Students are shown how temperature affects dissolved oxygen and they create a graph showing this relationship. They think about the adaptations of animals to live in different water temperatures. Students test four different water...

High schoolers estimate the energy output of the sun. They estimate how much power sunlight the sunlight provides to the earth. They build a simple device to measure the amount of solar radiation the earth receives from the sun.

Fourth graders create analogies in poster format between a cell's organelles and their school. For example, 4th graders coul say a cell's mitochondria is like the cafeteria, both are a source of energy.

Pupils engage in a prelab discussion about the earth's radiation budget and global warming. They use "trading cards" to find specific websites to research radiation budget questions.

There's more to that glowing ball of light in sky than most children realize. From the overall structure of the solar system, to the changing of the seasons, these hands-on lessons open the eyes of young scientists to...

Seventh graders investigate how changes in the mass or height of a ramp can affect the change in potential energy. They discuss the concepts of work and energy, then using the four question strategy, they design an experiment that...

In a mock senate hearing regarding the development of ethanol as a fuel source, each person in the class is assigned a role to play and must uphold the stance of their character. Once the senate hearing is complete, each person writes a...

Third graders discuss how energy is created. For this energy lesson, 3rd graders look at how a city receives energy and how it is made. They create their own generator using a pin wheel and pipe cleaners. 

There is a specific zone, or distance from a star, that a planet must be in order to have water in a liquid form. The activity demonstrates how flux density depends on its distance from the source. A photovoltaic cell gets power to...

In this energy from the sun worksheet, learners are given 20 terms to complete sentences about the sun, the energy of the sun, the radiation of the sun, the transfer of energy from the sun and the currents created by the energy of the sun.

Pupils examine how heat passes through a pane glass window.  In this energy transfer instructional activity students complete a lab activity.

Students connect starch to sugar as the storage form of energy. They find that no starch is produced in the plant without light. Students perform the old favorite of looking at starch deposition in geranium leaves using Lugol's iodine...

A radio receives radio signals, converts them to an electrical signal, then converts this signal to a sound signal, and amplifies the sound so people can hear it. Class members use this information to create a short-wave radio antenna...

Groups work together to design a lighthouse, from designing and drawing the wiring diagram, to creating prototypes of the switch and circuit, to envisioning and building a scale model along with a blueprint. By including different...

Students research an assigned biogeochemical cycle. For this cycle activity, students need to determine that all cycles need energy to continue. The students will look at a given cycle to describe it, research and draw an assigned cycle,...

Students study waves and how it erodes a beach.  In this energy activity students complete a lab activity on waves and tides. 

Students observe leaves for patterns and similarities. In this science lesson plan, students sort through a pile of leaves to find patterns and take measurements. Students make leaf rubbings to view the details of the leaves.

Students reflect on the events that lead up to the Cuban Missile Crisis in the early 1960s.  In this history lesson plan, students explore the conflicts between the United States and the Soviet Union revolving around missiles in...

Young classes are sure to get a charge out of this lesson plan! Learners experiment with circuits of a solar cell. They practice determining current, voltage, and power for the circuit and maximize the voltage and current of the cell.

Students are shown how dissolved oxygen enters the water. They are taught the difference between a water sample that has been exposed to the air and one that has not. Students brainstorm what organisms need to survive. They use dissolved...

Students visit a local stream, pond, creek, or river and collect macroinvertebrates. They sort macroinvertebrates and identify each species using a dichotomous key. Students decide on trophic levels and construct a possible food web for...

Students investigate the food chain. For this ecology lesson, students define producers and consumers. Students use organism cards to demonstrate how the food chain works.

Students build plankton models and compete to see which sinks most slowly. They write, or orally present ,the adaptations they incorporated to slow the sinking rate of their organisms. Race results can be grounds for some prizes!

In this space science worksheet, students read an informative passage about radio waves and the possibility of sending messages in space. The passage describes a "Sounds of Earth" record on the Voyager satellite which contains messages...