Here is a great way to explore language arts by completing a computer activity with classmates. Youngsters read a fairy tale in class and analyze where the beginning, middle and end are. They create their own story using clip art and...

Upcoming chemists use chemical reactions to determine relative pH in two different acids. This is a terrific lesson for middle schoolers that can stand alone as a practice in precision and lab skills, or as part of the unit on chemical...

Middle schoolers aren't too young to feel strongly about politics, social issues, consumer rights, or environmental problems. Demonstrate the first steps toward social change with a project about action-oriented writing. Eighth...

Students review the most recent vocabulary list of French words. Using literature by Victor Hugo and Guy de Maupassant, they discover the history and culture of France. Using a map and the text, they locate the cities and regions of...

Middle schoolers use digital cameras to document school experiences. Afterwards, they use computer software to manipulate their photos and write poetry, essays or biographies to compliment the pictures. Finally, students create an...

Students produce original tessellations, using equilateral triangles where three unique symmetrical faces rotate, use shape, pattern/repetition, and color to create a striking composition, and create "beasties" inspired by bestiaries of...

Middle schoolers are encourage to try their hand at traditional Oceania tapa art by crafting their own cloth using brown paper bags. Included in the resource is background information about the cultures of Oceania and their art. 

Tired of 20-somethings portraying high school students? Tired of athletes and principals always being the villains? Class members examine the student and teacher stereotypes presented TV shows and films that are et in schools. 

Geneticists of the future identify heterozygous and homozygous genotypes, describe phenotypes, and use Punnett squares to solve problems and determine characteristics of offspring. A total of 15 questions make this a compact quiz or...

A combination of informative text, photos, and graphics comprise this sharp show on electromagnetic radiation. Some slides mention hands-on activities for demonstrating concepts, so if you want to include them you will need to figure out...

Instructions for building a simple electromagnetic motor are provided for the teacher. Aside from some sketchy background information and a list of content standards to be met, that is about all you will find in this resource. The motor...

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...

After an introduction to municipal sludge, middle school ecologists consider the pros and cons of dumping in the Hudson River Canyon. The class is split into two groups: one to debate in favor or dumping and one to debate against the...

Middle-school meteorologists absorb information about ultraviolet radiaton and consider the ozone layer. The book that learners are supposed to refer to is not available, so you might want to locate some graphics or posters...

Fourteen questions about photosynthesis are presented for life science learners. First, they write out the names of compounds involved in the process. They answer a few questions, and then fill in the blanks. This concise assignment...

Not going into depth on any one topic, this Earth science presentation skims the crust. It touches on the materials that construct the crust and then moves into plate tectonics. This is a useful and colorful note-taking guide for your...

Viewers of this PowerPoint are introduced to endangered and extinct animals. They discover why apes, elephants, pandas, polar bears, rhinoceri, and marine turtles are threatened. Finally, ways that humans have and can make a difference...

This activity will lift spirits in your class, but there is little scientific explanation for what makes a hot air balloon rise. As you are teaching middle school scientists about density and convection, you can incorporate this...

First educate, and then quiz viewers on the ins and outs of weathering and erosion. At a level appropriate for upper elementary or middle school earth scientists, these slides display animated graphics and photos. The first 22 slides...

"God made dirt, so dirt don't hurt!" In fact, dirt is soil, which is an amazingly dynamic material that we cannot live without! Dig into the depths of soil development, topography, and layers with this PowerPoint. The photos are fuzzy,...

Except for a few blurry photos that you can leave out, this is a succinct, yet purposeful presentation. It explains what causes ocean waves, the parts of a wave, and how they break against a shore. It details the cause of tides and...

Middle school meteorologists get acquainted with basic weather instruments: the thermometer, barometer, psychrometer, and anemometer. For each, the question is asked, "Do you think you can make a _______________?" At these points, you...

Step-by-step, arrow-by-arrow, viewers are walked through the rock cycle. In the end, you have a simple, yet complete diagram of the process. Pictures appear to show samples of igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic rocks. The presentation...

Help young musicians stay on beat with this series of classroom displays. Showing the name and symbol for different musical notes, these tools are a handy resource for any elementary or middle school music teacher.