A beautiful tapestry map of North America is examined by geology masters. The map incorporates the topography and geology of different regions. You can purchase printed copies or a large poster of the map, or if you have a computer lab...

Students differentiate weather and climate. In this earth science lesson, students compare weather and climate in different regions of the world. They interpret weather graphs and compare isotherm lines of northern and southern hemisphere.

Who would not want an opportunity to taste jellybeans in class?  During this investigation, life science learners hold their noses as they take a taste test and find that our perception of flavor is connected with our sense of...

What is all the fuss about genetically modified foods? PBS provides this resource designed to supplement the documentary Food, Inc. to help learners investigate the benefits and controversies of genetically modified foods...

Not only does a concave mirror focus light waves, it can also concentrate infrared radiation into a hot spot. If you have a small electric heater and such a mirror, demonstrate this for your physical science class.

Young computer scientists explore how to use the return command in computer programing by playing Go Fish. They learn about functions that return values and then write a turtle driver app using the return function. 

Are you looking for a good, solid lesson on sedimentary rocks? This one, produced by the Illinois State Museum, is just such a lesson. Middle schoolers identify common rocks and minerals by analyzing sediments from local water sources....

Students study binomial nomenclature and museum-based research. They create a curiosity box, label the objects in their curiosity box , develop a classification scheme for the objects, and create a database of all objects collected by...

Students discover what compost is. In this composting instructional activity, students view a sample of a compost bin and define what the purpose of compost is. Students discuss what the compost bin consists of and sort the compost bin...

When water is a solvent in a chemical equation, we consider it an aqueous solution. Scholars match the name of four states of matter to their proper symbol in a chemical equation. Four puzzles provide repetition to help pupils remember...

Begin the lesson by having your class write what they know about diabetes. They learn through a skit how the body metabolizes glucose. A visual representation of the two types of diabetes is displayed, and then learners participate in...

A happy discovery occurred in Arkansas in 2004: a woodpecker, believed to be extinct since the 1940s, reappeared! Or did it? Middle to high school ecologists examine scientific evidence and use critical-thinking skills to determine...

Fourth graders, acting as a botanist, analyze information on different plants in different regions of California. They characterize each plant for each region and answer a variety of question for each plant while doing this study.

Students explore environmental care by participating in a litter identification activity. In this food trash lesson, students discuss the destruction litter causes in our environment and ways we can avoid littering ourselves. Students...

Students explore botany by completing an art design activity in class. In this gardening history instructional activity, students identify the plants and crops utilized in the Colonial era for both food and medicine. Students utilize...

Pupils know they need to breathe to live, but the details may not be too clear. A thorough instructional activity introduces them to the components of the respiratory system using a set of cards with pictures and descriptions.

Glaciers are the star of the show in this Earth science lesson. In it, learners gain an understanding of how glaciers are formed, how they move, and what types of landforms they create. This lesson plan is written in the classic format,...

Skulls tell it all, and with this lesson plan, you will tell it all to your class! Youngsters view animal skulls, analyzing the shape of teeth and the placement of the eye sockets. They associate these adaptations with the types of food...

First and second graders recognize that sound is generated in a variety of ways, and that it comes from many different sources. They explore tone and volume, realizing that there are different ways to describe sound. Some musical...

Hook your class up to an online home energy usage calculator so that they can estimate the amount used per month by their families. Then give them Watt meters with which they will measure the power consumption of several small...

Lead your class to construct a solar still on campus to demonstrate how water can be extracted from the soil. The power of solar energy is emphasized, as is the concept of how capillary water can be recovered and purified by using a...

Get your head in the clouds before teaching cloud types to your mini-meteorologists. The lesson plan opens with a beautiful PowerPoint presentation of clouds portrayed in different artists' paintings. After viewing artistic renditions,...

Organic or mineral? How does the matter matter? Second graders use their knowledge of the rock cycle to label the different components in garden soil.

If a field trip to the summit of Mount Everest isn't in your school budget, make the trek virtually! An interactive lesson allows class members to follow Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's trail up the mountain, and provides...