Students distinguish between open and closed circuits. In this open and closed circuits lesson plan, students use their bodies as electric conductors and understand how electricity is a form of energy.

Students investigate the affect shape has on the ability of a solar panel to collect sunlight.  In this collecting sunlight using a solar panel lesson, students determine which solar panel shape collects the most sunlight. ...

Students build a refrigerator that does not require electricity. In this environmental science lesson, student consider desert dwellers of Africa who have no access to electricity. Students use flower pots, sand and water to study the...

Students discover how to capture the speed of wind. In this science activity lesson, students gather materials and follow procedures to create an anemometer to measure wind speed.

Students conduct lab activities, computer visualizations, and other various forms of research in preparation for a role-play activity in which they assume the identities of advisors to various heads of state on the subject of global...

Students plan and implement a change in their neighborhood, school or nation. In this social action lesson, students share concerns about their neighborhood, school or nation and brainstorm ways to solve the problem. Students select a...

Students explore the controversy behind the building of the Three Gorges Dam in China. One group of the class researches the government's stance on building the dam. Another section of the class represents an environmental group who...

Eleventh graders design and build their own solar cars. For this physics lesson, 11th graders explain the photoelectric effect. They discuss the pros and cons of using solar power as an energy source.

Students graph the upwelling and downwelling of shortwave radiation. They create a data table with the information. Students compute the Watts per square meter. They discuss their results and whether or not cloud type affects daily...

Students work together in groups to research a different mining reclamation project. Using the internet, they answer specific questions to the one area they are to focus on. They use the information they gathered to create a PowerPoint...

Students prove the validity of the Work-Kinetic Energy Theorem by analyzing the Car and Driver website which lists qualitative and quantitative data about an assigned car. They decide whether or not they would purchase the car based on...

In this chemical compounds worksheet, students draw the Newman projections and the energy diagram for given molecules. Students draw the structure for different compounds. This worksheet has 4 drawing questions and 1 short answer question.

In this physics worksheet, students design and build a power inverter given a schematic diagram. They answer 3 short answer questions about the circuit they created.

Explore the sun's ability to distill contaminated water with this simple set of classroom experiments. After filling two glass bowls, one with muddy water and the other with salt water, they are covered with plastic wrap and placed...

Fifth graders construct a voltaic battery. They change chemical energy into electrical energy by inserting copper wire into a lemon. They discover the tingle of the wire on their tongue is due to the movement of electrons.

After calculating the amount of energy in a wave, future engineers plan and present to the class a design for a seawall that will minimize erosion on the shore. Not only must they consider the energy that will impact the wall, they also...

Kids love to pretend. Use this imaginative energy to develop their understanding of characterization. Class members dress up as a character from their novel-writing project and sit for a filmed interview. In responding to questions about...

Young learners explore nutrition and the food groups in these two mini-lesson plan ideas. First, kindergarteners have a discussion about their health and how different foods contribute to it before making their own personal food pyramid....

Pair dancing, music, and art into one elementary lesson. Using the work of Henri Matisse and Rudy Autio as inspiration, kids spend a few days listening to music that fits the moods of various pieces of art, then work on their own...

An engaging tutorial teaches all about the sun. Learners see its different layers, explore the sun using different filters, and read about its different features. They then choose one feature to research and explore further. 

After a discussion of chemical reactions and electricity, scholars break into groups and follow a scripted activity to discover if fruit can power a clock. After a concluding discussion, the class a presented with a challenge.

Gravity is just one consideration when determining human habitability on a new planet. The lesson connects four different units and starts with connecting the various systems: planetary systems, human body systems, etc. After scholars...

The U.S. produced enough wind energy in 2015 to power all of the homes in Alaska, California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Rhode Island, South Dakota, and...

Excite scholars to design their own planet in this first of five lessons. The instructional activity starts with a pre-activity assessment, a complete lesson plan that is easy to implement, and a post-activity assessment that would...