Learners detect specific characteristics in the paintings of Jacob Lawrence. In this collage lesson, students utilize the style of Jacob Lawrence to create works about Harriet Tubman and her life.

First graders discuss "Harold and the Purple Crayon" and his drawings. In this neighborhood geography instructional activity, 1st graders learn to detect and classify places on a map including their home. Students recognize their address...

Young scholars build an instrument. In this magnetism lesson, students learn about the north and south poles of magnets and build a magnetometer that detects the direction of a magnetic field.

Students complete activities to study potential maps of the Underground Railroad. In this Underground Railroad lesson, students watch a video about map collector Anne Zorela's Underground Railroad map. Students complete a graphic...

Learners understand that a psychrometer is a weather instrument used to detect humidity. In this psychrometer lesson plan, students build a psychrometer.  Learners use their psychrometers to measure humidity activity.

Students discover ways to stay healthy by utilizing Internet education software.  In this computer technology instructional activity, students investigate Internet programs that simulate a field trip by showing images and video....

Students recognize that mysteries contain a problem that needs solving at the beginning of the book.  In this mystery plot lesson, students become the detectives finding the problems and minor problems in a mystery story. ...

Awarded the 1998 Edgar Award for Best Children's Mystery, Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief offers readers a chance to hone their predictive and deductive skills along with Sammy Keyes, who the Midwest Children's Book Review calls "the...

Students play the role of science detectives in an activity used to introduce the scientific method and the concept that blood is not identical and is identified by surface markers. Students must identify an unknown sample of "blood" by...

Students detect water leaks. In this water conservation ecology lesson, students take a tour of the school grounds and identify sources of water and possible leaks. Students report leaks to the custodian and administration.

Who purloined the poodle? Class groups read police reports and theorize whodunnit. The sixth of a ten-lesson series on mysteries.

Has your class ever been astounded by the complexity of DNA analysis? Have they ever asked why genetic engineering has become so important to our daily lives? Young scientists perform DNA extraction on strawberries and explore how the...

Around six percent of babies are born with serious genetic disorders. Young scientists learn more about what causes these disorders and the effect they have. They begin with a case study of cystic fibrosis before expanding to research...

First graders take a nature walk and search for organisms. They use magnifying glasses to see things that live on or near the surface of the Earth in land, air, and water.

Students investigate influence of one human on our natural world.

Students hypothesize whether the soil sample may have lead contamination and why. They describe what they see happening with the soil samples and the corresponding swabs. Pupils write a brief description of what they observe as the...

Fourth graders participate in a lesson that attempts to explain how a system works. They examine the parts and how they fit together. The question of what happens to a system if a pert is missing is asked.

Middle schoolers work together to solve a classroom mystery. They collect and organize their information into databases. They educate the school on how databases benefit life in a democracy.

Students demonstrate basic procedures for archeological excavations. They explore an archeological site, students using various archeological methods and techniques to determine some of the aspects of past life and culture.

Students examine handmade quilts. They conduct research to learn the story behind the stitches. They write a report on their research with the quilter or from Internet sources.

Students use a database to conduct a schoolwide election. They discover the importance of voting and democracy. They incourage one another to vote.

Students describe the overall flow of the Gulf Stream, and explain how it affects biological communities in the North Atlantic Ocean.Students describe Gulf Stream rings, and explain how they are formed.Students be abl

Students distinguish portraits from other forms of art and develop their own criteria for analyzing portraits. They discuss what is unique about a portrait, why artists create portraits, and the style of portraits.

Young scholars examine a variety of portraits and distinguish them from other art forms such as landscapes and still lifes. They investigate why artists make portraits and why patrons wish to have portraits made.