Learners explore the world of the very small using a Flash plug-in Virtual Electron Microscope. They complete and discuss an activity in which unknown samples are placed under the computer simulated microscope to determine where the...

Eighth graders enhance their skills in operating a microscope. They become comfortable with the vocabulary associated with microscopes and investigate how to place slides and focus them properly using the microscope. Students are given...

Dust is everywhere around us; it's unavoidable. But what exactly is dust and are certain locations dustier than others? These are the questions students try to answer in an interesting scientific investigation. Working independently or...

Identify the different stages of mitosis and what occurs in each stage with a straightforward biology lesson. Young scientists identify the importance of the cell cycle control in maintaining homeostasis, and then match the correct...

Eighth graders are able to understand how convex mirrors are used in a microscope. They are able to identify the focus and focal length of a curved mirror and observe virtual images in a convex mirror.

In this computer technology lesson students investigate silicon microchips.  Students explore microchip technology using a microscope.  Lesson contains hands on investigations.

Students identify under a microscope several different genera of protists. They discuss the three different categories of protists. Students discuss characteristics of the protists that they have already been taught. They view and...

When van Leeuwenhoek saw cells and single-celled organisms for the first time, he knew these small things were a big deal! Share his discoveries with young learners through a narrated video, model-building activity, and scale study....

Observe onion root cells undergoing mitosis underneath a light microscope and determine the phase of mitosis the cells are in. High schoolers draw a sketch of the mitotic cells, explore why cells undergo mitosis and learn how...

Students discover the processes that occur during mitosis and what makes each phase different and distinct from the others as well as how each contribute to the overall process of mitosis by looking at onion root tips under a microscope.

Students explore the basic skills guiding sound scientific invvestigation and methodology. They are introduced to a powerful scientific tool-the microscope. Students review the parts of the microscope. They discuss the inventor of the...

Students observe and describe different objects seen under a microscope and compare the individual perspectives of what was seen.

Totally gross out your class with the eighth lesson in this series on food science. Explore the microscopic world of bacteria by taking swabs of different classroom objects and growing colonies in petri dishes. An engaging activity that...

Middle schoolers collect, study and observe the pollution in our air. They list three kinds of pollution that they think is in our air. Students comprehend that the atmosphere is almost completely made up of invisible gaseous...

Students see DNA as a physical building block of organisms and comprehend the basic structure of DNA and the specific components in its structure. They can explain the specific nature of base-pair matching in DNA and that DNA bases form...

In China, hibiscus is known as the shoe flower because it is used to polish shoes, while in Hawaii, it is honored as the state flower. Young scientists learn about the structure and function of flowers. They dissect hibiscus...

Looking for an interesting text to share the world of microbes with your middle school classroom? The edition contains explanations, worksheets, experiments, discussions, and links to outside sources for a true and complete...

Students discuss scientific advances brought about by the Mars Surveyor Space Program which impact on daily life, identify laboratory apparatus like microscopes, slides and coverslips, and use the microscopes to view cells and organisms.

Young scholars examine organs from dogs and cats to study reproduction, embryology, and the identification of cancer. They record their observations at both the gross and microscopic levels. They present their information to the class.

Students collect and microscopically examine seeds from the school yard and neighborhood. In small groups, they draw and discuss the shapes of the seeds to determine each plant's method of dispersal. they also test two types of seeds...

Plankton are so abundant in the ocean they outweigh all of the animals in the sea. In this three day activity, groups discuss and become familiar with plankton, capture females, and look for egg production on day three. 

How can you tell if a microorganism is helpful or detrimental to an ecosystem? Learners inspect slides or pictures of microorganisms and record their observations to...

Sixth graders create a KWL chart about microorganisms. In this biology lesson, 6th graders create and label a diagram on a microbial mat. They investigate the processes involved in the carbon, oxygen and sulfur cycles.

We know that the type of soil varies by location, but does the seafloor sediment also vary, or is it all the same? Scholars compare photos of the seafloor from two different locations: the Savannah Scarp and the Charleston Bump. Through...