You can eat a solar cell? A unit on solar energy begins with a discussion about organic solar cells, followed by directions on how to build your own. After following the teacher's directions to build an anthocyanin...

How does water pollution affect the organisms living in the water? Use three science experiments to examine how erosion and other pollutants can affect water quality. Each experiment focuses on a different aspect of pollution and...

Introduce the concept of exponential functions with an activity that extends the definition of exponents to include rational values. Start with a doubling function at integer values of time, then expand table to include frational time...

If you want to challenge your US government class, this assignment requires them to identify a contemporary issue or event that reflects the four main principles of the Constitution (federalism, separation of powers, protection of...

Where in the world is the equator? Explore a world map with your class, coloring in oceans, continents, and rainforests while locating the three major lines of latitude: the equator, Tropic of Cancer, and Tropic of Capricorn. Discuss how...

While this is not the traditional, step-by-step lesson plan, it is chock-full of material that you can easily incorporate into your earth history unit. Its main purpose is to serve as a guide to using a three-part film, The Day the...

Twisting and turning through the sky, roller coasters are popular attractions at amusement parks around the world, but how exactly do they work? Explore the physics behind these thrilling rides with an engineering design activity....

Step into the great outdoors and develop young scientists' skills of observation with a nature journaling lesson. Given a specific focus or goal, children practice making and recording observations of nature through written descriptions...

How does the Federal Open Market Committee work to formulate the nation's monetary policy in the United States? As the second segment of a lesson on the role of the Fed in setting monetary policy, class members will learn about open...

The microwave is a staple in many American households, but how exactly does it work? Approach this question from a scientific and practical standpoint, and discover cooking strategies, recipes, and methodologies for the standard...

Legos in science class? Watch your pupils fall in love with this activity. After learning to measure potential and kinetic energy, young scientists create their own ramps using Lego Mindstorm sensors and software.

Keep your mind and body fit with a fun activity about the five food groups. After going over the functions of fruit, vegetables, grains, meats and beans, and dairy, as well as oils and fats, learners participate in a bean bag toss...

Health is more than measuring your blood pressure and eating nutritious foods. Eighth graders discuss the factors that play into an individual's health, including spirituality, social life and friendships, emotional stability, cognitive...

Has your class wondered how fast a human could run or how high they are capable of jumping? Help them understand these concepts as they explore acceleration and use an accelerometer to make semiquantitative measurements of acceleration...

Help learners find joy in facing mathematical challenges. The questions posed on this worksheet encourage young mathematicians to utilize skills learned throughout a geometry unit, and to apply themselves and persevere through...

Time to learn about sundials. Scholars see how to build sundials after learning about Earth's rotation and its relation to time. The unit describes several different types of possible sundials, so choose the one that fits your needs — or...

Connect the size of a rolling cup to the size of circle it makes. Pupils view videos of cups of different sizes rolling in a circle. Using the videos and additional data, they attempt to determine a relationship between cup...

Everyone does their fair share. The sixth segment in a 22-part unit presents the mean as a fair share. Groups build a conceptual understanding of the mean of a data set, rather than simply learn an algorithm. Learners use the...

Display data over a larger interval. The fourth segment in a 22-part unit introduces histograms and plotting data within intervals to the class. Pupils create frequency tables with predefined intervals to build histograms. They describe...

Jack London's heart for adventure has come to define the spirit of America and its frontier. Selected passages from the foreword The Cruise of the Snark take eighth graders through London's construction and voyage of his ship before...

Did you know the hole in the ozone is seasonal and filled by January every year? The lesson plan uses scientific measurements of the ozone over the South Pole to understand patterns. Scholars learn that the hole grew bigger annually...

What do cereal, fog, and space shuttles have to do with newspapers? A collection of science investigations encourage critical thinking using connections to the various parts of the newspaper. Activities range from building origami seed...

Low unemployment is an indicator of a healthy economy—right? Current employment data and research leads scholars on a quest to find the true health of the economy. They analyze research on Payroll Employment Data and watch a short video...

A 13-page packet introduces high schoolers to a lady of amazing firsts. Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress, the first Black woman to run for President of the United States, and a leader of the Women's Rights...