Students develop a paper topic (in this case, the human impacts on sharks) that is peer reviewed by additional students answering guided questions. The original student must respond to the comments by the fellow classmates. All of the...

Does it actually exist? Consider the sighting of a giant squid, much like the one that appears in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Middle and high schoolers read the article One Legend Found, Many Still to Go, and research other mysterious...

It's every health and science teacher's favorite subject to cover: the reproductive system. This comprehensive lesson introduces adolescents to the reproductive anatomy of men and women with the help of a series of diagrams,...

Learners engage in a lesson plan that is focused upon the concept of breast cancer and research is conducted using a variety of reference sources. They reflect upon how different people deal with the tragedy of cancer and then students...

There is 30 percent more carbon in the atmosphere today than there was 150 years ago. The first instructional activity in the four-part series teaches classes about the carbon cycle. Over two to three days, classes make a model...

Use a list of environmentally related words to engage learners in a discussion about ecosystem conservation legislation. As a class, read "Aware of Political Ecosystem, Property Rights Advocate Embraces Conservation Plan." Then, present...

Engage your class in a class discussion examining and defend different sides of an argument about whether the Environmental Protection Agency should have the legal authority to regulate carbon dioxide emissions. They will have to...

Here's a fun game on a very serious matter. Scholars play a board game to learn about personal energy use and consumption. They see how various choices affect their energy use and costs, and then apply this knowledge to brainstorm ways...

The 3 steps of the water cycle, evaporation, condensation, and precipitation, are the focus of this instructional activity. After a neat demonstration of rain using hot water, a pie tin, and ice cubes, young scientists observe and...

Does the FDA really intend to protect public health? Spark a debate in your chemistry or health class by using this article, titled "Beauty or the Beast." It questions the safety of cosmetics and toiletry products, govenment regulations,...

Begin with a demonstration of exothermic reactions and discussion of chemosynthesis. Your aspiring oceanographers research vent communities and then craft a mural of a vent community. This is a terrific method of introducing learners to...

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you can add art to any lesson! While little learners are discovering why fish have specific body parts such as, scales, fins, and gills, they start making three-dimensional fish forms. Children...

With articles entitled, "What's Puke?" and "What is a Fart?" this digestive system lesson is sure to be a gas! Elementary anatomists do a belly dance to illustrate how food moves through the digestive system and then design a board game...

Fourth graders explore electricity by reading a story in their class. In this research technique lesson, 4th graders read a Magic School Bus book together and decide which elements of the story are the most important when asked about...

Beginning botanists view slides of plant vascular tissue. They watch Magic School Bus Gets Planted, which you can find online, and then write a summary of what they have learned about plants. This lesson could be used with upper...

Elementary schoolers play a respiratory relay toss in order to take in the respiratory system! They also create their own question cards based on several kid-friendly online articles about breathing and the health of the lungs. They use...

Students practice analyzing skeletal remains for clues by using the Internet.  In this scientific investigation instructional activity, students research the La Belle shipwreck using the Internet and written materials, later...

Students consider the qualities that inventors possess and explore the history and uncertain future of U.S. innovation by reading and discussing the article "Are U.S. Innovators Losing Their Competitive Edge?"

Students examine the recent partial face transplant in Ameiens, France and the ensuing public debate on extreme plastic surgery. They participate in a fishbowl discussion on the ethics and implications of future face transplants.

Students examine their own strengths and weaknesses and try to determine if it is a result of nature, nuture or both. After reading an article, they discuss how gender may or may not account for differences in intelligence. They...

Students research sleep following a class discussion on an article in The New York Times. Students use their research information to create a health and wellness exhibit that addresses topics related to sleep.

Young scholars explore the concept of theories in science while examining the theory of evolution. They conduct research and participate in a discussion about current issues in science culminating in the creation of question and answer...

Students reflect on the dynamics of human flight and how objects fall through the air and how science principles are used in flight. They create a How-It-Works poster diagramming the science behind one method of flying. In addition,...

Students investigate the concept of heart rate and how it is effected by environmental stresses like exercise. They conduct research readings and evaluate the data to form a hypothesis to initiate class discussion about the information.