Students discover the uses of energy and the difference between renewable and nonrenewable resources. They participate in hands-on activities to help them explain the concept of energy.

Sixth graders review how and which plants operate in terrariums. In groups, they follow instructions to make their own terrarium and place different types of plants in it. To end the lesson, they review the steps in the water cycle and...

Ninth graders explore how electricity is created and distributed through alternative production methods. Students participate in hands-on activities, research, lecture based instruction, and CD ROM resources.

Eighth graders study the scientific fields and how information can be monitored and recorded.  In this scientific inquiry lesson students view a PowerPoint presentation and complete a hands on activity. 

Students discover the characteristics of insects. They explore insects through cooperative learning, group projects, hands on activities, and poetry. They gain knowledge of insect life cycles, habitat, and physical characteristics.

Young scholars participate in hands-on acticities to understand how native plants and animals arrived on Hawaii from long distances without the assistance of man. They then identify what characterizes a plant or animal as native vs....

Students investigate the movements of the planet Pluto. Students participate in a hands-on activity to record data similar to the movements of the planet Pluto. Students compare their data to that found on a website.

Pupils use hands on scientific observation to determine characteristics of wood. They work directly with the materials and record their observations. Students test if wood absorbs water, if wood floats or sinks, and if all wood samples...

Fifth graders participate in a series of hands-on, Web-based activities and video-based activities to extend their learning of Forces and Motion.

Students create low-fire ceramic relief sculptures of dinosaur bones. They incorporate art history, aesthetics, and criticism with hands on activity. Students work together to draw an enlarged skeleton on butcher paper. The Stegosaurus...

Learners witness various stages of mitosis through preparing onion root tip slides. With teacher guidance, they learn a great deal through the hands-on process of preparing the slides themselves.

Students are presented with a selection of hands on objects for investigation as metaphors for natural functions of wetlands. A 'Mystery Metaphor Container' is presented to the class with everything having to do with a wetland in some...

Students design and build their own balsa wood model bridges. The technological development of bridges, the science principles that apply to bridge building, and the construction techniques and skills necessary for creating a bridge be...

At the heart of this resource is a beautifully detailed PowerPoint presentation (provided in PDF form) on the overall physical geography of Australia, basic facts about the country, Aboriginal history, and Australia culture and lifestyle.

Launch a discussion of the creative process with a short video that features the daily ritual of Slobodan Dan Paich, a San Francisco artist. Slobodan models his approach to tea painting and shares his reflections on the...

Students apply information regarding simple machines along with the math concept "ratios." The teacher introduces the concept that technology is the application of scientific knowledge and mathematics concepts to solve a problem. This is...

Travel through space as you learn about the galaxy, solar system, planets, and much more. An extensive resource for studying astronomy in upper-elementary and middle school classrooms.

Concentrate to determine the best reflector design. Pairs use the engineering design process to build a reflector to increase the current output of a photovotaic panel. Teams arrive at a final design and present it to the class along...

How high will it bounce? Groups determine the height different balls bounce off of different surfaces. By performing the necessary calculations, they determine the initial and final momentum of the balls. The included worksheet provides...

The challenge: determine whether a tank will float. A design activity has groups work as engineering teams in order to determine the stability of given tanks and liquid contents. The teams need to determine the equations to...

Future engineers create robotic arms like those on rovers built by NASA in the second lesson plan of the series. They test their devices by attempting to pick up and move cups to a specified location.

Third in a set of lessons regarding reservoirs, dams, and hydropower, this involves a two-day hydropower plant simulation. Collaborative groups build, maintain, and finance the plant. The transparency of the reservoir setup can be...

What's the difference between qualitative and quantitative observations? Learners make observations, inferences, and predictions about their environment with a set of questions and activities that are applicable to either language...

Make a study of perspective in the real world. Learners examine and discuss works of art that show examples of perspective before trying their own hands at it. Using a grid drawn on transparent paper, class members transfer a view from a...