two with different materials and measuring the temperature change of hot water over a 20-minute period. 

Become familiar with the basic concepts of inheritance. Your junior high students work through mulitple examples of crosses and calculate probabilities of trait occurance. The explain the concept that each parent contributes one half of...

Young scientists participate in a hands-on experiment to explore Einstein's theory of relativity in a creative manner. They investigate various waves and compare their characteristics as they discuss how each wave is created....

Step into the role of a zoo director with several activities about animal training and running a zoo. Kids calculate the amount of food each animal needs, design a habitat for penguins, decide how to breed bottlenose dolphins, and train...

Students investigate how fruits and vegetables change and grow.  In this life cycle of fruits and vegetables activity, students observe the changes in fruits and vegetables as they grow and record the colors on a worksheet.

Students discover what compost is. In this composting lesson, students view a sample of a compost bin and define what the purpose of compost is. Students discuss what the compost bin consists of and sort the compost bin into the green...

Students explore energy properties by listening to a sustainability lecture in class. In this biomass lesson, students identify what biomass is, how it can be transformed into a usable energy and how it complements the energy cycle....

Young scholars influence the plant life cycle as they take care of plants.In this caring for plants lesson, students understand the parts of the plant and their functions in keeping it alive. Young scholars participate in experiments...

High schoolers explore energy conservation. In this environmental lesson plan, students will look at data showing the amounts of energy used, our carbon footprint, and will research a power source. This unit allows for a deeper...

Learners will work together in groups to gather information about careers in oceanography. They discover the need to have a diverse group of people on a team and then share their information with the class. Web links and materials are...

Young citizens construct an understanding of urban planning in this cross-curricular unit. Covering every aspect of city development from the political, economic, and social influences to sustainable building practices, this...

Young historians explore how technology and science affected life in the state of New Hampshire. They define technology and give personal experiences of how technology affects people and how people have used technology. They compare the...