Test six various reagents for their ability to conduct electricity. Cooperating chemists research whether each is ionic or covalent and discover the relationship between bonding and conductivity. This laboratory exercise would be an...

Do great gardeners really have green thumbs—or just really great soil? Environmental scholars discover what makes Earth's soil and soil quality so important through research and experimentation. Learners also develop an understanding of...

Teens experience natural selection firsthand (or first beak) in an activity that has them act as finches foraging for food. Using different household items  to act as different beak styles, your little finches will collect as much...

Historians have proven that as early as 1497 skilled navigators were using a kamal to sail across oceans. Scholars learn about navigation tools and astronomy before building their own kamals. They then learn how to use it to determine...

Four fabulous activities immerse amateur astronomers into measuring objects that we cannot handle. The experiences are applied to NASA's Space Interferometry Mission, which will take measurements of planets around stars other than our...

Learners write a list of steps to be taken in making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. They observe as the instructor literally follows each step. After realizing the importance of clear communication, students write a scientific...

Students study about electrochemistry by increasing their understanding of electron transfer and its role in chemical changes. They explain that energy appears in different forms. Heat energy is in the disorderly motion of molecules.

Climate change and weather extremes impact every species, but this lesson focuses on how these changes effect polar bears. After learning about the animal, scholars create maps of snow-ice coverage and examine the yearly variability and...

Scholars review prior knowledge before completing a hands-on simulation of the rock cycle. They write stories or songs summarizing their simulations to demonstrate mastery.

Students design new insights into work tied into athletes. Students design a sports bag for athletes. Students investigate varied sports. They interview people involved in varied sports. Students engage in active problem solving as they...

More than 90 percent of chemical products are made using a catalyst. Lesson demonstrates the way a catalyst changes the rate of reaction without altering the chemical reaction. A catalyst doesn't appear as a reactant or a product, yet it...

Students apply the scientific method by building a "Proposal for Study." They label the Observation, Hypothesis, and Prediction columns. Students listen as the teacher introduces the alternative healing methods of therapeutic touch and...

Students record weather for a period of one month. In this weather lesson, students observe weather for one month on a large pictograph. Students record clouds, wind, temperature and any other weather conditions they observe. Students...

Young scholars identify and explain various fish behaviors through observation. Over several months, they watch one fish in the classroom aquarium and record its behaviors in notebooks. They visit a virtual aquarium Website to find...

Students observe and write about butterflies. In this life cycle lesson, students listen to the story The Life of a Butterfly by Robin Bernard and watch a YouTube video of a butterfly coming out of his chrysalis. They complete a...

Students use field research and traditional research to identify migrating species of birds as well as their migratory patterns. Students generate a list of questions regarding migration and a plan to research the questions. A field...

Students examine a coastal ocean. In this physical science/earth science lesson, students generate a list of questions about how researchers study the ocean. In addition, students investigate, through research on the computer, to answer...

Students explore space science by conducting an illustration activity. In this lunar lesson, students discuss what the moon is and the role it plays for our environment on Earth. Students view images of the moon and utilize chalk to...

Students relate the states of matter and clouds.  In this environment lesson, students create a chart of information they know about clouds.  Students put an ice cube in a bag and tape to a window. Students watch for...

First graders observe plants and write and illustrate what they have learned in their discovery journal.

Upper elementary scientists learn that observations made can lead to inferences. They rotate through six weather-related stations that challenge them to make observations and then draw inferences from their observations. A...

Students observe obscertainers through indirect observations and make hypotheses about the internal wall structures of the containers. In this indirect observation lesson plan, students make observations of 4 obscertainers with a steel...

Fourth graders investigate the ecosystem and how forests are disappearing.  For this environmental protection lesson, 4th graders analyze the changes in their school for 2 weeks.  Students practice identifying trees, birds, and...

Students observe the effects of pollution on living organisms. In this pollution lesson plan, students observe fresh water Hydra and look at their structures and movement. They place samples of pond and lake water on the Hydra and...