Young scholars examine the life of bats in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the history of the bat in Illinois and describe the way they find prey by using echolocation. They report their findings to the class and answer any...

Students study how animals need water, food, shelter, and space to survive. They also study what animals need to survive in the winter. They play the part of animals and winter "threats" in a game of tag to reinforce concepts.

Students experiment designing graphs of selected readings from the Nebraska sites from the Power in the Wind study. They choose whether or not to put their data in a spreadsheet program to make a computer-generated graph or to complete...

Pupils discuss the importance of reducing, recycling and reusing materials to help the environment. As a class, they create a worm bin and observe how it turns material in to compost. They use the internet to research the relationship...

Students compare characteristics of animals and human beings. In this biology lesson, students observe an animal and record their observations. They infer whether the evolution theory is true or not.

Students develop a positive attitude against littering by creating solutions to help reduce littering.

Students cut out the pattern of the Four-Wing Boomerang and trace it on to one half of the file folder. They practice throwing it.

Eighth graders observe and investigate animal tracks. They draw prints for local animals and switch with another student to guess the animal, identify animal tracks in a nearby wood lot, create plaster casts of the tracks, and write a...

Students explore nature objects brought indoors such as rocks, seeds, leaves and shells to identify where the objects came from. They hear stories about John Muir's life and make booklets about nature areas they enjoy.

Students identify and interpret the importance of energy efficiency in connection with air pollution. They communicate with families and peers about ways to more effectively contribute to the reduction of air pollution. Finally,...

Students describe what is meant by restoration cycle. In groups, they create a poster to show the cycle of restoration work. After presenting their poster, they discuss the actions that can be done for each season. To end the lesson,...

Students examine a parcel of open land to collect data about the native and invasive plants found there. By monitoring the area, they prevent the spread of weeds through early detection. Students create posters describing the monitoring...

Imagine four pages of writing prompts. Although designed specifically for eighth graders, the topics could be used for upper-elementary and high school writers as well.

A reading of Mark Twain’s The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County not only offers pupils an opportunity to practice their listening skills but also provides them with examples of dialectic speech. This is the gol’derndest...

What to wear? Help your special needs class make independent choices about what they should wear during various weather conditions. They'll discuss weather-appropriate clothing, dress dolls for the weather outside, and even put on a...

Eighth graders explain the relationship between the position of the sun, a city's latitude and shadow length. Ratio's, geometry, and algebra are used to determine the shadow lengths and building heights. A sun angle (altitude) charts to...

Community leaders try to make choices that protect the community and the environment. Little ones learn about how tribal communities look to their chief to guide the decision-making process. Your class will become part of the community...

Students experiment with the angle that yields the greatest distance of water at constant pressure.  In this experiment with the angle that yields the greatest distance of water at constant pressure lesson, students shoot water out...

Students locate objects using a Global Positioning System. In this global geography activity, students explore latitude and longitude using a GPS in order to locate objects.

Students discover the reproductive parts of a plant.  In this biology instructional activity, students identify and categorize several different plants they dissect in class.  Students record their information using a data chart.

Students explain that a landscape painting may or may not accurately represent a specific place. They identify techniques that create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface.

Students read and write a short story. In this short story lesson plan, students read a short story and answer comprehension questions on it that teaches them about the world around them. Then they write a short story to teach...

Students explore one to one number correspondence. In this early math lesson, students make observations about and classify plants in order to gain an understanding of using numbers to describe their world.

Students use maps to discover where Puerto Rico is located. In groups, they use the internet to research the vegetation. They also compare and contrast the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico's government.