Now that you know the ocean has layers, let's name them. The seventh installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program covers terminology associated with ocean layers, such as thermocline and...

Students rank a list of everyday risks to compare with classmates. They rate each risk on both its ability to be controlled and its observability in the environment. Results are graphed.

Your biology class plays the role of epidemiologist when a mysterious illness breaks out in Kildare, USA. Using interviews with doctors, patients, and local citizens, maps, the results from different materials sampling, they work to...

Learners identify possible sources of health risks, types of exposures, routes of exposure, and populations that could be affected after discussing water pollution and environmental health hazards. After discussion, students conduct a...

Students construct models that demonstrate potential sources of contamination. Students select one type of contamination model (septic system, sinkhole, landfill, disposal lagoon, leaky barrels, oil spill, agricultural contamination) to...

High schoolers compare the perceived and actual risks of getting skin cancer, while looking at ways to minimize these risks. They may have very little grasp of the severity of the threat of skin cancer or be unaware of the increase in...

Students, after reading a novel, utilize geographic skills to map out the places described in the novel. They collect data, envision spatial features and then design a map to work off of to complete their assignment. Each student also...

Hook your class up to an online home energy usage calculator so that they can estimate the amount used per month by their families. Then give them Watt meters with which they will measure the power consumption of several small...

It's all about horses in this cross-curricular packet that includes everything equine from United States horse history, breeds, grooming tools, and plenty of new vocabulary terms. Split into 11 lessons, learners complete crossword...

Middle and high schoolers identify and analyze fractals and research information using the Internet to locate information about them. They look at fractals in relation to nature and other real world situations. Pupils create several...

This helpful lesson explores the probability in tossing a coin and throwing dice. Specifically, it looks at the probability of getting numbers that are significant to the game of craps, assuming that once the math is understood, most...

Fourth graders read "The Far Away Drawer" by Harriet Diller and discuss the story as a class. After discussion, 4th graders create a t-shirt GLYPH about their hopes and dreams,share their information with the class and create spreadsheets.

Third graders engage in the study of aerobic and anaerobic activities. They discuss the differences in the type of exercises involved. Students identify the types of activities they enjoy based upon the information given. Then students...

Brainstorm the reasons why a healthy heart is important. Using a diagram, label and locate the heart and discuss its function. Practice finding your heartbeat and describe the effects of physical activity on the heart. Also perform an...

Let the resource stretch the minds of your young scientists with a lesson about tensile strength and stiffness of materials. Groups consider how easily materials stretch and relate this property to engineering design.

Don't twist and turn looking for a resource. The first installment of a six-part series teaches young engineers about the five fundamental forces of compression, tension, shear, bending, and torsion. These forces help explain different...

Torque--a teachable moment? Here's a lesson on torque (or moment) and variables that include size, reinforcement, structural bracing, and material that affect torque.

Pairs work together to determine whether unknown solutions are either acids or bases by using a red cabbage indicator solution. After determining the general pH of the unknown solution, classmates blow into the same indicator after...

Fourth graders investigate the history of Bitterroot Valley. They conduct research using primary and secondary resources. The analysis of the information is used to discover the true relationship the settlers and native peoples. Then...

Students investigate the concept of succession and plant community dynamics. They play a game in order to conduct multiple experiments while playing. The interest of the game is useful for keeping student interest throughout the activity.

Students measure, record, and graph the force of moving a block of wood along sand paper. In this friction lesson plan, students read a spring scale, collect data, construct a graph, and propose a model to explain how fiction works.

Young scholars gain an understanding of the methods used to explore the earth's surface. Students create a time line leading to the first satellite image of the Earth that includes the various methods utilized to observe the earth's...

Learners explore the interdependence of the animals and plants in tropical rainforests. They explore the importance of conserving biodiversity and tropical food chains. They create a tropical forest food chain and identify species that...

In groups of six, middle school space scientists create an imaginative travel brochure for attracting visitors to the planet Mars. Information must include surface features and atmospheric conditions. Although time-consuming, this is a...