Students participate in a culminating activity for a unit on Energy and Simple Machines. They are challenged to incorporate simple machines in to a complex mechanical system. While designing and testing their machine they will also...

Students investigate the strength of acids and bases experimentally. They answer the question, "How can pH be used to determine possible product tampering?" by testing acids and bases with litmus paper.

Students conduct an experiment that allows them to assess individual differences in random DNA sequences and apply those differences when solving a forensic problem. After discussing the polymerase chain reaction and its use to identify...

Students explore interaction between mathematics, science, and technology as they look at process of researching, developing, testing, and evaluating airplane design. They calculate glide ratio for model paper airplane by using data...

Students investigate their town's tap water. In this water quality lesson, students complete a simple taste-testing experiment and online research to investigate tap water.

Students compare and contrast the society in Orwell's 1984 with modern society. In this 1984 activity, students research the historical climate in which Orwell wrote the novel. Students create a comparison chart of privacy issues in the...

Students examine the changes in Earth's temperature. For this global warming lesson, students perform an experiment testing temperatures of soil. Students record their findings and discuss what made the differences in the soil temperature.

Seventh graders build a watershed from various materials. In this life science lesson plan, the students will be able to change the design of their watershed to see the changes in the way the water will drain. Each group will be able to...

Young scholars explore adaptation by participating in a lab activity. In this bird characteristics lesson, students discuss the different purposes birds have for their beaks and conduct an experiment testing which beaks collect food...

Review main topics relating to family and social policy using this resource. Learners answer eight questions related to the theories behind certain social policies.

Fifth graders discuss the greenhouse effect, then create their own small greenhouses using plastic bottles, testing and recording their effects on temperature.

Students study pill bugs and their behaviors.  In this pill bug lesson students complete a lab activity that includes sketching a pill bug and testing environmental conditions. 

Online quizzes can be fun for testing reading comprehension; however, this Fun Trivia quiz on A Christmas Carol does not have the rigor necessary for a class assignment. Instead, you may want to suggest your readers take it on their own...

Students make model caverns out of paper mache or clay. They bury them in a tray of sand, and test the models by dropping balls into them simulating as asteroid hitting the earth. They discuss the results of the activity in a whole class...

Once investigators have learned how their mystery liquids interact with water during the preceding activity, they now use their observations to identify them. This is an ideal conclusion to the mini unit on the properties of water. 

Middle schoolers design an experiment to discover how termites respond to their environment.