Bubbles seem to come from nowhere. Pupils investigate the formation of carbon dioxide bubbles in sodas. By placing different objects, including candies, in the soda, learners observe the formation of tiny bubbles on the surface of the...

Turn up the heat. Individuals conduct two experiments to observe the difference between heated water and air versus cold water and air. Using food coloring, pupils observe the movement of the molecules in the two temperatures of water. A...

Bring out some bubbly! Individuals perform the classic baking soda and vinegar experiment with a twist. Learners add a drop of dish detergent to make the bubbles last longer. They vary the amount of baking soda and vinegar in an effort...

Create a charge in the classroom. Using pieces of cellophane tape, a plastic grocery bag, and a balloon, learners investigate the effects of static electricity. Pupils create different charges in the materials and observe whether they...

It does a mind good! Learners experiment with a combination of food coloring, detergent, and milk. They observe how the food coloring reacts with the different liquid combinations and relate their observations to the charges on the fat,...

It's about to become crystal clear! Learners compare and contrast three different types of crystal substances. First they observe their structure and then investigate how they interact with various substances.

Storing food in plastic makes more sense than storing it in paper. Young learners research the properties of these materials along with aluminum foil. They then connect the properties of the materials to their usefulness by completing a...

It is a tangled web the ecosystem weaves. Learners begin an activity on ecosystem interactions by building a food chain and then a food web with yarn as a group. To finish, they research local environmental changes that may impact the...

As a summative assessment of the Health Smart unit, middle schoolers create a five-chapter autobiography demonstrating what they have learned about self and social-awareness, decision-making, and communication skills.

Fraud alert! Scholars conduct research about consumer fraud and create a presentation detailing the information they find. Additionally, they research and write a report about lawsuits that resulted in large settlements.

As part of a Career Develop unit, eighth-graders reflect on their beliefs and values and consider how these beliefs might affect their relationships with friends and with colleagues when they join the workforce.

"Everybody does it!" is often the clarion call to justify cyberbullying. Here's a lesson plan that encourages high schoolers to challenge these behaviors. Participants examine images, watch videos, and engage in discussions designed to...

Eighth graders craft a Petrarchan sonnet and respond to a performance assessment to demonstrate what they have learned in this five-lesson poetry unit.

Find similarities in seemingly unlike organisms. The second instructional activity in a series of 12 builds the concept of a taxonomy and explores the use of a dichotomous key. Learners begin in part one by attempting to group a set of...

How do temperature changes affect ocean currents? Scholars explore convection currents by demonstrating the flow of water in a baking dish. They use ice, heat, and food coloring to see currents. Then, they draw conclusions about their...

Groups suspend objects within layers of liquids to determine the densities of different liquids and compare them to the densities of objects calculated in Part 1. The groups then carefully test their calculations by layering the...

Can a small change in laboratory procedures save energy? Scholars test three different methods for heating water in a science lab. Then, they calculate the energy efficiency for each and compare them to determine which uses the least...

A story about feral girls raised by werewolves will have some interesting character development! Track how the girls and their teachers act, speak, and change with a lesson focused on Karen Russell's "St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by...

Vivid quotes and strong sensory language compose Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club, bringing the women to life as they navigate through issues surrounding identity and maternal relationships. Examine Waverly's relationship with her mother...

Patterns in math emerge from seemingly random places. Learners explore the patterns for factoring the sum and differences of perfect roots. Analyzing these patterns helps young mathematicians develop the polynomial identities.

We know that sample data varies — it's time to quantify that variability! After calculating a sample mean, pupils calculate the margin of error. They repeat the process with a greater number of sample means and compare the results.

The opening exercise in this instructional unit introduces class members to the writing process they will follow to craft an informative, expository research paper that addresses their research question. To begin, writers are asked to...

The second lesson on finding inverse matrices asks class members to look for a pattern in the inverse matrix and test it to see if it works for all matrices. The teacher leads a discussion to refine the process in finding inverses,...

Can they put it all together? Ninth graders apply what they know about proofs and triangle congruence to complete these proofs. These proofs go beyond the basic triangle congruence proofs and use various properties, theorems, and...