Students, in cooperative groups, design and create a wildflower garden for the community. They write letters to property owners requesting use of their land and then write invitations to their parents and to local, state, and federal...

Hands-on stations in which groups of primary learners experience what mirrors can do provide opportunities for experimenting and authentic discovery. Recording their observations in complete sentences seems age-inappropriate. Drawing...

Inquiry is probably one of the most fun ways kids learn. They will test the hardness of 10 different minerals in order to classify them. They rate each of the minerals from most to least hard. Note: Having real minerals for this...

This organic chemistry lab activity is appropriate for teaching polymerization, percent yield, melting point, or the types and uses of polymer materials. Chemistry pupils imagine that they are working for a company to develop a special...

Activate middle schoolers' minds with this physical science activity. Learners vary the diameter of gears and the number of teeth on them to find how energy output is affected. This writeup features well-developed background...

A case-study of Dr. Melton's experiment on pancreatic cells highlights this worksheet. Details of the study adorn the first three pages, complete with diagrams. Biology buffs then analyze the data and identify problems within the...

Middle schoolers examine the effects of variables. They view a video which introduces the concepts, take part in an internet-based activity, then engage in a hands-on activity which allows them to practice what they have been studying.

Students, in groups, investigate and demonstrate the science behind the development of lightning and thunderstorms.

A kaleidoscope is constructed using polarizing polymer paper and then low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, and polypropylene are all melted onto individual glass slides and examined through a microscope. The intent is to...

Students are introduced to colorimeter on two levels. They investigate how to physically manipulate the colorimeters. Secondly, the students start on a pathway of discovery to one of the most important principles in analytical chemistry:...

Middle schoolers participate in classroom experiment to gain better understanding of type of environment brine shrimp can best survive. Students then explore effects of common saltwater pollutants on survival of animals in sea.

Use the Internet, write an expository text, and have young scholars share their knowledge of the planets in our solar system. They compose an expository writing piece and publish it to a web page.

The scientific method is emphasized in this engaging and exciting chemistry lesson. Learners get to create Alka-Seltzer cannons out of film cannisters, water, and Alka-Seltzer tablets. Carbon dioxide gas builds up inside the cannister,...

Students are presented with the question, "Do plants that grow underwater use oxygen?" They create an experiment to test the presence of dissolved oxygen in the water using provided materials. Student experiments include a control jar as...

Identify how solar energy generates thermal energy by constructing solar cookers with your students. They will evaluate the factors that affect efficiency and the instructional activity can be adapted to capture data in a variety of ways.

Multiple representations of the varying theories of atomic structure. With these pictures and some background of the theories and scientific figures surrounding them, your class will develop a better understanding of scientific history...

Young biologists use a activity to fill in the blanks of five sentences. Each one needs a word from a word band at the top of the resource. All of the sentences are about things that are alive, and how we know they are alive. The words...

Imagine four pages of writing prompts. Although designed specifically for eighth graders, the topics could be used for upper-elementary and high school writers as well.

Students take on the role of epidemiologists. They investigate an "outbreak" in serious birth defects that occur in infants born to teenage girls. students discover a link between the use of the acne drug called Accutane and birth defects.

This project provides students the opportunity to investigate parasites as a possible cause of the observed frog deformities. It asks students to view web-based evidence and interpret whether it supports the parasite hypothesis. Students...

Student explore the relationship of static electricity to current electricity, circuits, electromagnets, electro generators, and public electric utilities. In this Green Team lesson plan, 4th graders participate in hands-on science...

What happens when solids are added to liquids? After reading an informative paragraph about solutions, learners answer six true/false questions regarding solutions, and what substances will dissolve into liquids they are mixed with. A...

Here is a good learning exercise for 5th grade scientists. In it, they look at a bar graph that shows the freezing point for a variety of liquids. Then, they are given a scenario of a certain liquid melting and freezing, and must...

Sound, vibrations, resonance, and frequency are explored as learners use music to foster scientific inquiry. They engage in three different sound experiments and follow up discussions to foster a better understanding of how musical...