Here is an activity that you can use to help upper elementary or middle schoolers to meet Common Core literacy standards for science and technology. Youngsters read the article on extreme weather patterns, "Weather Runs Hot and Cold, So...

Lub-dub, lub-dub! Elementary life science learners combine creative writing with their knowledge of the cardiovascular system. They read an example haiku about how it works and then write their own! A space is also provided on the...

Your back will be covered when you use this presentation to introduce beginning biologists to phylum chordata, the vertebrates. Five classes are defined: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals throughout the eight vibrant slides....

Take your class to the moon and back with this compact slide show. A mix of computer-generated images and photographs are supported by explanatory text. Observers learn about the moon's movements, its physical features, and its phases....

How much do your classes know about electricity and magnetism? A complete elementary unit on the topic begins with a pre-assessment to gauge their understanding prior to instruction. Items include questions about the properties of...

RJ argues that playing the video game, Super Duo Breaker and Whoosh, is a good way to study for a quiz on weathering and erosion. The game character Mr. Breaker breaks things down and the character Mr. Whoosh carries them away in the...

Your pupils may believe that you and their parents are the oldest things in the universe, but surprise! There are elements of the universe that are even older. Elementary scientists create a class timeline to demonstrate the...

Orbit diagrams appear to be a work of mathematical art. The simulation helps scholars build their own systems of planets, stars, moons, etc., to observe their orbits. By altering their positions, velocities, and masses, a variety of...

Neptune takes 164.8 Earth years to travel around the sun. In the fifth of 22 lessons, young scientists create a travel guide to a planet in our solar system. They provide tips for others on what to bring, what they see, and their...

Rhinozilla is Mia's bearded dragon and the focus of this lesson on energy flow in an ecosystem. She uses him to explain the energy pyramid, from producers through third level consumers, and she likens the food chain to a video game. Mia...

Youngsters read about the bond between some animals and humans and how animals help us out. Unusual examples are given: honey-guide birds, dolphins that shepherd fish for fishermen, landmine-locating rats, and piranhas that give...

Marijuana affects the brain differently than inhalants, which have a different effect than opioids. Elementary and middle school classes read about these drugs as well as nicotine, methamphetamine, hallucinogens, and steroids before...

What kinds of food can be bad for your teeth? Kindergartners and first graders explore dental health with an interactive science inquiry. Given a choice of foods such as celery, cake, and milk, kids choose which ones are better for their...

It was a bittersweet event when the space shuttle Atlantis touched down for the last time on July 21, 2011. Space science learners read an article about this event in The New York Times and then write answers to who, what, where, when,...

Shoot and score with three basketball-themed lessons about decimals. Young mathematicians compare game statistics, make trash can hoops, and play a data spinner game to practice identifying digits and values within decimal numbers.

Who would not want an opportunity to taste jellybeans in class?  During this investigation, life science learners hold their noses as they take a taste test and find that our perception of flavor is connected with our sense of...

Kids love superheroes, and for this assignment they create a comic about Captain Oxygen! Direct your class to make sure that their knowledge of the respiratory system is displayed through the dialogue. Note that though the publisher has...

A passage about an astronomy lesson may leave readers starstruck. Fifth graders read about a class's exploration into the makeup of the galaxy and its constellations before answering six questions about the terms and vocabulary...

Prepare young scholars for life in the twenty-first century with this introduction to computer coding formatted as a fun problem solving game, this resource is a great way to develop children's sequential thinking...

Have you ever stretched out a Slinkie so much it wouldn't go back to its original shape? Slinkies, like all springs, follow Hooke's Law. A simulation uses springs and masses to demonstrate kinetic, potential, and thermal energy. It...

As part of their study of the history of the Channel Islands, class members craft an informational article to post on a bulletin board that features the Chumash ancestral tradition of tomol paddling.

In this active energy source activity, students act out the energy source words in a game. Students complete 12 different actions for the 12 different energy sources.

Seventh graders read over an article and study vocabulary terms.  In this investigative lesson students discuss questions about the article they read and complete a small group activity. 

Young scientists get to the heart of the matter as they complete this worksheet on the properties of solids, liquids, and gases.