+
Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Development of Hypotheses: Pressure versus Temperature

For Students 6th - 8th
Is it me, or is it getting hot in here? Middle school science sleuths investigate the relationship between temperature and pressure, then use their observations to form a hypothesis. Questions embedded in the interactive help guide...
+
Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

Sit On It

For Teachers 7th Standards
How do product designers come up with the variety of things we see in stores and on TV every day? They identify a need, then create something that meets that need. Sounds simple, right? A two-week lesson puts seventh graders in that role...
+
Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

Feeling the Heat

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How do the changing seasons affect the homes where we live? This question is at the forefront of engineering and design projects. Challenge your physical science class to step into the role of an architect to build a model home capable...
+
Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

Why is Kettle Corn Cooked in Copper Pots?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The kitchen — it's not just for eating anymore! Specific heat is often a difficult concept to grasp, so give it context by relating it to cooking. Learners gain experience in the principles of thermal energy transfer by designing an...
+
Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

How Does the Density of a Liquid Affect the Buoyancy of an Object?

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Here's a lesson plan that will really float your boat! Introduce physical science scholars to the relationship between buoyancy and density through an assortment of individual and collaborative exercises. Lab groups work together to...
+
Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

What Environmental Conditions Lead to the Hatching of Brine Shrimp?

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Will changing the environment in which brine shrimp live impact their reproductive success? Young scientists get hands-on experience studying the habitat of brine shrimp in a two-week immersion lesson plan. The teacher's guide provides...
+
Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

It’s the Heart of the Matter

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Get the class jumping for joy with a fascinating look at matters of the heart. Learners perform physical tasks, collect and analyze heart rate data, and study conditions that affect heart health. Use the action-packed lesson plan to...
+
Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

Did I Observe it or Infer it?

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Take the mystery out of inquiry! When young scientists learn to use their keen powers of observation to make smart inferences about a situation, they are well on their way to understanding what the scientific method is all about. Using...
+
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Journey to the Unknown

For Teachers 5th - 6th
What's it like to be a deep-sea explorer? Tap into the imaginations of your fifth and sixth graders with a vivid lesson, the second part of a six-part adventure. Learners close their eyes and submerge themselves in an expedition aboard...
+
Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Virtual Neurons

For Teachers 5th - 12th Standards
It's electric! Young anatomists use Virtual Neurons software to build, control, and analyze complex nerve circuits within the body. Colorful and packed with content, class members enjoy interacting with the nervous system at a personal...
+
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Moon Phase Mania

For Teachers 7th Standards
Now you see it, now you don't. Our moon seems to pull a disappearing act from time to time—but why? Take your seventh grade scientists above and beyond to discover the truth about the moon and the role it plays in Earth's little corner...
+
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Making Waves

For Teachers 7th Standards
Learning about waves can have its ups and downs, but a demo-packed tool kit has the class "standing" for more! Learners gain experience with several different wave types, organizing observations and data, and wave terminology. The...
+
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Let’s Get Theoretical About Cells

For Teachers 6th Standards
Get up close and personal with cells in a hands-on journey to discover what makes up living things. Scholars learn valuable microscope skills, delve into the Modern Cell Theory, and gain insight into how cells reproduce. The included lab...
+
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

What is Up Th-air? — Atmosphere

For Teachers 7th Standards
Air, air, everywhere, but what's in it, and what makes Earth's air so unique and special? Journey through the layers above us to uncover our atmosphere's composition and how it works to make life possible below. Pupils conduct research...
+
Unit Plan
Columbus City Schools

Diversity of Living Things

For Teachers 8th Standards
Here's a topic classes can really dig—the fossil record. Use the well-organized and thoughtful road map to take eighth graders back in time to unearth the answer. Learn how our climate has changed, and how organisms have changed along...
+
Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

Thermal Insulators: Keep it Hot!

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
There's nothing like a cup of hot chocolate on a chilly winter's day. Except for when that hot chocolate quickly becomes lukewarm chocolate ... or even cold chocolate. What material provides the best insulation to keep the chocolate from...
+
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Build Your Own Ocean Ecosystem

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Hold the sea in the palm of your hand! Amateur oceanographers work together to create models of an ocean ecosystem in the sixth and final installment in a series. Raise awareness of global ocean health issues through guided research,...
+
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Microfriends

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Is there medicine found in the organisms that live deep below the surface of the ocean? The fifth lesson in a six-part series has learners team up to research bacteria and the relationship it has with nearly every living thing on Earth....
+
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Animals of the Fire Ice

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
When the sun's rays can't reach the producers in a food web, where does all the energy come from? Extreme environments call for extreme food sources. Young scientists investigate creatures that appear to get their energy from methane...
+
Lesson Plan
NOAA

The Methane Circus

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Step right up! An engaging research-centered lesson, the third in a series of six, has young archaeologists study the amazing animals of the Cambrian explosion. Working in groups, they profile a breathtaking and odd creature and learn...
+
Lesson Plan
NOAA

What Killed the Seeds?

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Can a coral cure cancer? Take seventh and eighth grade science sleuths to the underwater drugstore for an investigation into emerging pharmaceutical research. The fifth installment in a series of six has classmates research the wealth of...
+
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Oceans of Energy

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Are the earth's oceans really just giant batteries, waiting for their energy to be harnessed? Middle school mechanical engineers will be shocked by the amazing amount of energy that forms around them after diving into part four of a...
+
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Where Have All the Glaciers Gone?

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
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...
+
Lesson Plan
NOAA

Off Base

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How does carbon dioxide affect the world's oceans? The final installment in a series of six lessons has pupils research ocean acidification, then conduct an experiment to witness the delicate balance that exists in our seas. Materials...