Students design an experiment to test the effects of common fertilizers on grass growth. They write or present a laboratory report responding to their observations and consider how fertilizers may affect the soil environment.

Students read a sample research proposal and create their own. They discover the type of information needed for others to reject or accept the proposal. They practice applying the scientific process to different situations.

Students conduct a simple test to determine how many drops of water, rubbing alcohol and vegetable oil can be placed on a penny before spilling over. They consider how varying surface tensions allow for different amounts of each liquid...

Middle schoolers explore multiple types of energy. In this energy instructional activity, students prepare a science fair project through completing a WebQuest. Middle schoolers investigate radiant, thermal, and biochemical energy.

Middle schoolers formulate hypotheses on wave behavior and test them. In this physics lesson, students compare and contrast transverse and compression waves. They determine the wavelength of transverse waves.

Students research effigy mounds of Native people in Wisconsin. They create large models of effigy mounds in a given area based on factual information from their studies and research.

Young scholars study the parts and functions of the human eye. They create dodecagons which are twelve-sided figures with twelve equal angles and share these with the class so that each student can begin to see how many different...

Ninth graders conduct experiments to determine what affects the rate of a pendulum's swing. Working in small groups, they identify an independent variable to study and create an experiment to test their hypothesis. When tests are...

Young scholars explore how the centuries-old invention of the lever led to today's applications in mobiles and crowbars. They watch a video on the lever, then utilize worksheets imbedded in this plan to guide their experiments.

Students create flubber glaciers. In this glacier dynamics lesson, students experiment factors that may affect glacier speed. Factors include slope, ice temperature, and basal conditions. Students develop hypothesis, conduct experiment,...

Students use the scientific method to explore how to make different colors with paint. They problem solve ways to darken and lighten colors without using black and white paint. Students hypothesize how to create new colors, and describe...

Fourth graders access prior knowledge of rocks and minerals. In this petroglyphs lesson, 4th graders become familiar with artwork on rocks. Students create original artworks using rock art.

Learners use plaster of Paris, talc, and cornstarch to create their own chalk. They hypothesize what mixture of ingredients produce the "best" chalk. Students discuss what they think are the characteristics of the "best" chalk.

Students design a boat model with simplified steam engine. In this ecology lesson, students compare renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. They determine the efficiency of their boat model.

Students take a quick examine part of the water cycle, and the combined gas laws. The lesson lead them through the conditions necessary for cloud formation and allow them to create clouds in three different hands-on activities.

Students assess what environmental conditions best contribute to preservation and mummification by participating in a multi-day 'apple mummification' lab.

Students explore musical pitch. In this cross curriculum musical instruments and "sound" physics lesson, students identify and describe common traits of woodwind instruments. Students research "pitch" and what causes pitch fluctuation by...

Students investigate the Ideal Gas Law. For this three states of matter lesson, students create Alka-Seltzer rockets using film canisters. Students record observations and data according to the scientific method and explain the gas...

Tenth graders create food web displays in the classroom. In this ecology lesson plan, 10th graders identify the different pollutants in the environment and their effect on organisms. They collect samples of sediments from the harbor and...

Learners examine how electric circuits are controlled with a switch. They incorporate a switch into a battery/bulb circuit. They design and create their own switches using everyday materials.

Young scholars investigate the acidity and alkalinity of common household products in an experiment. They use red cabbage juice and litmus paper to show the difference between strong acids and bases as they work with vinegar, dish...

Third graders review formulas for area and perimeter in quadrilaterals. They arrange pre-cut twine on a centimeter graph paper to create non-congruent quadrilaterals. They calculate the perimeter and area of each form.

Students discover the relationship between water availability and population growth. They change variables in a computer model using a worksheet to guide their hypotheses and conclusions. In small groups they choose a country undergoing...

Students collect small amounts of sand from a favorite beach. They note the texture of the sand as fine or coarse and hypothesize why this might be. They research different kinds of sand grains and the conditions that produce them.