Your body has lots of crystals, just not any gemstones. The first installment of a three-part unit provides a PowerPoint presentation on crystallization occurring in the human body and about crystallization in general. The resource gives...

The devastating changes happening to the Native American inhabitants of an island off the coast of Louisiana are the topic of an informational instructional activity. After scholars break into groups to explore particular topics, they...

This is your brain on drugs ... literally! Your neuroscientists-in-training examine the evidence of drug use on the human brain and how neurons change their connectivity when altered by drugs. They then work together to create testing...

Is cattle ranching on Santa Rosa island viable or non-viable? Rather than focusing on the issues of the transition of Santa Rosa island from a privately owned island cattle ranch to a national park, class members are asked to consider if...

How do astronauts know how to live and work in a weightless environment? It doesn't come naturally! Junior physicists conduct experiments to examine the link between buoyancy and microgravity. Each activity illustrates a different aspect...

What do drugs do to the body and to the mind? What are the dangers of using drugs? How can teens respond to the pressure to use drugs? After reading a series of articles related to drug use and abuse, class members prepare a skit to...

Two teams—the environmentalists and herons—play four rounds of the game, Oh Heron. Using hand symbols to represent food, shelter, and water, players locate their match to produce more herons while those unmatched decompose. 

Floating fragments of elodea can grow even without roots. Young scientists use eldoea plants to observe the oxygen production from photosynthesis. They study the difference between having access to high amounts of light and low amounts...

Are planes the best shipping method? Using maps, pupils determine the fastest mode of transportation between two cities. Given a list of items to ship, groups decide the best shipping method to finish the 18th segment of a 22-part unit.

Water is essential for life—and understanding the importance of clean drinking water is essential in understanding sustainability! Show your environmental science class the basics of water testing and treatment through a week-long...

Did she cheat on her husband? Did the hospital switch the babies? Should they have children? As much as this sounds like the plot for a soap opera, all of these questions fit into a single lesson on genetics. Scholars read about three...

It was the single bloodiest day in Civil War history. Now, class members have the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of soldiers who fought in the Battle of Antietam using an interactive website. Supplemental resources include...

Sometimes, despite the best laid plans, the unexpected will occur. Learners witness this firsthand as they carefully design an experiment to determine the time needed for ice to melt in salt water or pure water. They uncover facts not...

Students develop procedures to explore the behavior of fish.  In this scientific experiment lesson students from a hypothesis, write a question, identify different variables and controls in their experiment. 

Learners investigate an Native American tribal group. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The subject areas to focus on are religious life, history, social structures, economics, geography, and environment. Students...

Students discover how microbes multiply. In this infectious disease lesson, students calculate the growth of bacteria in various environments. Students determine the role that the environment plays in the spread of infectious disease.

High schoolers investigate food shortages. In this global issues lesson plan, students examine how food scarcity issues have impacted the people of Easter Africa. High schoolers use the information they gather to determine...

Learners study industrial processes and greenhouse emissions. In this research lesson students choose a manufactured product, research the life cycle of the product, and present it in a PowerPoint presentation.

Seventh graders investigate nutrients and nutrition to determine what types of food the body needs for energy. They study each type of nutrient and why it is important to the body. They determine what a balanced diet is by completing the...

Students study the path Lewis and Clark took on their famous trans-American journey. They participate in an online activity that allows them to examine considerations the Expedition made when deciding where to spend the winter of 1805-06.

Seventh graders cut and paste animal pictures to create a food web and trace the path of energy. They write a paragraph explaining the importance of photosynthesis in all food webs.

Students closely observe the natural world, record data, and notice patterns as the seasons unfold, they build a deeper understanding of seasonal change! The definition of phonology is the focus of this lesson and how it changes...

Sixth graders define terms prey, predator, and scavenger, describe predator-prey relationship, discuss effects of a lack of predators in an environment, and separate the role of the scavenger from that of the predator.

Middle schoolers participate in a combination of lecture and physical exercise in order to find their pulse (both resting and after activity) and record how their heart rate changes as their activity level changes.