Evidence shows the Vikings likely navigated by using a simple sundial to find their course. Videos, a short story, and discussion help bring this time period to life as they study European history with a hands-on experiment. Scholars...

Traveling through space is an amazing experience, but it definitely takes a toll on the body. After reading an article and watching a brief video, learners perform an experiment that simulates the effects of zero gravity on the...

How do you know there is air? Can you see it, smell it, feel it? To begin the investigation, learners watch a video and discuss what they know about air and the atmosphere. Then, they participate in five different hands-on, inquiry-based...

A greenhouse provides additional warmth and protection to the plants inside, but what if the greenhouse gets too hot? Pupils discuss and experiment with the difference between natural and anthropogenic greenhouse effect. They measure the...

Bring A Charlie Brown Christmas to social studies, language arts, math, science, and art class! Learners ponder the meaning of Christmas trees, write about Christmas during the original release of the television special,...

Students create an exercise and nutrition program. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students use calculations of exercises plus their corresponding effects on the body and nutritional values of food to derive a health plan. Students...

Does having an addict in your family make it more likely to become one yourself? Explore the genetic risk factors, as well as the prominent environmental influences, for substance addiction in a lesson that encourages awareness and open...

Discover how government and the European Union works with this interactive activity. Small groups form to represent a country and create a profile. The instructor presents an issue to discuss and potential politicians then develop...

Help young scientists connect with nature and learn about trees with a fun life science lesson. Heading out into the school yard, children choose a tree to adopt, taking measurements, writing descriptions, and drawing sketches of it in...

Not a lesson in the traditional sense, this is a collection of resources with which you can craft a lesson on metabolic processes. It includes an outline of topics, some brief discussion, and a large array of animations, images, and...

Fifth graders recall prior knowledge about rocks. In this igneous rock lesson, learners work in cooperative groups to perform experiments to classify the properties of igneous rock. They write a detailed paragraph and illustrate the rock...

Students investigate different purposes for manipulating DNA. After reviewing the structure and functions of DNA, students explore topics related to the use or manipulation of DNA and the potential benefits and problems, later making a...

Young scholars study the differences between an acid and a base.  In this pH instructional activity students view a demonstration then test chemicals in groups.

Carbon dioxide is a very important gas; it is present in the air, used in cooking, and supports plant and animal life. Scholars investigate the properties of carbon dioxide with three different activities. They experience a color change,...

Your pupils may believe that you and their parents are the oldest things in the universe, but surprise! There are elements of the universe that are even older. Elementary scientists create a class timeline to demonstrate the...

Eleventh graders explore the different steps in the engineering process. In this physics lesson plan, 11th graders design an experiment based on topic given. They prepare a presentation and share it with the class.

Young scholars, analyze and discuss cleft lip, cleft palate, anencephaly, spina bifida and septal defects in the heart--well-known malformations that can occur in the first trimester of prenatal devalopment. They play the review game,...

Pupils address four different environmental topics (water issues, the threat of food shortages, human population growth, and global warming) as they watch a film and discuss the future of the earth. In groups, they complete various...

Students construct a geologic timeline the size of a football field. They work in small groups to calculate the yardage for significant events in the Earth's history and then as a class pace out all of the events.

Pupils are assigned significant geologic events in Earth's history. They convert the date of the events into distances and then space themselves (on an outside playing field) away from other groups, to represent time between various...

Students explore the history of hurricanes. They discuss the worst hurricanes that have formed. Students examine what to expect during a hurricane and the preparations they should make. They learn about evacuation routes, shelters, and...

Fifth graders conduct a mystery bag experiment and use the scientific method and inquiry skills to solve the mystery. They discuss how to make scientific "guesses," and in small groups use their five senses to try and figure out what...

Students explore the topic of public conservation. For this Florida panthers lesson, students read a scenario about the endangered panther and collaborate to plan a way to protect the panther population. Students also participate in a...

Fourth graders identify the four kinds of violent storms. Using photographs, they create "eye spy" questions for each and mount them on construction paper. They write a brief summary for each photo and share the questions with the class...