Students listen to examples of common bird songs of birds found in Illinois. As a class, they discover the importance between the differences in songs and calls. They practice making their own bird calls and songs to end the lesson.

Students use beach profile data to analyze how erosion and sediment transport changed seashore slopes. In this geology activity, students plot the data provided and analyze erosion patterns. They also assess coastal erosion management...

Young scholars are introduced to the SWMP system which tracks short-and long-term changes in water. Using this data, they plot and interpret the data on a graph to determine how human activities are lowering the water quality. They also...

Students follow the path of pollution from the Chernobyl accident. Students name and locate countries where radiation traveled to, describe how air pollution travels from one area to another, and seqence the travel of radiation in...

Fourth graders create a simple testing device and collect and observe the pollution in the air we breathe.

Students investigate the traits that make them individuals. They study that natural items have traits that make them unique by looking at pecans. They make fingerprint animals which they use to design fingerprint cards.

Students examine the migration patterns of the long-nosed bat. They identify threats to the animal and the plants bats help pollinate. They participate in a game to help them with the information.

Learners locate 'animals' in various environments and draw conclusions about the survival value of structures the animals possess. They create model macaroni animals and hide them and other teams of students find them and evaluate the...

Students conduct an Internet investigation to discover the natural history of local salmon and/or steelhead. They then write a story that describes the life of a salmon or steelhead from the local creek, including a description of each...

Second graders examine the characteristics of plants. As a class, they brainstorm a list of items plants need in order to survive. In groups, they complete various experiments in which they discover the functions of the parts of the plant.

Students examine groups of hierarchy and see how primates are categorized.  In this primate classification lesson plan students view video and slides then examine the taxonomy of primates. 

Learners examine family structures. In this family structure instructional activity, students discover things about their own families and those of their classmates. They make a chart as they discuss nature versus nurture, complete a...

Students use common materials to build a car. In this car building mechanical engineering lesson plan, students build a car using a milk cartoon and plastic wheels. They discuss what mechanical engineers do and what makes a car run.

Students visit different departments at a local hospital to see how machines help peoples such as the CAT scan machine. They build a model of such a machine that shows how patients are moved in and out of the machine.

Students view a video about Galileo's discoveries. They work together to create graphs showing the current sunspot cycle. They discuss how sunspots can cause communication devices problems.

Students discover how flight is possible.  In this physics lesson, students investigate the properties of a blimp and gyro-copter, comparing rotating wings and fixed wings of aircraft.  Students create their own model aircraft...

Fourth graders examine the animals who live in rice paddies and create a chart.  In this rice lesson plan, 4th graders link the types of animals living in each ecosystem with a bar graph. Students use colored bars to show...

Students review the concepts of weather, climate, and seasons. They read and discuss a book about weather. Students collaborate on a class definition for climate and weather. They match weather to the specific season. Students...

Students explore their role as consumers and conservationists and what roles they play in today's economic climate. They explore resource allocation issues. Students analyze data and draw comparisons between historical and present-day...

Students recognize modes of transportation. They research historical data from a variety of primary and secondary sources including the Harriman expedition journals, related web sites, and photographs from the expedition. Students...

Students listen as the teacher reads "When Clay Sings," by Byrd Taylor. They discuss clay, and view a variety of clay items. Students watch a video clip "Interests in One of a Kind Pots." They watch a demonstration on working with clay....

Students study inhabitants of the Sahara. In this Tuareg culture instructional activity, students explore the how the Tuareg people adapt to their environment as they research specific Internet sites.

The second installment of a seven-part series focuses on the refraction of light and how it affects the colors we see. Learners consider how this concept connects to biosensors for cancer detection.