Students conduct a scientific investigation about organic or inorganic waste.  In this organic or inorganic waste lesson, students create a compost heap to determine the difference between inorganic and organic waste. Students...

Learn about George Washington Carver's important contributions to agriculture by studying the sweet potato. First graders read about the inventor's observations and prepare sweet potato slips for the class garden. Additionally, they...

Explore the way local farming and rationing helped the war effort in World War I with a lesson plan on gardening. After learning about trench warfare, reading "In Flanders' Field" by John McCrae, and studying poppies, kids discuss...

Learners construct a model of the hydrologic cycle, and observe that water is an element of a cycle in the natural environment. They explain how the hydrologic cycle works and why it is important, and compare the hydrologic cycle to...

Class members become tree huggers with this terrific study of biodiversity among trees! They do so by examining different characteristics of trees: shape, leaves, bark, fruit or seeds, etc. After examining five concepts, they use their...

Class groups investigate the economic and political implications of a country's policies on genetically modified foods, craft a position paper detailing that policy, and share their findings with the class. Armed with this...

The debate over genetically modified organisms is on! Young biologists imagine that they have been asked to choose which corn chips will be sold for a fundraiser, one made with GMOs or one without. This four-day lesson plan requires...

Eager ecologists explore ecosystems through video and photographs of a Mangrove. They discuss the animals in this habitat and how they interact with each other after reading and discussing "The Sea, the Storm and the Mangrove Tangle."...

Explore text structure with a focus on the glossary feature in informational texts. Learners read a brief introduction before examining a glossary from a text about plants. They reference it while completing four comprehension questions....

Now you have a new excuse not to do your homework. A long-term experiment has learners explore cellulose-digesting enzymes. They simulate how paper breaks down in a compost bin. There's no need to blame your dog for eating your homework...

Fifth graders, in groups, list the physical characteristics of a biome and think of ways in which animals might have to adapt to live there and make a biome mobile ball that show the different types of habitats that shape the praire biome.

A project-based learning plan focuses on landscapes in the community. After identifying problems, such as dead trees or misplaced automatic sprinklers, learners design solutions, contact local organizations to fix the problems, and do...

Peanuts! Get your peanuts! Kids explore math, art, and agriculture concepts focused on peanuts. There is a brief informational text to get them started, and you'll find definitions of five in-text vocabulary words to address. Kids...

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...

Provide your class with the opportunity to view our carbon cycle close up. Young scientists research the cycle of oxygen as it completes the tasks of photosynthesis and respiration. They explore the importance of carbon in an ecosystem...

Students explore the many different food chains. They participate in a game in which the class is divided into the different parts of the food chain.

Some gorgeous images will inspire your learners to create different fashion designs from a wide variety of natural sources. Students study color, pattern, texture, shape and form to create their own original piece in this vocational...

Students write their own folktales based on "Cathal O'Cruachan and the Cowherd." In discussions they examine the animal symbolism in the story, as well as the characters, events, problems, and solution. With partners, they select...

Cell-ute the cell! Examine how surface-to-volume ratio relates to cell size through hands-on exploration, observe cell division under the microscope, and collect data on the stages of cell division in an onion root tip. Learners pull it...

Make learning visible! Have your mathematicians follow along as you use paper strips to demonstrate the concept of multiplying unit fractions. Then, offer a different way of solving the problem using a number line. Finally, introduce the...

Get a fun discussion going with this current events learning exercise, which has scholars analyzing 2 political cartoons about an incident in 2009, when Congressman Joseph Wilson accused President Barack Obama of lying during a speech....

Young scholars learn that heredity comes down to the flip of a coin with this cross-curricular math and science instructional activity. Using smiley faces as a model, students toss coins to determine which dominant or...

Fact and opinion passages inform readers about the seasons on the prairie and Zambia in Southern Africa. Then, test scholar's knowledge with multiple choice and short answer questions.