LESSON PLANS (print version) pdf What is a Fossil?

Determining whether or not something is living can be more difficult than it seems. Put your young scientists to work defining their own criteria to identify life, then work with three samples to see if they are alive or not. 

How is risk determined? Through the use of a reading passage, individuals or groups learn about bird interactions with man made structures along with wind turbines. Pupils use information from the second reading passage to conduct an...

Emergencies happen. Be prepared. Have a script all set for an understudy in the form of an step-by-step lesson plan for the substitute for your drama classes. As part of a playwriting unit, class members reflect on the role playwrights...

Middle schoolers explore the art of film with this carefully scaffolded series of lessons that introduces film genres, explores the narrative structure of films, and uses The Day the Earth Stood Still to model how to become active...

What does it cost to keep the lights on? Through a hands-on activity, class members use a watt meter and determine the amount of energy different types of light bulbs use. The class then determines the financial and environmental cost of...

What's the difference between a solar eclipse and a lunar eclipse? Handout an article that explains the phenomenon of both, safety precautions for viewing a solar eclipse, and what a partial eclipse is.

Looking for a sun-sational multi-lesson plan full of videos, simulations, and discussion? Introduce your young scientists to all things solar with a four-part hands-on adventure. Pupils learn the basics of solar anatomy, space weather,...

How do humans and animals impact the environment? What is land division? Youngsters tape off a 12x12 inch square in an outdoor natural space. They sketch everything they see, then compare their drawings as a class. They will then be...

It doesn't matter if you look on land, in the air, underground, or in water—evolution is everywhere. Scholars complete worksheets with multiple question types as they progress through six online missions creating phylogenic trees. 

Examine exactly what is meant by natural selection, as well as how it works in nature and through the assistance of humans. Presented with fun graphics and simple narration, the complex topic of natural selection is clearly explained in...