Why was the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) formed, and what is its mission? Learners discuss NATO's participation in various events throughout the Cold War and work in groups to analyze whether those responses were appropriate.

It's an ocean rescue mission! Groups must find a pilot downed off the coast of the Chesapeake Bay. Rescuers must determine the distance needed to travel as well as the heading to get to the pilot's last known position. Taking...

In 2006, New Horizons began its mission to fly to Pluto. As it continues its journey, scholars track its progress with the help of an informative website, all the while reinforcing measurement concepts with the construction of a scaled...

Explore the geometry of treasure hunting! Learners use geometry to design a treasure recovery strategy. The objective is to create a design that minimizes the amount of work required. Budding mathematicians use properties of triangles as...

The Kepler missions discovered and confirmed more than 2,650 exoplanets to date. A video shares the data from the first five discoveries. It provides graphs and diagrams to put each discovery in perspective to help scholars discuss the...

Save that site! Budding historians go on a rescue mission to save important Civil War battle sites using a project-based lesson. After carefully researching the importance of critical engagements and evaluating current threats, learners...

As part of a study of women's rights in early America, class members compare the Declaration of Independence to the Declaration of Sentiments presented at the Seneca Falls Convention. As an exit ticket, individuals explain whether or not...

The ninth lesson in the Health Smart series is designed to get high schoolers to understand the factors that make them feel the way they do about themselves, their bodies, and their self-worth. Pupils watch a video about teens and body...

Costco, Google, and Microsoft are among America's largest employers. Using the resource, scholars learn what makes business like these successful. They write a mission statement for a chosen business, practice drawing organizational...

Here's a new twist in the egg drop competition. Using only six inches of tape, four straws, and 2 pieces of newspaper, teams build a structure that keeps an egg from breaking when dropped. What's different about this project is that the...

A two-part lesson focuses on the contributions to the fields of astronomy and astrophysics of two African Americans: Benjamin Banneker and Dr. George Carruthers. In part one, scholars learn about Benjamin Banneker by examining his...

Chances are good that young scholars have heard of the Tuskegee Airmen but few would predict that these pilots had their own support in the form of the Tuskegee Weathermen. These Black meteorologists were recruited and trained to provide...

Beyond the phases of the moon, this comprehensive lesson plan covers geologic history and geology. Amateur astronauts examine photos of the lunar landscape, experiment with the creation of craters, and delve into information about the...

Students read "Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon," by Catherine Thimmesh. They watch portions of the movie "Apollo 13." Students use the internet and the attached study guide to discover specific information...

Fourth graders gather data and simulate a Mars spacecraft mission using multi-sensory observations.

A little engineering design is mixed into this lesson on precipitation measurement. Groups plan and construct a rain gauge, and use it to collect precipitation. As part of the PowerPoint presentation, learners view a satellite map of...

Students examine Apollo 16 and its significance.  In this Apollo 16 lesson students work in groups, answer questions and complete a worksheet. 

Students play a role as a travel guide to Mars, they are broken up into groups or different roles.  In this exploratory lesson students play a role in helping travelers to Mars and create some kind of presentation, for example a...

Students explore U.S. geography by viewing a documentary in class. In this national parks lesson, students view video clips of individual national parks and locate them using Google Earth software. Students create a persuasive...

Students explore the concept of scale. In this scale instructional activity, students are given directions scaled in inches and students must convert them to feet. Students take a section of a map and create a bigger scaled model of...

Students investigate the characteristics of a clay ball.  In this particles lesson students examine what happens to a ball of clay when it is dropped from different heights. 

Students explore the vastness of the universe and identify terms used to describe solar systems. They take a tour of our sun and its neighbors and discover how spacecrafts can fly and then use their imaginations to draw and color a...

What does the atmosphere on Mars look like? This fourth lesson plan in the series of five is designed for high schoolers. Scholars apply previous knowledge to add atmosphere to Mars in an online simulation. This comprehensive lesson plan...

Students complete a unit on orbiting spacecraft designed to study astronomical objects. They conduct Internet research on NASA missions, use a satellite dish to downlink information, and construct and launch a rocket out of paper and tape.