Uncover the basics of DNA structure through exploration activities. Collaborative groups build DNA models and recreate the process of replication. Then, using plant cells such as peas or strawberries, they extract a DNA sample.

Pregnant women exposed to PAH air pollution increase the risk of obesity in their children. The example of epigenetics, along with others, builds the basis for understanding the process of cell differentiation. Scholars view a video,...

Get caught in a web of learning. Classmates play a game to build a web to model the interaction of species that live in a specific ecosystem. They each assume the role of one species and work together, passing a ball of twine to indicate...

STAR deputies unite! Scholars gather in small groups to solve problems using the STAR method. Pupils read a card that describes a situation that requires problem-solving. They role-play the scenario in front of their peers.

Students explore U.S. geography by participating in a role-playing activity. In this Baltimore history instructional activity, students discuss the geography of Baltimore city and complete a worksheet which discusses the "charm"...

Students examine how to model story telling for their classes. They investigate how to learn, rehearse and share stories.

Introduced your class to the topic of free enterprise and its relationship to personal freedom. As a class, they brainstorm the ways in which what they do affects the free enterprise system and how technology can make the transition...

The perfect resource for a beginning journalism teacher or someone designing a journalism unit, this activity prompts students to write a newspaper article. It covers all aspects of the writing process, such as a guided warm-up...

Three activities introduce upper elementary ecologists to photosynthesis and food webs. In the first, an experiment is set up to determine how plants respond to different types of light. In the second, they connect organism cards with...

Students design a solution to a problem based on the Industrial Revolution. In this design lesson plan, students come up with architectural designs and present them to teachers in a simulated factory.

Packed with visual aids and multiple learning opportunities, an engaging exercise challenges individuals as they explore the role of producers, consumers, and decomposers. After discussing differences between food chains, food...

Quantum tunneling plays an important role in nuclear fusion, the energy source of the sun. This simulation explores tunneling, double wells, and covalent bonds by allowing individuals to manipulate potential and total energy to learn...

Students make a list of ideas on ways we can take care of our Earth and complete a class project planning sheet where they problem solve to help save the Earth. In this Earth lesson plan, students also play a conservation charades game.

As part of a study of food chains and food webs, class members complete a series of worksheets that trace a marine chain from producers to consumers or decomposers. After studying a food chain example, young marine biologists make up...

Young scholars research as a reporter would and present the loyalist and patriot point of view on the American Revolution.  In this patriots versus loyalist lesson, students produce a project such as a video debate or webpage...

In this role play activity, students assume the role of a private detective and a customer trying to find a missing person. Students work with 1 partner.

Students study the contamination of drinking water and what human activities play a role in it.  In this environment lesson students complete worksheets and complete a lab activity. 

Could you determine longitude based on measuring time? Early explorers used a longitude clock to do just that. Scholars learn about early exploration and the importance of the invention of the clock. Then pupils build their own longitude...

How important are symbols and symbolic gestures in society? Middle schoolers have an opportunity to analyze the importance of symbols on American currency with a lesson that investigates the controversies surrounding redesigning the $5,...

Students analyze people's choices from different points of view. They read different scenarios and explain how they would react personally in that situation. Then they analyze what they would do in another character's position and...

Can colors help to convey a mood in writing? Explore this question with your class using the songs "Grey Street" by the Dave Matthews Band and "Blu is a Mood" by Blu Cantrell. After analyzing the effect of the color words in these songs...

These activities center around acting out a play to help create fluent readers who use expression and emotion. As readers work through the play the first time, they also practice decoding strategies. In small groups of four, they then...

Scratching your head when it comes to engaging writing prompts? Check out a list of prompts designed for middle school classes, which includes topics for persuasive writing, expository writing, how-to essays, personal narratives, and...

Reader's Theater is a great way to build fluency, intonation, and dramatic flare. The class reads the theater piece, "The New Friends" paying attention to how they express emotion and feeling as they read. They discuss the use of plot,...