Learners use litmus paper to begin to discover the qualities of acids and bases. They learn about pH by testing clear liquids for acidity with purple cabbage juice as an indicator. The video Streamkeeper, with Bill Nye, and other video...

Each color holds its own feeling and these feelings are used to describe the four seasons. Youngsters create a color palate based on the four seasons, assigning various colors to each season. They each create four clay tiles, painting...

Customers often want ribbon around fancy cakes, but how does a baker know how much ribbon to buy? Scholars view a cake with multiple layers in different geometric shapes. They must figure the perimeter and circumference and add them...

Here are two well-designed, and easy-to-follow lesson plans on endangered species for your third graders. The focus is on the bison; the history of the slaughter of the animals in the 1800's, and the story of how they were saved from...

In this math and geography real world investigation, 6th graders plan a driving trip to a city that is located several states away from their home while recording the elevations of three cities that are included in the trip. They use...

This is a practical sheet with the instructions to draw a set of ellipses. After following the diagrams, there are ten questions to complete, with calculations expected for alternate orbits and comparisons related to actual planets in...

In a force diagram, a stick figure man in an elevator takes a ride. Physics analysts work out the force exerted on him by the elevator floor. As the acceleration changes, they draw new force diagrams and compute new force values. This...

Take out a map, a paper, a ruler, and those coveted colored pencils for a instructional activity on Chinese culture and geography. This is a multifaceted approach to basic geography skills that incorporate story telling, class...

Here is a learning exercise that is almost a lesson! In it, learners conduct an experiment in which they determine the size of objects when viewed through viewing tubes. This resource has all of the instructions and tables necessary to...

Fifth graders perform tests to identify acids and bases.  In this chemistry lesson, 5th graders identify common household substances as acids or bases using cabbage juice indicator strips.

Explore mathematics by analyzing images. As they view pictures on the SMART Board, individuals must write corresponding algebraic equations. They utilize models to visualize the math expressions.

Use a lab sheet on circuit diagrams in your electricity unit. Fifth graders draw two series circuits with diagrams, based on two examples. A science experiment prompts learners to use 3x5 cards to illustrate the way a series circuit works.

How many visual models can be used to show multiplication? Three basic kinds of models can be used to represent and explain the equation 4 x (9 + 2).  The commentary section provides description and graphics to explain the set...

The single question in this activity has multiple ways to be solved. Two boys ran a mile. Their times were similar, except one time was a fraction of the other. Who ran faster? In demonstrating the answer to this problem, upper graders...

Extensive reading is done in order to learn about scanning probe microscopy and nanoscale. Afterward, individuals use a pencil to probe an unidentified object that is inside of a box so that they cannot see it. Using only what they could...

A benthic habitat hosts a vast collection of organisms and its structure influences the biodiversity. Middle-school marine biology explorers will discuss how corals impact structure, and therefore diversity, on the ocean floor. They draw...

Middle schoolers complete several projects on the Middle Ages. In this world history lesson, students complete language arts, social studies, math, and science projects. Some of these include: comparing a teenager's life now to that in...

What is one of the most exciting parts of a butterfly's life cycle? When it emerges from its pupa and dries its wings! This is a great activity little ones will love. They discuss what happens during the pupal stage of the butterfly life...

Electromagnets come in both large and small scales—from big machinery in scrap yards to hard disk drives. Here's a resource that provides directions for building a variable electromagnet on a stand. Scholars then experiment with the...

Did you know scientists can tell the age of an asteroid by looking closely at its craters? This final lesson of a six-part series focuses on two asteroids, Gaspra and Ida, in order to demonstrate the concept of dating asteroids. Scholars...

I would weigh less on the moon? Send me there, then! On the top of the first page, a cartoon image demonstrates the difference between Earth and the moon. It then goes on to describe weight and mass and provides five practice problems...

Lorna Simpson is a photographer who has put together a collection of photos from the 1950s in order to challenge the idea that primary source documents are objective in their portrayal of history. Learners are introduced to Ms. Simpson's...

Drawing from a scenario of the history of the penny, learners write and solve a system of linear equations from a context.

Conversion immersion — it's measuring mania! A set of four activities teaches scholars to convert between customary and metric units. Resource covers unit conversions in length, temperature, weight/mass, and volume.