Students focus on the tremendous public interest in the potential of extraterrestrial life. They read and discuss an article about the search for alien life. They divide into small groups and discuss the issues and implications of this...

Students explore athletes and how they perform. In this physics instructional activity, students investigate how physics is involved in sports. Students go online to interactive sites that explain physics and biomechanics. Students...

Students experiment with seeds and germination. In this natural science lesson, students discuss the stages of germination. Students engage in a 4 part hands on science activity to view the process of germination.

Students record changes in an ecosystem. In this science lesson plan students make a hypothesis about changes in a terrarium. They record their observations. The students conduct an experiment to test their hypothesis.

Students explore fish anatomy. In this fish anatomy and adaptation instructional activity, students define and identify the location of fish body parts. Students add these parts of a fish's anatomy to a life-sized fish costume worn by a...

Sixth graders observe the pond ecosystem. In this ecosystem lesson, 6th graders observe the organisms at the pond and create a poster that illustrates the pond.

Students investigate threats to our oceans by investigating items found on a beach.  In this environmental safety instructional activity, students examine several items found on a beach and identify them as natural, harmful, organic...

Learners discover how fish tagging is used by marine biologists and fisheries to estimate fish populations. Participating in a simulation, students use estimation to determine the whole population from a small number of items.

Students conduct an investigation. In this energy conservation lesson, students observe and make predictions about fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs. Working in groups, students conduct an investigation to compare the two light...

In this pond life worksheet, 5th graders read 13 clues and place the correct answer in each space within the crossword puzzle. Students must fill in the answers inside the puzzle boxes.

Students conduct a scientific investigation about organic or inorganic waste.  In this organic or inorganic waste instructional activity, students create a compost heap to determine the difference between inorganic and organic...

Did youknow that chicken causes the greatest risk of food-borne illness. The fourth unit in a six-part series addresses food safety. Scholars research common scenarios of food causing illness through the National Institute for Health....

A fantastic lesson on survival in outer space should excite your learners! Pupils explore the challenges that living, working, and surviving in space elicit. They focus on the spacesuit itself; how it protects astronauts, and enables...

Young scientists investigate the water cycle through a lettuce seed experiment. For this experiment, learners plant lettuce seeds inside of a ziplock bag in order to create a small greenhouse. They observe condensation and precipitation,...

The debate over genetically modified organisms is on! Young biologists imagine that they have been asked to choose which corn chips will be sold for a fundraiser, one made with GMOs or one without. This four-day lesson plan requires...

Seamounts are large, extinct volcanoes that rise up from the bottom of the ocean floor. They are a relatively new landform in the scientific community, and this lesson invites students to learn about the amazing diversity of life found...

Young biologists take a look at the myriad of ways that animals increase their chances of surviving in the wild. The adaptations help animals hide, hunt, and attract a mate. This lesson specifically explores how insect mouth parts are...

Shocking! After viewing a short clip from the 1931 movie, Frankenstein and reviewing electricity references in Mary Shelley's novel, class members examine Luigi Galvani's and Alessandro Volta's observations on electricity and muscle...

Designed to accompany the 13-minute video The Making of the Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes, this handout serves as both a viewing guide during the video and an analysis of how the adaptations of the icefish might help treat...

Give science learners nine questions about the biogeography of hydrothermal vents and turn them loose to research this fascinating habitat. Working in cooperative groups, they prepare a report that addresses each of the questions. A...

A small card with a dot and an X is held at arm's length and used to show youngsters where their blind spot is. This illuminating little activity is a compact addition to your lesson on the structure of the eye as it explains the part of...

Young scholars read Native Plants and Early Peoples and explore the plants in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and find how the Native Americans used them.  In this Native American plant and people...

In a math or life science class, "mini-me" models are created with cardstock to reflect a 1:10 scale of students' bodies. Learners measure each others' heights with meter sticks, and then reduce the size by 10. After this exercise, they...

Learners explore the evolution from a pond habitat to a meadow.  In this habitat lesson, students become familiar with a beaver meadow habitat.  Learners are aasigned an animal to research and find why the animal best survives...