Students explore vision by experimenting with lenses in equipment. In this optics instructional activity, students define the different technology that enhances vision such as microscopes, telescopes and cameras. Students experiment with...

Ninth graders explore the 35mm camera. They discuss and identify the various parts and characteristics of the 35 mm camera. Students examine the two aspects of a 35 mm camera that control the light.

Learners study holographs.  In this laser holography activity students make a laser holograph and understand why it works.  This can be done as a class.

Students determine what the people in their community are driving. Using traffic flow information, they develop recommendations on how to achieve sustainability. They calculate the carbon dioxide emission index for various sites and...

Young scholars view a video on a culture and list what would be preserved over time.  In this investigative lesson plan students study preservation and what gets preserved in different cultures. 

Learners examine the characteristics of different biomes. In this ecology lesson, students design biomes where given animals can live. They discuss the design within the group and share it with the class.

Learners explore their environment and what they can read. In this lesson about signs, letters, and pictures in the neighborhood, students will observe what they see around them. Learners walk around and take pictures of different things...

Students watch a Biography episode about Alexander Graham Bell -- his remarkable inventions, family life, and the individuals who influenced his work.

Third graders "take a trip" to Japan. They discover what life is like for a typical Japanese child and compare/contrast it to life in America. They give an oral presentation of Japanese holidays and festivals.

High schoolers review information from a previous lesson about JFK and his assassination. As a class, they identify sources they believe historians use and describe the difference between a primary and secondary source. In groups, they...

Students become immersed in a compelling anecdote of the civil rights movement through the experience of constructing dramatic scripts. An added goal is to equip students, through this "hands-on" experience, to critique dramatic...

Fourth graders research the Chicago Haymarket Riot of 1886. They read an account of this incident and brainstorm further details they want to know. Groups of students research and present the answers to their questions.

Learners discuss their perceptions of magnetism and explore the background ideas of magnetism.

Young scholars investigate a fossil site and diagram a site map. They role play as paleontologists.

Students examine the dynamics and challenges of creating a system of government that meet the needs of a changing, diverse population, for a new country. This is a nice simulation/role play of the formation of government.

Students use graphing calculators to graph lines and create tables of values. They perform an experiment using M&M's and slinkys, then create their tables based on their results.

Learners study excerpts from Sinclair Lewis, "Babbitt" for its accuracy and socio-economic point of view. They rewrite a portion of "Babbit" using the point of view of a Maine guide.

Students make their own magnets out of old paint containers. They make familiar characters like Elmo and the Grouch from Sesame Street. They watch a demonstration and then make their own.

Students study the life and musical work of Leonard Bernstein. They examine the history of New York City using three Broadway musicals in a web based lesson plan. They create a portrayal of their own town in this multi-lesson plan activity.

Students rank public figures and decide what makes a good citizen.Working in pairs students design their own way of assessing contributions to society. The following contributions are examined for evaluation: Helping others, obeying the...

Students become a TV production team whose mission it is to turn the fittest family in the UK into the unhealthiness one. Students illustrate the importance of exercise. Students understand what bad habits such as smoking and drinking do...

Students observe as the teacher demonstrates how to use a digital video camera. They experiment with the camera to get to know its features. Finally they create a video commercial and edit it, inserting sounds, titles and other graphics.

Students make a scientific drawing of a pollinator with at least five traits that make them well adapted to a given plant(s). They describe in their science notebook the adaptations that make their pollinator well suited to a given plant.