Should the work of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences be funded by the government? Middle schoolers weigh in on the status of federal funding for programs that protect the environment with three text passages...

Considering creating a Profession Learning Community at your school? Here's a seven-page glossary of key terms and concepts, everything from action orientation and adaptive to values and vision, that all members should know to...

Are the people on the other side of the world standing upside down? Pupils discuss the relationship between movement and position words. The unit explores the concept of reference points through animation, modeling, photography, and...

Ready to roll up those sleeves and get your hands dirty? Dirty with soil science content, that is! Overcome those "But it's just dirt" objections with a trip outside to collect soil samples for some in-class analysis. Use the...

Using the 5E method for teaching about kinetic energy, potential energy, and conservation of energy, this two-week unit with many videos and possible extensions is sure to keep pupils engaged as they are learning.

Turn your class discussion of rock formation from ho-hum to holy hornfels! Junior geologists gain experience in identifying rock types and rock origins, with an emphasis in hypothesizing the environment needed to form certain...

Take a "conservative" approach to planning your next unit on mass and matter! What better way to answer "But where did the gas go?" than with a lab designed to promote good report writing, research skills, and detailed observation....

Ready for a change? Give a comprehensive collection of metamorphic materials a try! With the assortment of printables and lab activities, you won't be under pressure to keep things lively. The unit culminates by having...

Hot off the presses, this collection of thermal energy activities, lessons, and printables is sure to amaze. Demonstrate how thermal energy moves about in a system using simple materials. Pupils demonstrate their understanding...

Discover how the periodic table tells the story of its elements. Learners begin by studying the makeup of several mixtures. Their analysis leads to a discussion of elements and the periodic table. As they dig deeper, they understand the...

Every living creature can leave a fossil record, yet most fossils belong to extinct organisms rather than ones currently living. Scholars learn about dating rock layers, fossils, and the environment of the past. Pupils understand that...

Students analyze experimental data and draw conclusions. They are able to comprehend that not all microbes are harmful--they can be helpful to humans. Students are able to comprehend specific examples of cases in which microbes are...

Learners examine the concept of finding the greatest common factor. They complete number of activities as they practice identifying prime and composite numbers. Pupils apply rules of divisibility and find the greatest common factor while...

Energy transformations happen everywhere, every second of the day. The energy transformation common to most scholars is potential and kinetic energy. The three-week lesson covers multiple types of energy transformations through...

Bored with your current biome bag of tricks? This bundle is a bountiful bag of biome fun! Travel the globe with seventh graders and explore the biotic and abiotic factors that define our world's biomes. Then, introduce a little...

Shocking! Who knew so many great ideas existed for teaching middle schoolers about electricity? Find them all within this energetic framework. You'll light up at the variety of printable and web-based resources within! After building...

Favorite family recipes and cuisenaire rods are used to help learners understand fractions. They bring in recipes from home and then use their cuisenaire rods to model the fractional values needed to prepare various dishes. A great way...

Learners review terminology: pulse, heart rate, target heart rate zone. They work in three groups, and assigned to one of three activity stations. At 5-minute intervals, 4th graders check their pulse and record it on their group...

This unit introduces book clubs/literature circles to lower elementary classes, but could be adapted to higher grades. It outlines the anticipatory activity that includes a WebQuest, a discussion to clarify questions about the unit,...

Second graders use their bodies to create various shapes to make a dance when given various music and beats. In this shapes and dance lesson plan, 2nd graders create lines, curves, twists, and angles with their bodies.

Understanding the meaning of fractions is a challenge for many young learners. These two questions examine what happens when the numerator and denominator of a fraction are doubled. Consider allowing students to discuss their ideas...

Lewis dot diagrams, Lewis dot structures, and electron dot diagrams are all the same thing. Young scientists learn how to draw Lewis dot diagrams and come to understand how dots and dashes represent valence electrons and ionic or...

If you knew people would pay extra for a bald dragon, could you pick which parents you should breed in order to get the highest number? The unit examines heredity and genetics through breeding dragons, mice, dogs, and tries to figure...

Show the class the world as they've never seen it before—from way above! Learners try to unravel the mysteries presented by rich satellite imagery, learn to interpret topographic maps, and study erosion by constructing their very...