Appreciate the chance to get out of the classroom. Scholars take a field trip to a solar cell or solar panel facility to learn about the manufacturing aspect of the business. They also hear from a guest speaker and ask questions about...

Fifth graders explore electrical concepts and host a guest speaker. This lesson sets up guidelines for students to follow when they have a guest speaker. Students are primed to become actively involved in a lecture or discussion, while...

What does it mean to be a good steward? Middle school environmentalists learn to care for their state's waterways through research, a guest speaker, and poster activity. Groups must locate and learn more about a river basin and the human...

Engaged learners discover how an owl beak works and how animals adapt to their environment. This task is part one of a three-part series. 

Students explore, via a CD-ROM, the Virginia's five geological regions and discover the rocks and minerals located in each. In stone kits, they examine samples of rocks and minerals and answer questions about them. After discovering the...

High schoolers engage in a study of science and mathematics with the practice of creating graphs. A guest speaker comes to the class to share statistics from the community and the students are shown how he uses the coordinate system in...

What is the air quality index? Start by discussing pollution and air quality with your budding environmentalists. A list of instructional activities are provided here from inviting a guest speaker into your classroom to discussing...

A wrap-up to the unit, young environmentalists discuss and write about the difference in perspectives of a water keeper and water treatment engineer. 

Sixth graders read about and study motion. They conduct a lab in which they calculate speed using track records at their school. They graph the results and then invite a guest speaker (an officer from the local police department) who...

Students investigate why the soil is important to our lives. In this natural resources instructional activity, students have a farmer as a guest speaker. Students begin to understand how farmers use and protect our natural resource....

Third graders practice classifying seashells. In this seashell classification instructional activity, 3rd graders listen to a guest speaker talk about collecting seashells. They participate in a discussion on the characteristics by which...

Look into the future with a lesson plan on biodiversity and natural habitats. Learners read articles about different perspectives when it comes to planning future development, and decide which angle is the highest priority in a...

More than 90 percent of the people in a building have come down with an illness, and it is your job to investigate. Teachers give scientists the data needed to decide what is important and how they can solve the mystery....

What do you call a tiny collection of galaxies? A puny-verse! Young scholars graph data gathered by scientists studying Cepheids. They attempt to identify a relationship between the variables through standard and logarithmical...

Students investigate methods of weather prediction before modern communication sources. A local elder lectures the class on weather prediction and safety. They document the experience by creating posters. Applying the methods presented...

Students explore snow. In this forms of water lesson plan, students read a story about snow, identify the types of snow found in Alaska, and learn Inuit words for snow. The lesson plan calls for an Intuit Elder to visit the classroom as...

Students listen to an Elder speak about permafrost structures in their area. In this permafrost lesson plan, students listen to the guest speaker, take a tour outside to view permafrost structures, and draw them.

Pupils differentiate the two types of mixtures. In this chemistry lesson, students create their own mixture and classify them according to their type. They simulate steel production with the help of a guest speaker.

Students will apply their knowledge acquired from two guest speakers to writing a three hundred-word essay on either the pros or cons of genetic engineering. They will try to persuade the reader of their essays to agree with their stance...

Students engage in a study of the proper components needed for the establishment of a health and safety program. They practice identifying various types of workplace hazards. Students are exposed to an informational lecture given by a...

Does your class have a bright future in the solar energy industry? Science scholars take an in-depth look at what's new in solar technology. After completing research into the solar industry, participants create and market a product in...

Students investigate how to become advocates in an authentic environmental issue, in this case the invasion of the zebra mussel invasion of the Great Lakes. They complete graphic organizers during Internet research, while reading...

Young scholars compare bacteria and viruses and their roles in biotechnology and bioterrorism. They outline fundamental steps of bacterial transformation and the possible selection processes to identify transformants. They discuss...

What are the pros and cons to having either permeable or impermeable materials for building? How do they affect the environment? Use this role-play and the extension activities to get your environmental scientists thinking about the...