Students take a walk around the schoolyard looking at and identifying the trees. One leaf for each tree is collected. A chart is developed that represents the population of trees on the school ground. They keep journals and write an essay.

Young scholars distinguish between three phases of matter: solid, liquid and gas, on the molecular level. They compare and predict the relative compressibility of the three phases of matter through journal writings and drawings.

Students participate in a simulation of life on a deserted island. They work with their group to develop an island survival plan and summarize it in a journal. Students use a worksheet and challenge cards to earn points. They will be...

Students identify the different functions of a wetland system and why the system is important to the St. Mary's River ecosystem and the environment. They play a migration game and write a journal about the salt marsh periwinkle and how...

Students examine the importance of a healthy diet based on the USDA food pyramid. They log their daily food intake in a journal. They create charts to analyze and compare their diets to the USDA recommended allowances.

Students read Diary of a Worm by Foreen Cronin. In this journal writing instructional activity, students research an animal and write a diary by their animal. Students apply the research they've completed in their writings. Students...

Students examine objects and determine if they are living or nonliving.  In this scientific observation instructional activity, students collect living and nonliving items from outside, record a drawing of each in their journal, and...

Students view images and interactive activities on the Internet about volcanoes. In this plate tectonics lesson, students use the Internet to view PDF images and HTML Interactive activities while writing observations in their journals....

In this carbon cycle lesson plan, middle schoolers review the carbon cycle and visit stations in the room where they experience every phase in the carbon cycle. Students journal about their journey through the cycle and brainstorm...

Students conduct an experiment.  In this glaciers lesson plan, students learn about glaciers and then perform an experiment to show how glaciers shape the landscape around them.  Students draw a picture in their journals to...

Learners research the growth of coral. In this coral polyps lesson, students simulate the growth of coral by using available materials to grow crystals. Learners record observations in a scientific journal.

Students experiment with growing food using hyrdroponics. In this science instructional activity, students grow lettuce in a confined space with weight limitations. Students start a plastic pop bottle garden observing the growth and...

Get your class outside to observe their surroundings with a lesson highlighting weather patterns and seasonal changes. First, learners take a weather walk to survey how the weather affects animals, people, plants, and trees during...

Would you rather be right, or would you rather be kind? A novel unit based on R.J. Palacio's Wonder focuses on the need to be kind to others and to accept their differences. As learners read the book, they discuss the themes of...

Students grow flowers from seeds. They plant quick-growing seeds in a flower pot and consider what a seed needs to grow. They observe and record the growth of the planted seeds in science journals.

It's cloudy with a good chance of learning! An inquiry-based lesson begins with an exploration of transparent, translucent, and opaque materials. Young scientists then connect their learning to the different cloud types as they take the...

Learners simulate classifying rocks using different colored skittles. In this earth science instructional activity, students create a Venn diagram according to their compiled information. They share this diagram in the class.

Fifth graders create their own constellations using pin holes and black paper. In this space science lesson plan, 5th graders write a story about their constellation. They share their project with the class.

Prepare your class for a unit on Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles with an activity that works for pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading. Learners fill out a K-W-H-L chart to reflect on what they already know, what...

Even supposed Utopian societies have their flaws. Using an educator's guide, individuals explore the society Ally Condie creates in Matched. Reflective writing prompts double as discussion questions and cover key themes in the novel, as...

Words matter. Words frame thought. Words are symbolic. Readers of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale examine how the words In Gilead's "New Language" reinforce the power of the government and provided insight into the symbolic level...

Students create a soil center on their school grounds. They begin to write in their science journals. They participate in an experiment that helps the community begin their own gardens.

Second graders maneuver placement of the fulcrum on the lever to see how to lift weight most easily. They role-play as archaeologists with the task of lifting a heavy rock from the dig site. They write in science journals about what...

Students explore examples of innovative technology found on the AT&T Labs Technology Showcase Demos website. They take notes in their science journals and describe how each device works.