Let's hope that your soap is doing what it's supposed to! The second of six installments in the Cells unit has scholars perform an experiment cultivating bacteria in Petri dishes. They test soaps and detergents to see which is most...

Did Western settlers receiving free land from the Homestead Act realize it wasn't really free at all? Scholars investigate the impact Western expansion had on Native American culture in the mid-1800s. They use documents, timelines, and...

Pupils record temperatures at different locations around campus. They examine the results and draw conclusions about how materials and colors affect the amount of heat produced. They also analyze Los Angeles' temperature records over a...

Looking to introduce some text-based questions into your ELA lessons? Practice the kinds of skills the Common Core demands with the seven text-based questions and the essay prompt provided here. Designed to be a three-day lesson plan,...

Getting kids thinking about climate change now, will hopefully push them into action when they become adults. Young environmentalists discuss the evidence and causes of climate change seen in the state of California. They brainstorm ways...

Blast off! An engaging hands-on activity has pupils create rockets powered by Alka-Seltzer. They learn about the physics behind these rockets throughout the process.

Here is a hard-hitting, cross-curricular lesson plan on the effects that the deforestation of the Ozark forests in the 19th century had on the people, animals, and ecosystems of the area. The Dr. Seuss book The Lorax is used as a way of...

Learners study how changes in the environment can drastically affect the survival of an animal. After a class discussion, pupils are divided up into groups and are given the task of coming up with the best environment to allow brine...

Third graders research insects using the internet sites provided. They research the role of insects as pollinators for plants, and the impact they have on our ecosystem. They participate in various activities/centers utilizing the facts...

Learners are introduced to bacteria and their role in biology and finishes with a lab experiment that focuses on antibiotics. They are given an overview of the important concepts involving bacteria and their potential resistance to...

Sixth graders are able to explain that there are pollutants in the Anacostia River, what these pollutants can cause, and how to prevent further pollution. They examine the impacts that the pollutants of the Anacostia River could have on...

Students research the HPV vaccine and estimate its cost. They interview doctors and local health officials about it. Students write feature stories based on their research focusing on the timelines for implementation in their states or...

Students examine the causes and effects of soil runoff. In this environment lesson, students look at ways in which soil runoff is controlled. Students then play a game  and discuss how the Peace Corps deals with soil runoff in...

A talkative old man? A naïve believer in Human Perfectibility? A Sage? Who is this guy, anyway? The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin launches a study of the way Franklin uses structure, style, and purpose, as well as different...

Middle schoolers research additional information about questions on their worksheet. In this energy activity, students develop visual aids of their proposed solution to the problem. They present their work in class.

After giving basic details about the properties of carbon, some of the common functional groups and molecules are featured. There is some information about specific functions and impact on the human body. The diagrams are helpful and...

After giving basic details about the properties of Carbon, some of the common functional groups and molecules are featured. There are some details about specific functions and impact on the human body. The diagrams are helpful and could...

Whether you use this reading comprehension worksheet as the basis for a short lesson on comprehension strategies or for additional practice, the passage about tricky octopi is sure to engage the interest of your young scientists. 

Teaching a unit on the Holocaust? Consider using the personal statements of Dan Pagis’s poetry to contrast with the more “distanced” historical accounts found in textbooks. Five poems, discussion questions, and background notes are...

Shakespeare was such a talented writer, but why? It must be his use of figurative language, blended with his clever, twisting plots. This worksheet focuses on his use of metaphor, simile, personification, oxymoron, and hyperbole within...

Cross-comparison, the technique of focusing on two different texts with the same themes, motifs, events, etc., is employed in an exercise that asks groups to examine two different translations of “The Ruin,” a poem, written in Old...

Jackie Robinson's attempt to earn a spot on the 1946 Brooklyn Dodgers provides learners with an opportunity to examine the Jim Crow laws and revisit issues of segregation and integration. "The Unconquerable Doing the Impossible: Jackie...

Did the Emancipation Proclamation free all slaves during the Civil War? Why was it written, and what were its immediate and long-term effects? After reading primary source materials, constructing political maps representing information...

Going on a scavenger hunt sounds like a great way to spice up any lesson plan. To better understand how beneficial insects are, the class goes outdoors to search for and observe a bug that has big benefits. Included in the lesson are...