Students investigate the physics of flight by experimenting in class.  For this history of flight lesson, students define terms such as gravity, lift, and drag in order to better understand how a plane is able to stay in the air....

Middle schoolers investigate how engineers navigate satellites in orbit around the Earth and on their way to other planets in the solar system. They study vocabulary words and participate in studying a satellite by learning about times...

Students explain the cause of and effects of fluid shift in a microgravity environment. Students identify the effects of microgravity during long duration space flight. Students describe research on cardiovascular effects in microgravity...

Students examine the roles of the immune system in keeping the body healthy. They see how engineers contribute to this process by creating antibiotics, and vaccinations. They discuss how an astronauts' immune system may be suppressed...

Students study the parts of the human respiratory system while examining the gas exchange that takes place in the lungs. They make a model lung. They look at how the respiratory system is affected by spaceflight.

Learners construct a rocket using soda straw. In this physics lesson, students determine the nose cone length that produces the best rocket. They explain the importance of using a control in an experiment.

Fourth graders explore the language of procedural text forms. They respond to the meanings and ideas in procedural text and write their own procedural text for making a kite. Students record their kite flying experience using digital...

Students analyze monthly sea surface temperature data from the Pacific Ocean to determine if the period is an El Nino or a normal year. They recognize signs to see if there are any patterns that signal either occurrence. Satellite images...

Students examine the concept of frequency and wavelength. They analyze how frequency and wavelength relate to each other by conducting an experiment involving measuring and timing wavelengths by pulling adding machine tape through an...

Students perform experiments designed to grow plants and bacteria in a controlled environment.  In this ecosystems lesson students investigate varying conditions for growing plants and bacteria. 

Young scholars work together to design and build a paper rocket. They place a propellant in the contraption to make it fly. They discover Newton's third law of motion.

Students collect data from an experiment they perform. In this data instructional activity, students use multiple representations to solve practical problems; describe advantages and disadvantages of the use of each representation. Then,...

Students analyze data received from high-energy satellites of various binary star systems' orbital periods or stellar rotation periods.

Students work together to create a model of the Earth. They label and identify each layer and describing its properties. They discover how engineers use models to test different concepts.

Students work together to complete a 757 Glider kit. They use a GPS to discover how it operates in all weather landings. They complete different obstacles with the glider as well.

Students use foam packing pieces to represent molecular positioning inside the four layers of earth's atmosphere. This lesson help students visualize that molecules become thinner as one ascends higher in the atmosphere.

Students create balloon and rubber band models of robotic rovers to investigate the concepts of mass, torque, and friction. Through research and planning, students construct a rover test-bed that simulates the Martian environment.