Young hydrologists observe a waterwheel which helps them investigate the transformations of energy that occur when the blades of a hydro-turbine are turning. They work together in pairs and pretend to be engineers who are building a new...

Challenge your classes to design and market a new product. Collaborative groups use geometry skills to create packaging for their products. Finally, they plan a marketing strategy to present to a marketing specialist.

Third graders discuss light sources and collect data about energy sources. They compare data and create a multiple line graph showing energy used by light sources for each student in the group. They present their graphs and write a...

High schoolers experiment with a virtual solar cooker to discover the mathematical relationship among reflection, transmission and absorption. Then they actually build and test a solar cooker of their own invention.

Sixth graders participate in a lesson plan that is about investigating the different layers of the earth and defining how the plates move over the mantle. They engage in a variety of activities and use mathematics to create projects to...

Students apply estimation strategies and proportional reasoning to determine a scale comparing the planetary bodies to Earth. They convert measurements of time and distance using scientific notation. Both the metric and customary units...

Young scholars use mushrooms to solve problems. In this environmental activity, students study how fungi have been used to combat environmental problems. Young scholars design strategies that employ mushrooms to combat other...

Students investigate the lever and the mathematics associated with levers. They determine the conditions necessary to balance a system of forces around a fulcrum.

Middle schoolers discover scales for both the solar bodies' relative sizes and their distances from the sun. They find equatorial circumference and volumes of their solar bodies. Students apply estimation strategies and proportioanl...

Students compare data from two proposed strategies on how ot best preserve the diversity of plants and animals. They complete a worksheet and share theirviews with the rest of the class.

Liken a cell and its organelles to a tiny person and its organs. After gathering information on cell structures and their functions, small groups collaborate to come up with an analogy of their own. They produce a collage describing the...

Students investigate the interdependence of agriculture and the environment. They research areas of interdependence and provide examples of situations where farmers are practicing conservation in the local area. Their findings are...

Students, in cooperative groups, design and create a wildflower garden for the community. They write letters to property owners requesting use of their land and then write invitations to their parents and to local, state, and federal...

Fourth graders become aware and comprehend number relationships among those numbers most commonly found in geometric applications. They work in groups, 4th graders arrange themselves in order form the least to the greatest number in...

Students collect samples of pond water, dried grass, and soil in a jar. They predict the order of ecological succession in their pond water cultures. They compare their expected results with their observed results.

Fourth graders become familiar with a chart and use the information to create a flight plan.  In this flight plan lesson, 4th graders access background knowledge of the role of flight controllers and the number concepts they...

Students investigate the concept of building materials and how they are used to create different things. They focus upon the availability, cost, flexibility, and strength of different building materials. This is done by taking part in a...

Students examine the importance of the nutritional value of explorers' meals. They investigate the concepts of caloric intake vs. caloric expenditure and examine their own nutrition.

Students research and trace Shackleton's actual and intended route on an area map. They analyze the altitude changes involved in a trek across Antarctica and complete a worksheet comparing Antarctica to their own state.

Fifth graders study dehydration and dehydration of foods. They measure the amount of water lost from fruits as they are dehydrated. They use desktop publishing software to design an advertisement for dehydrated fruit after researching...

Students work in small groups to redesign the packaging of several common items. They attempt to reach the goal of 25% reduction in packaging materials currently used and explore the impact of various materials and designs in landfills...

Students discover where animals tracks are made, and what they can tell us about what the animal was doing. They make their own models of tracks using plaster, use a simple key to identify 6 different wildlife tracks, and then examine...

Young scholars investigate how penguins stay warm in freezing cold water, how they carry their eggs on their feet, what they eat, and what eat penguins. They list other animals that use blubber to stay warm, and identify a penguin and...

Students learn how to count animal populations by the Mark and Recapture method. In this counting animal populations lesson plan, students begin by predicting amounts of different candies in a jar. Students then simulate using beans, two...