How do scientists know what the Earth was like in the past? This second installment of a six-part series focuses on paleoclimates and provides an overview of how geologists determine information about past climates using fossil...

How do magnetic fields differ? Allow scholars to see the difference between 2-D and 3-D magnetic fields. They construct models of both and observe how they are similar and different. It is the fifth installment of an 18-part unit.

Socratic seminars are a great way to encourage the development of critical thinking, speaking, and listening skills. And Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a perfect text for such a seminar. Use the questions in the packet to...

Do you ever get nervous before a big event? A pair of race cars discuss their nerves before tomorrow's race in a reading activity that includes five comprehension questions.

What a great way to incorporate hands-on learning while teaching about the earth's layers. The class observes an overhead transparency (linked in Included Materials) as they create their own model Earth using different colors of clay....

How does chemistry help deep-sea explorers? Part four of a five-part series of lessons from aboard the Okeanos Explorer introduces middle school scientists to technologies used in ocean exploration. Groups work together to analyze data...

How do robots assist ocean explorers in collecting data and images? The final installment in a five-part series has science scholars examine underwater images collected by robots and identify the organisms shown. Groups then calculate...

The star on the top of a Christmas tree can be beautiful, or it can be gold, or it can be shiny—or, in fact, it can be all three! A picture of a decorated Christmas tree encourages pupils to choose from a list of 18 adjectives to...

Scholars collect data from heating sand and water before forming testable hypotheses about why sand heats up faster. Afterward, they develop and run experiments to test their hypotheses.

There is a scallop that relies on sight so much that it actually has more than 100 eyes! There are many species that rely heavily on one sense or another. An online interactive resource has youth read about several of these animals. The...

High schoolers promote philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students create video documentaries based on service learning projects they completed and then share the video with their peers and community. 

In this penumbra effect worksheet, students explore the internet program Gizmo to learn about the penumbra effect and answer short answer questions about it. Students answer 13 questions.

Here is a physical science activity where pupils place thermometers inside of a white and a black paper pocket and place them under a lamp. They record and compare the temperature increase over a ten-minute period. Have your class...

Pupils compare the temperature change in a closed and open box as a demonstration of the greenhouse effect. 

Students investigate how to design a jacket that can be worn in extremely cold temperatures. They use the internet to research materials and different types of designs. As an extension to the lesson students go to a sporting goods store...

A broad sampling of material related to stars is covered here. You will want to review each question to see if it corresponds to your curriculum. The formatting is inconsistent, but easily corrected if you use the information to create...

Definitely for high schoolers, this instructional activity is an open-ended exploration of energy efficiency. Groups of two to three junior environmental engineers design an experiment to test for efficiency. They prepare a full lab...

The instructions for demonstrating ocean turnover are provided in this resource. You could set this up for your earth science class as part of a lecture on convection currents or as an explanation of how ocean currents form. An animation...

Mini mycologists plan an experiment to determine what affects the growth of mold on gelatin. A list of available materials is provided, but the procedure needs to be designed by the lab group. A data table is also provided in...

Easy or hard? Fast or slow? Invite your class members to practice with antonyms. They identify each adjective and then use provided antonyms to rewrite the sentences.

These word problems put your mathematicians' skills to the test. They utilize addition, subtraction, multiplication and division knowledge to solve 10 math scenarios. There's room for them to show work, and these all end up as...

Examine two works of art and use these pieces as inspiration for dialogues. The whole class discusses Renoir's Lunch at the Restaurant Fournaise and Toulouse-Lautrec's At the Moulin Rouge. Then, in groups of either three or ten, pupils...

In this mood worksheet, students read a passage and define the theme, mood, and purpose of what they read. Students complete 3 questions.

Students complete an Internet scavenger hunt to observe some background information on clay animation. They read the question on the web site and then click on the link to discover the answer. Then they create their own clay animation...