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Our Zoo Friends
First graders plan and create a model zoo depicting the natural habitats of animals. Their models include animals and a display of written factual information about the animals. Students present their project by conductig a tour of...
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Lessons: Food Web
Young scholars use an interactive web-based food web game to gain familiarity with tropic levels and interactions. They already understand that in an ecosystem there are four basic tropic levels: producers, primary consumers, secondary...
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Investigating the Method by Which the Body Defends Against Pathogens
Students explore disease caused by bacteria and viruses, how they are transmitted, and how they exert their effects on their hosts. They explain how diseases, such as AIDS, are spread by exponential growth.
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Energy Conservation Games
Students become acquainted with the first law of thermodynamics, which concerns the conservation of energy as it is transformed from one form to another. They identify forms of energy, and devices or processes that transform energy from...
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It's (Not) Just a Bug: Simulating Invasive Insect Predation on a Plant Population
Students reflect on challenges that face farmers in cultivating crops, including insects. They then simulate how crops are affected by native and non-native insect populations and the options farmers have to protect their crops. Finally,...
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Special Edition: World Space Congress 2002: The New Face of Space
Middle schoolers experience and study how space offers expanding resources for commerce, science, technology and education. They view how advances in space can and do improve life on Earth. Each student views a geological exploration...
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Adaptations of Fishes for Survival in Polar Environments
Students compare the anatomy of temperature and polar fishes. They explore the adverse effects of cold on metabolism and physiology and discuss how polar fishes adapt to their environments. Comparisons are also made to the DNA sequences...
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Airplanes and Airports: How To Take Off Without Ever Leaving the Ground
Students plan an airport visit. In this Airplanes and Airports lesson, students observe the people, activity, and machinery at airports. Then students compare the characteristics of their observations at the airport. Students make...
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Prokaryote Coloring
In this prokaryote learning exercise, students answer ten questions about prokaryote cells and they color a diagram of a simple bacteria cell and its structures.
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Adhesives: Measuring Stickiness
Students test the stickiness of natural substances. In this adhesion as a property of matter lesson, students build a tool to test the adhesion of natural "glues" such as honey, peanut butter, flour and water paste, and jelly. Students...
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Journey to the Unknown
Students explore the ocean depths. In this scenario based instructional activity, students pretend they are on a submarine in an unknown part of the ocean. By using clues the class discusses and determines where they are in the ocean....
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Compare Topography of Earth and Mars with a Worldwide Telescope
Students compare geography to topography. In this topography lesson, students examine the topography of the surfaces of the Earth. Students compare one feature of Earth to one feature of Mars and present in a PowerPoint.
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Third Grade Ecuadorian Rainforest
Third graders explore the Ecuadorian Rainforest. In this writing and research instructional activity students utilize several information sources to learn about the Ecuadorian Rainforest. Students also summarize and paraphrase...
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How can we keep our forests intact and have chocolate too?
Fourth graders recognize the need to sustain crops in the rainforest. In this rainforest lesson, 4th graders consider the use of products from the rainforest. Students discuss how people of different points of view decide what...
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The Missing Piece: A Tale of a Tail
Students analyze and write about their findings of the dinosaur discoveries of Edward Cope. In this Edward Cope lesson plan, students examine illustrations of concept maps, discuss challenges, analyze skeleton diagrams, and write...
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Planting Pumpkins
Students plant pumpkins. In this agriculture lesson, students use pumpkin seeds, mulch, and shovels to plant seeds from a pumpkin. Students observe the changes during each season.
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Seed Surprises
Students investigate seeds and their growth. For this agriculture lesson, students read the book How a Seed Grows and discuss the seed cycle. Students examine real seeds and identify their properties. Students create a set of sequencing...
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Watch Me Grow
Students observe that plants need air, food, light, and water to survive. In this plant biology lesson plan, students observe the growth and development of two plants, one is the control plant and the other is denied either air,...
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Friction in Our Lives
Students explore force and friction. In this force and friction instructional activity, students discover everyday examples of how friction helps and hinders things we do. Students create a ramp to test the speed of their car....
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Look Up!
Students investigate the sky. In this weather and clouds lesson, students observe the sky and write journal entries using their five senses to describe what they see. Students observe, identify, and write about the different...
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Earthquakes: Getting Ready For The Big One
Young scholars devise a plan to prepare a city for an earthquake. For this lesson on earthquakes, students differentiate between the different types of earthquakes, examine the impact they can have on a city, and write a proposal on how...
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The Shape of Things
Sixth graders read and discuss information regarding the shape and attributes of an eggshell. In this shape of things activity, 6th graders gather relevant information that pertains to the incubation and formation of an eggshell. ...
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The Desert is Theirs: Adapting to Our Environment
Students determine how animals and people adapt to the desert environment. In this desert lesson, students review vocabulary about the desert and how humans have to make changes to accommodate their environments. They listen to and...
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Monk Seal Research Expedition
Students study data. For this seal research lesson, students act as scientific researchers observing Monk seals in their habitat. They work in small groups to record data from a video and when through they share a piece of information...