Making the transition to a higher-tech school library or computer lab? This plan suggests 5th graders undertake a scavenger hunt and make a PowerPoint to educate younger schoolmates about how to use information resources in an...

Students use high powered dissection microscopes to dissect and examine frog embryos as well as see balls of cells that were produced by rapid division. The concept of mitosis links to the lesson.

Students play the role of science detectives in an activity used to introduce the scientific method and the concept that blood is not identical and is identified by surface markers. Students must identify an unknown sample of "blood" by...

Students create and test a hypothesis about cell division. After observation of Frog Egg cell division, students write obervations and refine process and hypothesis. The use of scientific method, group work and inquiry are fostered by...

High schoolers read an article on sharks prior to beginning a dissection lab. As part of the lab, students identify differences between the shark anatomy and human anatomy and hypothesize why those differences exist.

Learners participate in a review of diffusion and the basic properties of the cell membrane before exploring the process of osmosis in a lab activity. Using shell-less eggs that have soaked in various solutions, students make...

Learners perform an experiment in which they test foods for the presence of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. They identify the molecular structure of each type of biomolecule and then discuss how biomolecules relate to nutrition and...

During a unit on density, pupils ponder whether or not temperature affects this property. By carefully inserting blue cold water and yellow hot water into a room-temperature sample, they will see the answer. Make sure to have done the...

Invite your class on a ride through the American Revolution. Young historians travel through time as they explore the events that led to the foundation of the United States of America. Over the course of eight lessons, this unit...

Middle schoolers review library skills by rotating through teacher-created learning stations covering various topics. They discuss plagiarism, work on Almanac practice as a team, complete practice using indexes, and an abstracts handout...

Something’s fishy! Assign each of your pupils an individual sea creature and investigate the oceans. Young oceanographers utilize Kidspiration software to research a creature, illustrate an image, and create fact cards about their...

Students locate an area of marsh and, by measuring the total number of individual plants in a sample area, determine whether purple loosestrife population density is correlated to the total plant diversity of the community. They...

What is the air quality index? Start by discussing pollution and air quality with your budding environmentalists. A list of instructional activities are provided here from inviting a guest speaker into your classroom to discussing...

A Parts of a Book worksheet asks emergent readers to complete an eight-question crossword puzzle using the words provided in a word bank. The definitions of the key terms are the vertical and horizontal clues. An answer key is provided.

What can your pupils do to promote better conditions for wildlife? After researching issues around wildlife management, class members use the Internet to locate three different organizations devoted to protecting wildlife. They then...

First graders practice using describing words. In this descriptive word lesson plan, 1st graders read the story The Wonderful Pigs of Jillian Jiggs and match the pig descriptions to their names. They play a game where they describe an...

Students examine the concepts of sorting and classifying animal. They use familiar animals to determine the connections between physical characteristics and categorization.

Crime scene investigators practice collecting fingerprints off of surfaces in order to compare them to an imaginary crime suspect's prints. Instructions for using graphite powder and a Zephyr brush to collect the evidence are outlined....

Young writers compare writing a paper to building a barn. They write a thesis statement using parallel construction and use transitions to hold the paper (walls of the barn) together. A barn raising video link is included; great for...

Clever clues provide an entertaining way to help learners memorize the location of each letter and symbol on a keyboard. No computers, keyboards, or charts are needed, yet this game reinforces keyboarding skills. Your class will beg to...

Geology can be a lot of fun. Learners review geology related vocabulary, make flashcards, use encyclopedias to answer questions, then explore the formation of coal. They identify dates and order them into key time frames of geologic...

Emerging epidemiologists define relative risk and read an article about the effect of particulate pollution on the cardiovascular health of women. They record the relative risk values, graph them, and answer analysis questions. This is a...

Fourth and fifth graders work in pairs  explore quadrilaterals. In this problem-solving lesson, learners participate in hands-on activities that require them to identify, describe, compare, and classify quadrilaterals. This is meant...

Learners dissect and build words from parts like prefixes, base words, suffixes, and inflectional endings. Etymology skills help us find the meanings of words by identifying the different parts that constitute them. Class members use...