Is obesity a disease or just a preventable risk factor for other diseases? Scholars attempt to form their own opinions by reading a background of the issue and watching videos that explore the main pro and con arguments using an included...

Students share information about energy use and conservation. In this energy use lesson, students work as a production team to make an instructional video about basic energy information. They develop a short survey about energy use that...

Students explore how energy transforms into heat.  In this energy lesson students create models and find a need for fuel to make a Stirling engine. 

Students assess their own energy use to help develop an awareness of the different types of natural resources affected by consumers. Their calculations show them how much they are personally impacting the Earth. Very meaningful and...

Yeast and sugar go beyond the pantry and into a fuel experiment. Use these common baking ingredients to assist your class in creating ethanol, a natural fuel. Pupils observe the process and gather information to elaborate...

Biofuel is a possible form of clean and renewable energy. Engineering explorers observe the fermentation process, and then alter the temperature to discover the effect on fermentation. The plan is complete with materials, procedures, and...

Students watch a video segment on the engineering design process, then design a storage system for renewable energy. Students brainstorm and research ways in which renewable energies such as solar and wind power can be stored.

Students rewrite the lyrics of existing songs using the different energy terms as the focus of their work. They break into four groups and form the name of a musical group. Using a tune from a popular group, students make up a song about...

Place learners into groups to research and present different renewable energy sources. As individuals listen to the class presentations, they take notes and then write a persuasive article defending the form of energy that they feel...

Ninth graders discuss the principal source of energy entering the marine ecosystem. They name some of the autotrophs at the Maui Ocean Center. Students name some of the heterotrophs at Maui Ocean Center. They are taught that plants are...

In this minerals activity, students answer fifteen multiple choice questions about mineral formation, volcano and mountain formation, mineral tests and properties of minerals.

Second graders discuss the different forms of energy and their sources. They work with a partner to answer a variety of questions revolving around energy. They develop a scientific attitude about renewable energy.

Fourth graders identify the different types of renewable and nonrenewable energy sources. In this ecology lesson, 4th graders create models of wind mills and hydropower. They discuss the pros and cons of using alternative forms of energy.

Students experiment to produce a visual convection current in the classroom and compare it to the images taken of convection cells in the Sun. They analyze the source of the Sun's energy and this type of energy transport.

Students calculate their yearly exposure rate to harmful high-energy radiation and cumulative effects over time. They use the information to evaluate the various sources of radiation that are of greatest concern for them.

Teach your environmental studies, life science, or engineering class how an internal combustion engine works using the first few slides of the accompanying presentation. Then, focus in on the resulting carbon emissions. Finally, take a...

These are four classic activities used for instructing upper elementary electricians. The first involves experimenting with the Van de Graaff generator. The second is a series of hands-on experiences with static. In the third activity,...

Seismologists use the direction and arrival times of p waves and s waves to determine the distance to the source of an earthquake. The engaging lesson has students line up to form human waves. Through different movements when attached,...

There is a strong correlation between the carbon dioxide concentration in the air temperature. Scholars offer explanations for the correlation in one of four AP® free-response assessment questions. Their analyses in the other questions...

Students study a way to quantify the process of photosynthesis during a given time using the Elodea plant. They design a hypothesis that they test in the hands on activity. They compare the amounts of photosynthesis that occur during low...

Future scientists are introduced to the chemical consequences of burning fossil fuels, learning that fossil fuel combustion leads to the formation of oxides of three nonmetals: carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur, all of which end up in the...

Students consider the positive and negative aspects of alternative energy.  In this physical science lesson, students consider the sources of energy they use everyday.  Students compare alternative sources of energy and...

Students identify and define terms related to solar energy by playing a class game. In this solar energy lesson plan, students use provided cards to play a class game. They read the "I have ... Who has" card relating to solar energy and...

Sources of light, and the reflection of light off of objects, are the focus of this brief and simple science learning exercise. Learners must trace the path that light takes which enables a boy to read a book. A suggested activity is to...