New ReviewThe cycle of energy is important to many different systems on Earth. Scholars investigate the differences between renewable and non-renewable resources and how they relate to global changes using questioning and observation. They...

New ReviewThere are many interactions among living things and their surroundings. Scholars learn about Earth, the moon, and the sun and how they relate to the solar system by completing a reading. They also investigate basics of physical science...

Motion is the focus of ten hands-on activities that challenge scholars to build machines invented by Leonardo da Vinci. Following several steps, small groups work collaboratively to recreate machines including levers, pulleys, wheels,...

As the world population increases, demands on the carbon cycle also increase. A well-designed lesson first explores the greenhouse effect and its impact on global warming. Further sections have pupils study the effect of greenhouse gases...

You've heard of farm to table ... but what about farm in classroom? Junior agriculturalists embark upon a two-week journey into the science of growing things. Based upon the classic terrarium in a two-liter experiment, the lesson goes...

Human impacts on the environment can sometimes be difficult to measure, especially under water! An activity centered on ocean acidification gives science scholars the opportunity to examine the effects of carbon dioxide on marine life....

Mars, Earth, and Venus contain atmospheres that generate weather. Young scientists explore the temperature of inner planets. They create a model simulating the greenhouse effect before researching and answering guided questions to...

Enough talk about the Greenhouse Effect—let's actually look at it! Junior climatologists engage in a simple thermodynamics experiment on a cold winter's day to examine global warming. The activity simulates rising carbon dioxide levels...

How do the oceans and Great Lakes influence weather and climate? Part three of a seven-part series about salt and freshwater examines the impact large bodies of water have on the skies above us. Included in the activity is a study of...

How do scientists know what Earth's climate was like millions of years ago? Young environmental scholars discover how researchers used proxy data to determine the conditions present before written record. Grouped pupils gain experience...

How much does your class know about the relationship between climate change and carbon dioxide? Science scholars explore the nature of greenhouse gases and rising ocean temperature through demonstrations, research, and experiments. The...

Build a bridge to learning in a STEM-aligned unit about urban infrastructure. Young engineers explore the many aspects of civil planning and design in a five-day unit. Content includes the challenging aspects of balancing building with...

If trees fall in a forest, we may not hear them, but the ecosystem knows the difference. Learners examine the cost of deforestation on local ecosystems with a focus on global climate change. The lesson examines the impact on the carbon...

According to the United Nations, climate change affects every country on the planet. This research project encourages scholars to explore the factors that affect climate change from different perspectives: climate scientist, policy...

Why does the air in a hot oven not burn skin, but metal in the oven does? The simulation focuses on the difference between temperature and thermal energy and the way these are transferred. Scholars adjust the temperature of an oven and...

What happens when ice melts? Well ... water happens. When that melting ice is a glacier, the amount of water that results produces change throughout the world. Middle school science sleuths uncover the truth about global warming, the...

A person in the US uses 20 times more energy than a person in India—that's a drastic difference! The final lesson in the 12-part series goes back to the initial energy audits, analyzes which room showed the most conservation of energy,...

Scientists monitor seasonal changes in plants to better understand their responses to climate change, in turn allowing them to make predictions regarding the future. The last activity in the series of six has scholars analyze BudBurst...

Students use the GEEBITT excel model to explore how global average temperatures are affected by changes in our atmosphere in part two of this series of seven lessons. Working in groups, they discuss, analyze graphs, and enter data to...

Scientists use ice core samples to obtain temperatures of the earth from 400,000 years ago! The third of five lessons instructs pupils to interpret historical climate data to see changes over time. In part I, participants interpret...

You know global warming is real when your squirrel feeder is full of popped corn instead of kernels! Activity two in a series of five allows learners to explore climate change through the eyes of another. After briefly analyzing their...

What's cooking? A sizzling STEM unit challenges scholars to build a solar cooker that can successfully cook an egg. The unit opens with a study of Earth's rotation, the sun's energy, and shadows. Pupils use a compass and thermometer to...

Most people rely on the ground under them remaining still and constant, yet the plates on the earth are constantly moving. A research-based STEM lesson asks pupils to research seismic data and tectonic plates. Then they create surveys of...

The greenhouse effect is important, for without it, life on Earth would not exist. An activity that includes modeling the greenhouse effect and acting out the Earth's energy balance makes up the first part in a series of seven lessons....