In the Scheme of Things

Remind your middle school scientists how fox ear size varies depending on the climate they live in; large ears allow heat loss while small ears keep heat in. Discuss how a cold-blooded animal might try to regulate body temperature. Then...

Learn about dichotomous keys, plant identification, and how to care for the planet with a lesson that includes several hands-on and innovative activities. Kids go on a plant scavenger hunt and classify the plants that they find...

What can one learn about a planet based on a small surface sample? Learners will explore artifacts from a mystery planet and see what they can determine about the planet based on the evidence in front of them. 

Introduce learners to the debate format with an activity that uses the National Park Service's controversial Channel Islands restoration program as a topic. Class members learn how to generate provocative debate questions, how to prepare...

Explore the scientific method of classification. An interactive activity asks learners to create a classification system for a group of objects and develop a flow chart to communicate their systems. In addition, individuals use a...

What do you have in common with a fruit fly? About 60 percent of your DNA. The resource, divided into two units, is intended for grades four to eight and another for high schoolers. Both units include eight lessons covering the genome as...

Here are a few nice introductory activities that will provide your learners with background information on the popularity and prevalence of futbol in Brazil, as well as the type of climate that players will have to face in the 2014 World...

Oftentimes, things that appear similar on the surface are actually very different. With a microscope or microviewer, kids can see these subtleties first-hand, then create a game for others to differentiate between materials. Depending on...

This resource provides thorough instruction in scientific classification for your elementary scientists. They classify a set of alien organism cards, rock samples, a mixture of beans, and a pile of pasta. This provides plenty of practice...

Students explore language arts by completing a creative writing activity. For this poetry lesson, students identify the issues facing our environment and discuss ways to save our planet. Students read a previously written environmentally...