Discover a world too small to see. In the lesson plan, young scientists learn about nanotechnology and brainstorm ideas for new applications of it. They perform an activity to determine how surface area changes when objects are made...

How can organisms light up in water? Bioluminescence is light produced in a chemical reaction that can occur in an organism's body. First, learners determine what happens to light/color as you move into the deep ocean. In groups, they...

Fifth graders investigate coral reefs and the dangers they face by labeling and drawing.  In this oceanography instructional activity, 5th graders view a PowerPoint presentation of photographs of coral reefs in Belize....

Fourth graders observe and identify a variety of weathering and geological activities in the area in which they live. This focuses primarily on what happened during the Ice Age, and how, even today, glaciers are shaping and re-shaping...

Find an answer to the age-old debate of whether life exists on Mars. Groups determine criteria to help look for signs of life on Mars. The activity has the class simulate testing Martian soil samples for signs of life before drawing...

Here is a fine lesson plan on geology designed for high schoolers. Learners use rocks, fossils, and other geological clues to determine the geology of an area. Then, they make recommendations to a fictitious city council about the...

The Galle crater on Mars is also known as the Happy Face crater because of its appearance. First, scholars use pebbles and flour to simulate craters and study their properties. They then apply this knowledge to help decipher the history...

Though this is meant to be second in a two-part instructional activity, the two are not dependent on each other. Pupils play the roles of visible light rays, light or dark surfaces, and carbon dioxide molecules. They interact and react...

Young geologists become familiar with the Karst Topography in the Ozark Mountains. They study how human activity has affected the cave ecosystem. They conduct a simulation in which a large development is proposed in the area, and they...

Lights, shadows, action, and inquiry await your artistic scientists. They explore the way light travels, absorbs, reflects, and transmits through shadow play. They create folktale-inspired shadow puppets, explore the science of light,...

High schoolers differentiate weather and climate. In this earth science lesson, students compare weather and climate in different regions of the world. They interpret weather graphs and compare isotherm lines of northern and southern...

Third graders investigate space science by performing physical activities.  In this solar system lesson, 3rd graders perform a relay activitiy with their class in which they race between different "planets".  Students define...

Students explore the concept of navigation in these two activities.

Students, through hands on games and activities, discover how bats live and how bats benefit ecosystems. They play a game designed to show them how echolocation works and another to show how mother bats locate their young through their...

Students examine how to recover and remove oil from an oil spill.  In this oil spill clean-up lesson plan students use role play and act like a committee to determine how to clean up an oil spill.

Students explore climate change by participating in a physical science experiment. In this greenhouse effect lesson, students discuss the impact global warming has on our environment and how it works. Students utilize a glass jar,...

Students investigate the history of fighter kites and build their own.  In this aeronautics lesson, students discover how other countries utilize fighter kites and where they originated.  Students create their own fighter kites...

Students simulate crater formation using mud. In this earth science lesson, students identify the features of a crater. They explain how the force of impact affect the crater's appearance.

Learners explain the various activities that are constantly going on in a blood cell by role playing a blood cell, antibody, pathogen, and platelets.

Students are led through a demonstration in which they cut open an apple, which represents the earth. They follow through the hands-on lesson, cutting the apple into various portions--each representing some aspect of the earth.

Students role-play to show the eyewitness accounts of the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. In this volcanic eruption lesson, students act as reporters, eyewitnesses, and scientists to dramatize the eruption of Mt. St. Helens. They discuss the...

Pupils participate in a hands-on simulation to help them explain that coal resources are deposited unevenly between the earth's surface and under the ground.

Seventh graders trace the lava flow of an erupting volcano. In this earth science lesson, 7th graders experiment using baking soda and vinegar. They record and share their observations.

Students explore environmental awareness by participating in a role play activity. In this cultural analysis lesson, students discuss the importance of symbolism when referring to a tribe and create their own tribe based on a small group...