Cycling Through Controversy

Learners construct a model of the hydrologic cycle, and observe that water is an element of a cycle in the natural environment. They explain how the hydrologic cycle works and why it is important, and compare the hydrologic cycle to...

Students act globally by reducing, reusing, and recycling, but now they take it to the next level by upcycling. Middle school students design a proposal to eliminate waste by exploring the new material cycle and applying their knowledge...

What did the DNA ligase say when it was confused? I don't under-strand! Young geneticists complete DNA extraction, virtual labs, a case study, and more as they learn about dominant and recessive genes in a unit that includes seven...

Global warming — what a hot topic! A thorough unit challenges learners to research, read, explore, and write about carbon, its role and increasing nature in our atmosphere, and how global warming is affecting lives and environments...

Climate change isn't just about a warming planet; it will affect humans' health, spread of disease, changes in heat waves and droughts, and changes in storms and wildfires. Participants explore global climate change through discussions...

Over the course of only three years, the plague killed between 75-200 million people in Europe. To begin the activity, the class reads about and discusses life during the Middle Ages and the plague. Based on discussions, teams develop a...

Here is an outstanding 10-page lesson plan on global warming. Learners discover that there is a lot of controversy surrounding this topic in that the science behind global warming is difficult to prove. The best thing about this plan is...

According to the United Nations, climate change affects every country on the planet. This research project encourages scholars to explore the factors that affect climate change from different perspectives: climate scientist, policy...

Scientists use ice core samples to obtain temperatures of the earth from 400,000 years ago! The third of five lessons instructs pupils to interpret historical climate data to see changes over time. In part I, participants interpret...

To add wolves or not to add wolves — that is the question. An engaging lesson explores the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone Park. Learners research the effects on the ecosystem of the reintroduction and apply their research to a...