students discuss the importance of light and the consequences of living without it. Using a plant as a demonstration, students predict and observe what happens to a plant when it does not receive enough light. In groups, they experiment...

Learners recognize whether one wants to drink water, swim in it, or for the health of the organisms living in it. They prepare different water samples to observe and collect samples regarding the water quality.

Students examine the concept of radioactive dating. In this radioactive dating lesson plan, students investigate how to determine the ages of fossils and rocks as they learn about half-life radioactive decay.

Middle schoolers discover the best practical shielding material when dealing with radioactive substances. They draw conclusions based on availability of materials, price, and best shielding properties.

Learners discuss the importance of water in our daily lives. For this physics lesson, students calculate the pressure of water tower systems. They investigate the effect of certain variables using a computer simulation.

Students role several balls of different weights down a ramp and into a paper cup and record how far each ball made the paper cup move. They then answer questions that help them analyze their results and reinforce the idea that energy...

Fifth graders work in teams of four to measure the rebound heights of a tennis ball dropped from four different heights. They investigate with the bouncing balls to measure changes in the type of energy they possess.

Students create a simple paper parachute. In this parachute design lesson, students examine the effects of the wind and make napkin parachutes.  

Students observe a composting box. For this soil lesson, students create a composting bin by using a bin, newspaper, worms, and food scraps. Students create a composting food web.

Students observ the cooling and warming of room temperature, hot, and ice cold cans of water by measuring the change in temperature over time. They then attempt to develop explanations for the observations made and apply their findings...

Eighth graders evaluate whether a certain argument is valid or invalid. In this science lesson, 8th graders discuss the importance of using unbiased evidence. They design an experiment that they can test in school.

Students participate in an interactive lesson using the scientific method to study biodiversity.  For this insect monitoring lesson, students simulate the layers of soil and the insects that would live there. Students design...

Students complete a Webquest which investigates the chemistry in items such as shampoo. They research the Internet, perform a lab experiment, and write a scientific lab report with their findings. Upon completion of the activities, the...

Students explore basic methods of GPS data collection, uploading the data to a computer, and making simple maps of their data using GIS software. They create a map of the data using GIS software (or Excel)

Students use authentic satellite data on the NASA website to determine when the sea surface temperature meets the criteria to induce coral bleaching.

learners investigate a natural factor affecting their everyday lives: daylight. First, they collect data on sunrise and sunset in their hometown, create a Microsoft Office Excel chart to help them understand the data pattern, and offer a...

Students become familiar with real-world gathering of chemical data. The experience how the science is done: the nature of analysis, data collection, interpretation, and presentation. They study a nearby body of water for their experiment.

Learners participate in an investigation of winged organisms. Working with calipers, students measure the wing span of several butterflies from different areas. After recording their measurements, learners use their data to explain...

Third graders view and measure common body parts to find a fathom, a span, and inch. They discuss the historical information about how standard English measurements came to be and why body parts can no longer be used as a standard...

Students use the scientific method to investigate the role of temperature in microbial growth. In this food preservation lesson, students set up an experiment with fruit in room temperature and in a refrigerator. They record the...

Prompt scholars to discover the expansion of the universe themselves. Using photographs of other galaxies, they measure and then graph the size and distance of each. Finally, they draw conclusions and prove the universe is...

Provide your class with the tools they need to design a research project. Groups examine case studies to gain information about the process involved in designing a research project. They use materials provided to brainstorm and develop a...

Learners have to have had some experience with metals prior to using this worksheet. They are given five properties common to five different metals. They create or use a dichotomous key to identify the five mystery metals. Tip: This...

Young scholars inspect a given problem and come up with a hypothesis. In this investigative lesson students come up with a hypothesis for a problem, test each hypothesis and evaluate how successful each one was.