The perfect place to do one's math homework? Outside, of course. The third of seven lessons in the Understanding Science and Engineering unit focuses on solar energy. Learners investigate solar-powered calculators and discover how solar...

Here is a fabulous lesson on the Earth's radiant energy system. This amazing, 31-page document is chock-full of great activities, worksheets, lab sheets, quizzes, rubrics, and assessments. Learners model and explain cloud formation,...

What do we do when a dive is too dangerous for humans to accomplish? Send in the robots! Middle school scientists get acquainted with several different models of submersible robots in the second lesson of six from NOAA. Lab groups then...

In 1980, in the tropical rainforests of Panama, scientists discovered 1,200 species of beetles living in and around just 19 trees, with most of the species new to science—that's biodiversity! In the activity, learners work in teams to...

How do different minerals affect the growth of plants? Budding botanists find out in a multi-week experiment that has them using solutions with specific mineral deficiencies. While there is a lot of preparation for the investigation,...

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....

Are you looking for a way to measure cellular respiration? Try it with pureed potatoes. With some standard high school science equipment, biologists can perform an investigation and collect data surrounding byproducts of respiration. You...

Combine math and science with fun in the sun! Scientists build a solar gnomon using reusable materials to calculate relative air mass. Mathematicians measure the pole's shadow and use the data to solve for relative air mass....

Class members analyze the water content in soil samples by drying out the samples and taking measurements every minute until all the moisture is gone. Scholars compare the initial weight to the dried weight to calculate the percentage of...

Students collect data about energy usage and use mathematical calculations to analyze their data. For this energy conservation and statistics math lesson, students survey their homes to complete an energy usage worksheet. Students...

It used watt amount of energy? This resource investigates the power usage of small household appliances. Using a watt meter, groups measure the actual wattage used by an appliance and then calculate the energy used daily. 

Go with the flow and use a helpful resource. A set of two activities has learners investigate flow rates. They first determine the flow rate of a faucet by measuring how long it takes to fill a bucket. Using the results, they make a...

There's no risk of injury when working with virtual HCl! Challenge your young chemists with making calculations to create a 3M solution of HCl from the concentrated acid. They first calculate the correct ratios of HCl and water and then...

A metal's density could be considered its fingerprint! A virtual lab activity has learners calculate the density of a sample of metal to make its identification. The simulation allows individuals to perform the measurements as if they...

Students practice skills essential to all scientific investigation: carefully observing and collecting data. They become field biologists in a series of hands-on activities to collect and identify specimens, and survey and calculate the...

Hopefully you have a sensor interface for your physics class to use with graphing calculators when collecting data with a light sensor. If so, read on. Use this resource for learners to predict and then test whether or not the intensity...

More than 100 cities around the world have shifted from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Scholars investigate a city wanting to make this switch, but needs help determining how to make the shift. Groups consider all options,...

Supernova explosions mark the end of a star's life. Guide the class through an investigation that uses data to calculate the age of a supernova remnant. Using provided data and online software, they analyze data to determine the radius...

What is pi anyway?  After this set of activities, your pupils should have multiple answers to this question. Investigate pi with various experiments and discoveries. Calculate the ratio circumference/diameter for different sized...

Students demonstrate how epidemiological investigations of outbreaks are performed. They illustrate the principles of hypothesis formation and testing by epidemiologic study in the setting of an acute foodborne disease outbreak.

Students investigate buffers and their behaviors when used with acids and bases. In this buffers lesson plan, students use a pH meter and create buffered acidic and basic solutions. To each of the buffered solutions students add strong...

Oh nuts! Do macadamias or almonds produce more thermal energy? Energy enthusiasts find out with this experiment. The objective is to demonstrate to your class how the chemical energy contained in foods can be converted into useable...

Based on the rate of melting observed from 2003-2007 in Greenland, it would take less than 10 minutes to fill the Dallas Cowboys' Stadium. The 17th lesson in a series of 21 has scholars use the ICESat data to understand the ice mass...