Middle schoolers compare current weather data to historic data to see if there is a temperature change.  In this weather lesson students complete a lab activity and determine average changes in temperature, precipitation and cloud...

Juvenile geologists drill clear plastic straws down into a playdough sedimentary rock model, pulling out sample rock cores. As they analyze their cores, they apply the law of superposition and discover that originally horizontal layers...

Who was Horemheb and why is his tomb so famous? An fascinating resource uses virtual reality tools and even comes equipped with the ability to use a VR headset. Learners view information panels to the side of the location to understand...

Have your class create acrostic poems for characters in The Hobbit. First, define acronyms and work together to complete sample acronyms for their own first names. Learners then research specific characters in the novel and create...

Grab those reusable bags, it's time to go shopping! Intended to foster independent living skills in learners with visual impairments, the lesson covers several topics related to grocery shopping. They start by planning a meal, reading...

Students create models of the three major types of volcanoes and determine how a volcano's shape is related to the type of material erupted. They then observe a demonstration that simulates the nature of two volcanic materials: lava and...

Challenge your young scholars with this activity on American government! Learners discuss the three branches of government and its responsilbities, and then go on to more complex critical-thinking activities. Students interview members...

Learners investigate the linear dimension change of heated plastic film and relate the results to processing and service use of the materials. They calculate percent change in dimension as related to anisotropy and molecular reorientation.

A geometry game that resembles Battleship is the foundation for hide and seek where "hiders" draw shapes on coordinate planes and "seekers" must guess the shape and its location based on questions and clues. Reproducible, paper-sized...

Middle and high schoolers explore the concept of slope. In this slope lesson plan, learners graph lines using a life-size graph. They use chalk on a blacktop to create a coordinate plane and use each other as the tick marks on the grid....

Students explore and react to the painting The Road to Santa Fe. In this interacting with art lesson, students locate various objects in the painting.  Students copy the angle of objects by using their bodies.  Students discuss...

Plants and animals of the desert are the subject of this lesson. While the activities involve an exploration involving Nevada, this resource could be altered for use with any area. This detailed lesson includes a list of books that could...

I've done this exercise with my special needs learners more times than I can count. They practice getting ready to shop at the grocery store by identifying items on their shopping list. They match grocery items to the proper department...

Scholars discover the amount of the Earth's water in various locations such as the ocean, ice, the atmosphere, etc. They then make a model of the how much water those percentages represent. Finally, analysis questions bring the concepts...

Chart your way to an understanding of nanoscale. Using a Google map, learners estimate a radius around their location of 1,000 and 1,000,000 meters. Predicting what 1,000,000,000 meters would look like takes them off the charts!...

Students visit Ellis Island Immigration Museum (as a field trip or a virtual visit) and pretend to be Italian immigrants to the United States. They write a journal entry detailing their first week in the United States. They interview an...

Remind your middle school scientists how fox ear size varies depending on the climate they live in; large ears allow heat loss while small ears keep heat in. Discuss how a cold-blooded animal might try to regulate body temperature. Then...

As an introductory activity to Mississippi Trial, 1955, class members use color-coded dots to respond anonymously to a series of statements about prejudice and responsibility to their fellow-man that are posted about the room. The...

Art can tell viewers about an artist's personality and background. Have your learners look at Inuit art and consider subject matter and how it relates to the artist and his or her world. The related art project requires pupils to create...

To set up this activity, your class explores Minnesota's nickname as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, and the back of the state quarter that features a Minnesota lake. Young mathematicians compare the number 1 to the number 10,000 with support...

Young explorers investigate Australian Aboriginal culture by listening to traditional Dreamtime stories and examining dot paintings created by Aboriginal artists. In addition, they locate the country on maps, discuss the geography of...

Ever found it difficult to observe the night sky with pupils because school takes place during the day? Host a stellar lesson using a detailed night sky interactive! Scholars view the apparent rotation of the sky from the comfort of the...

Sixth graders explore, analyze and study the effect and impact that humans have on the environment based on their choices as individuals, businesses and governments. They assess the balance between human activities and aquatic pollution.

Mid-ocean ridges, rift valleys, island arcs, mountain ranges, earthquakes, volcanoes ... there are so many features associated with plate tectonics. The 14th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography...