Engineering design projects serve as great opportunities for collaborative problem solving. In this case, students work in small groups designing, building, and eventually testing a structure that meets a teacher-specified objective. It...

Two scenarios are presented for chemistry detectives to decipher. Both require the use of an infrared spectrometer and focus on the examination of polymer materials. In the first, lumps in polyethylene bottles are analyzed. In the...

How do you engage pupils in a discussion about osmosis without leaving them overwhelmed? By providing them with the tools to perform an exciting experiment, and they will see osmosis in action! Young chemists and biologists use...

A scenario and background information are provided for two different open-ended experiments that experienced chemistry classes can perform toward the end of the school year. In the first, they design a method for testing flakes of paint...

If your future physicists know how to construct simple circuits, include resistors, and use a multi-meter to measure voltage, then you might employ this lesson on Ohm's law. Each lab group investigates the relationships among...

Definitely for high schoolers, this lesson 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 report and...

Students engage in a lab that focuses on animal behavior in an open ended inquiry based laboratory experience. They build an ethogram, display a transition matrix and analyze a Markov Chain. They remove wings from the drosophila and...

Juvenile geologists drill clear plastic straws down into a playdough sedimentary rock model, pulling out sample rock cores. As they analyze their cores, they apply the law of superposition and discover that originally horizontal layers...

Students, through group activities, explain the important scientific, social/historical and aesthetic values of a prairie habitat. They analyze the impact of humans on prairieland and solve a problem regarding potential development of a...

Ninth graders explain how scientists set up investigations. In this scientific process lesson, 9th graders review the principles of the scientific method and use these skills to answer an open-ended question about how to set up a...

Student's recall from memory the steps in the scientific method. TSWBAT describe in detail the various steps of the scientific method. TSWBAT analyze a problem or situation and apply the steps of the scientific method to it.

Students gain an introduction to our planet's solid waste problem and our personal responsibility in curbing and solving said problem through the use of Dr. Seuss' book, The Lorax. After hearing the book, class discussion follows.

Students identify the problems that marine life is facing today. In this marine science lesson, students explain how Marine Protected Areas can help the ocean and the fish. They brainstorm ways to help in the conservation effort.

Students investigate a fish kill occurrence, the Lake Iluka simulation. They examine what would happen if a fish kill happened today in their watershed area? what type of problems it might cause? They also discuss in groups any specific...

Students participate in a lab experiment in which they discover the need for so many blocks and tackles on sailing ships. In groups, they make and test their predictions and practice measuring objects in various units. They record and...

Here is a nice, clean wrap-up activity for your chemistry class when they are studying chemical reactions . They experiment with different oils to make soap. To make it more fun, they are to imagine that they are part of a soap testing...

Present the water cycle to your middle schoolers with this lesson. After an anticipatory set, they participate in a Q & A session about the terms associated with the water cycle: evaporation, transpiration, condensation, and...

High schoolers create an imaginary bird. In this anatomy lesson, students analyze how artists represent birds historically, then determine the anatomical aspects that suit a bird to its habitat. Using this information, high schoolers...

Oh nuts! Do macadamias or almonds produce more thermal energy? Energy enthusiasts find out with this experiment. The objective is to demonstrate to your class how the chemical energy contained in foods can be converted into useable...

Students complete a long-term research project on prairie grasses and forbs. They develop research questions, collect and analyze data from reconstructed prairie plots, and publish their research data on a Prairie website.

Middle schoolers research the characteristics of the prairie habitat focusing on scientific, social/historical and aesthetic values. They investigate how humans impact the prairie habitat while maintaining a daily journal of research and...

Young scholars determine the weight of paper waste generated by the class. They brainstorm ways to reduce and recycle. They make their own paper to demonstrate recycling. This instructional activity is very effective in demonstrating how...

Eleventh graders formulate their own research questions, explore and locate information, assess their findings, and present their information.

Students closely examine the earth's crust and various landforms. In this Earth's layers lesson plan students work in cooperative groups and analyze their roles and responsibilities therein. Each group is assigned a specific landform to...