Focus on inquiry-based learning in your science class with a series of activities designed for middle schoolers. A helpful packet samples four different texts, which include activities about predator-prey relationships, Earth's axis...

Blow the minds of young scientists with this collection of inquiry-based investigations. Based on a series of eight videos, these "hands-on, minds-on" science lessons engage young learners in exploring a wide range of topics...

Warm up to the idea of solar energy. A lesson includes three activities that challenge scholars to apply knowledge in new ways. First, they learn to run an alarm clock without a battery by using solar energy. Next, they complete an...

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...

Youngsters compare the heat-holding abilities of three different cans by insulating two with different materials and measuring the temperature change of hot water over a 20-minute period. 

Ecosystems are constantly changing whether people notice or not. An inquiry-based lesson examines types of ecosystem changes and how they relate to wildlife conservation. Learners classify changes as succession and disturbance using a...

Although this was written regarding Canadian agriculture, it can be used in any agriculture or environmental science class. Learners evaluate agricultural and economic activity maps and consider land use competition. Activities that get...

Hold a competition in your science or engineering class to find out which group can design the most effective new style of paper cup from a single sheet of paper. Each group will be challenged by this activity and will have fun at the...

Step into the role of a zoo director with several activities about animal training and running a zoo. Kids calculate the amount of food each animal needs, design a habitat for penguins, decide how to breed bottlenose dolphins, and train...

Learners explore multimedia components. In this science inquiry instructional activity, students read "Invitation to the Game" by Monica Hughes and they use the Alice Computer Programming System to better understand population dynamics.

Discover the connection of native peoples to their natural world, including cultural and agricultural practices, by studying the Zuni people of the American Southwest. This lesson includes examining a poster's photographs, reading...

Students investigate how seeds sprout. For this scientific inquiry lesson, students make predictions on which seeds will grow the fastest and observe the seeds over a period of time. Observations are recorded into a journal.

Second graders grow a classroom garden that acts as a living laboratory for cross-curricular activities. In this classroom garden lesson plan, 2nd graders follow directions to build and plant a garden that is used to teach math, science,...

Students use a selection of solar panels, lamps, motors, and an AA battery to get as many motors or lights to operate as they can in an allotted time period. For each successful arrangement, they draw a diagram of their setup, label the...

Students experiment to determine a way to waterproof a piece of cotton fabric. In this scientific inquiry activity, students use reference worksheets to explore  waterproofing and the use of nanotechnology in engineering everyday...

Students design a tornado-proof building. In this inquiry-based lesson, students demonstrate their knowledge of tornadoes and the damage they can cause by trying to design a building that can withstand a tornado.

Young scientists observe deforestation from satellite photos and discuss the importance of forests to the global environment. They then simulate a plot of forest when farmers move into the area over the course of seven years. Finally,...

Learners will work together in groups to gather information about careers in oceanography. They discover the need to have a diverse group of people on a team and then share their information with the class. Web links and materials are...

Technology or engineering teams are given a task to design, construct, and test the efficiency of a structure that will foster an even temperature throughout an entire sunny day. Intended as a long-term project, pupils research, plan,...

Become familiar with the basic concepts of inheritance. Your junior high students work through mulitple examples of crosses and calculate probabilities of trait occurance. The explain the concept that each parent contributes one half of...

Students discover how capacitors help store data.  In this computer science lesson, students investigate how capacitors can store an electronic charge, eventually helping computers store data.  Students create their own...

Young historians explore how technology and science affected life in the state of New Hampshire. They define technology and give personal experiences of how technology affects people and how people have used technology. They compare the...

Students explore the factors that affect how long coffee stays hot. They develop a question and a testable hypothesis for one factor such as initial temperature or size of opening of the container. Then they design and conduct an...

Young scientists explore many different types of energy including light, heat, nuclear, sound, potential, and more. They match the types of energy and identify when energy transfers from one type to another.