Sixth graders explore the many uses of corn as a renewable source. In this biodegradable resource lesson, 6th graders investigate how corn is used in manufacturing and as a fuel. Students construct a piece of homemade plastic using...

Students explore natural resources of our planet. In this natural resources lesson, students use an apple to explore the land, water, and climate. Students also use the apples to explore the part of our planet that can grow food and...

Students study apples. In this apple lesson, students read Apples by Gail Gibbons. Students discover the life cycle of apples and determine the many uses of apples. Students write a list of factual information on strips of construction...

Advanced chemistry classes compare the polymerization of styrene using two different initators: benzoyl peroxide and aluminum chloride. Once they synthesize polystyrene, they compare the two producet for melting point and density. There...

Chemistry classes pretend to be consultants to a grocery story trying to decide what polymer to use for therir new non-paper bags. They prepare tensile bars and use them to test plastic film samples for strength and stretchability. Both...

This organic chemistry lab activity is appropriate for teaching polymerization, percent yield, melting point, or the types and uses of polymer materials. Chemistry pupils imagine that they are working for a company to develop a special...

The intent of this series of activities is to introduce high schoolers to the field of chemical instrumentaiton. They perform a few basic chemistry lab techniques: pH titration, paper, gas, and liquid chromatography, ultraviolet and...

Beginning biologists place a drop of food coloring into water of differing temperatures to observe the effect on the diffusion rate. They remove the shells from raw eggs and then experiment with osmosis over the remaining membranes....

Investigators collect the carbon dioxide produced when an antacid tablet is activated and identify what alteration produced the most gas. They also collect the gas in a buret in order to practice precision. Then they choose between two...

Chemists consider a situation in which an ethanol producer needs to determine how much to add to t-butanol to prevent freezing during transport. They work in the laboratory to obtain the freezing point depression constant for the...

Investigate the nature of crime dramas on television. What exactly are they trying to portray? Questions and a comparison chart support learners as they watch shows from Canada, Great Britain, and the United States. An oral presentation...

Encourage your class to create rules and regulations for cyberbullying. Learners explore civic participation by thinking about the rules and regulations already in place in their lives and studying Canada's Canada Gazette. As a final...

Students consider the development of different societies. In this environmental building lesson, students consider local resources and how societies choose to use them. Students use their findings to design a 'green' building for use in...

Is, as Walt Whitman contends, America’s “almost maniacal appetite for wealth,” the heart of the American dream? Class members grapple with this question as they read David Brooks’ article “The Commercial Republic,” and quotes that...

Direct your class’s attention to the elements that make their community unique. After examining sample travel brochures, groups select something from their community to use as the subject, and then research, create, and publish a...

Introduce starting space scientists to the electromagnetic spectrum, expecially the portion of visible light. Teach them about wavelength and frequesncy. Then give them a roll of adding machine tape and a manila folder to make a...

Astronomers practice downloading data from a high-energy satellite and translate the data into colored or shaded pixels. As a hands-on activity, they use pennies to simulate high-energy satellite data and they convert their penny...

Physical science starters play with a pendulum in order to experience periodicity. Detailed procedures and a worksheet are included for day one. For day two, learners will use a graphing calculator to help them plot orbit data from a...

As an anticipatory set, biologists listen to the story of Ruth Patrick, a scientist who used algae to detect water quality. They observe a demonstration of osmosis and diffusion. In their lab groups, they place Elodea stalks in...

Space scientists investigate the cosmic phenomena in order to search for answers to possible origins of the solar system. They consider the concepts of elements and  isotopes. Data is analyzed looking at tje abundance of elements...

Although the worksheet for the lab activity is not included, this is an activating activity for your class to do when learning about the greenhouse effect. They lay three thermometers underneath a lamp: one out in the open, one under a...

Use the classic density demonstration of placing a cola, a clear soda, and a diet soda into a tank of water. Then let learners attempt to pour some of the soda into layers in a clear container. The procedure explains a thermocline, and...

Construct a maze in your classroom and have a blindfolded scientist act as a space rover, maneuvering unfamiliar terrain while another scientist plays commander. Classmates record the number of occurrences of the commander having to...

Here is a full-fledged investigation of light waves, the electromagnetic spectrum, and element spectra. Physicists research a scientist that contributed to our understanding of the behavior of light. They take notes on your lecture, and...