High schoolers explore the various controls on the amount of solar radiation received at different parts of the Earth's surface by participating in a whole class discussion. They respond to prompts that lead them to conclusions about ...

Students examine the concept of potential energy and see that it is the ability to do work.  In this energy lesson students complete several activities on potential energy. 

Students investigate energy sources and renewable energy. They discuss true or false statements, examine how much energy they have used that day and compare it to a classmate, match energy sources with a definition, and participate in a...

Students calculate the values of electron binding energies. For this physics lesson, students solve for different wavelength characteristics of X-rays. They present their findings to the class.

Sixth graders investigate the concept of energy using a hypothetical story. The power goes out in their house and they no longer can play your videogames. Students must create your own alternative power source. This story sets the stage...

Young scholars discover the difference between kinetic and potential energy in an experiment using toy cars and tracks. In small groups, they set up the experiment to determine the distance milk cartons will travel when hit by toy car....

Young scholars explore the differnences between food producers in food webs and food consumers in food chains. Behavioral choices of primary and secondary consumers such as herbivores, vegetarians, carnivors, and omnivors are analyzed.

Discuss different sources of energy and how much greenhouse gas each might emit. The six sources are then ranked according to emissions from greatest to least. Finally, the true cumulative emissions are revealed to show the class how...

Third in a set of lessons regarding reservoirs, dams, and hydropower, this involves a two-day hydropower plant simulation. Collaborative groups build, maintain, and finance the plant. The transparency of the reservoir setup can be...

Through scientific inquiry, middle schoolers discover how to arrange solar cells in order to produce electricity. This activity is intended to prepare learners to be able to design and construct solar cars. As with other resources...

Young scholars explain why the number of appliances used today differs greatly from the number used previously. They construct a bar graph to show changes in appliance use over a period of time. They also list appliances that could be...

A colorful and comprehensive PowerPoint highlights this lesson on waves. Junior geophysicists pretend that they are hired to analyze seismic waves. A worksheet is provided to go along with an online article about how compact discs work...

I can burn off one scrambled egg in 30 minutes of walking? Explain how we daily consume and burn calories using this fun worksheet, which breaks down basic foods and activities into kilocalorie equivalents. Nutritionists calculate the...

Students explore the drawings of Rube Goldberg to design and construct a simple machine. They discuss simple machines, and using various materials and toy parts, design and construct a "Rube Goldberg" style machine to ring a bell.

Fourth graders engage in a study of sound pollution at their school. After a class discussion on what noise pollution is, learners are asked if they think there are areas of their school or community where noise pollution is a problem....

High school physicists demonstrate Bernoulli's Principle by blowing on different items and finding that they do not move in the expected direction! They apply Bernoulli's equation to the flight of an airplane. This well-organized lesson...

Plants need food to survive, just like any other living organism. Young biologists analyze an experiment performed in 1610 by Jan van Helmont to determine if plant nutrition is obtained through the soil. First, lab groups work together...

Remind your middle school scientists how fox ear size varies depending on the climate they live in; large ears allow heat loss while small ears keep heat in. Discuss how a cold-blooded animal might try to regulate body temperature. Then...

Collaborative groups connect resistors and solar panels in series and measure electrical resistance, voltage, and current. The objective is to order 16 solar panels from strongest to weakest. They graph current-voltage and power curves...

Students demonstrate understanding of food chain by assuming roles of animals, playing tag, and simulating feeding relationships.

Students explore the many different food chains. They participate in a game in which the class is divided into the different parts of the food chain.

Are there benefits to being physically active? Yes! There are both short-term and long-term benefits! Being physically active doesn't just have strengthen you physically, but also emotionally and socially. Learners find out how to...

Referring to the periodic table of elements, nuclear physics learners determine the resulting elements of alpha and beta decay. Answers are given in atomic notation, showing the atomic symbol, mass, atomic number, and emission particles....

Model the transfer of energy during a typical 24-hour period. Young scholars use a game-like approach to learning the patterns of heat transfer through the day and night. Groups of four exchange different tokens as the energy...