Fourth graders plan a variety of nutritional meals using the USDA's Food Guide Pyramid as a reference and analyze food labels to plan their meals. They examine and discuss the Food Pyramid, and create dichotomous keys separating food...

Students explore neurological societal problems. They research, collect information and assess the ramifications of ethical, economic, political, and social issues. During a talk show simulation, students present their decisions.

Fifth graders examine the concept of the food chain and define producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore. They draw a food chain for a mouse and discuss the different organisms involved in the chain, and conduct an...

Middle schoolers and high schoolers examine the ethics of using human test subjects in scientific research. They do a simulation which focuses on yellow fever and how human subjects were used to develop a treatment/cure for the disease...

Students explore the dilemma of bioethics. Students review a cast study on a bioethical topic. They research the facts, values, and stakemakers in the controversial debate. Students consider the consequences and discuss their findings...

A species-specific look at natural selection, the resource herein examines how adaptations have helped the population of rock pocket mice survive in a changing landscape. To begin, middle or high schoolers watch a 10.5 minute video,...

During the fourth lesson of a series on Colombia, pupils discover the process to which the coffee plant becomes the coffee we drink. Pupils compare how locally grown foods get into homes to how coffee from Colombia gets into their mug.

Bacteria outnumber all other forms of life on Earth. Scholars observe the growth of bacteria in petri dishes to understand their role in maintaining good health. Then, they observe the growth of bacteria after they introduce...

Begin a unit on the heart, the parts and the function of the heart, and about heart disease with a resource that includes a lecture, a PowerPoint presentation, and research information.  The activity is the first of a four-part...

Using a pulse monitor, learners will measure a resting pulse, take a math test, and then measure the pulse again. They analyze the change in pulse and compare it to performance on the test. This multi-purpose lesson plan can be used in a...

Students take on the role of epidemiologists. They investigate an "outbreak" in serious birth defects that occur in infants born to teenage girls. students discover a link between the use of the acne drug called Accutane and birth defects.

Students study binomial nomenclature and museum-based research. They create a curiosity box, label the objects in their curiosity box , develop a classification scheme for the objects, and create a database of all objects collected by...

Students are able to name one kind of harmful bacteria and why it hurts us and also name one kind of helpful bacteria and how we use it. They describe the process of growing bacterial cultures in a lab. Students create a reasonable...

Students test water to determine the dissolved oxygen content while displaying the proper use of testing instruments while visiting water testing sites. They determine if the amount of dissolved oxygen is appropriate for the tested...

Students examine organisms that are composed of tissues, organs, and systems. They dissect a fetal pig and explore the assigned organs systems such as the skeletal, muscular, and circulatory organs. Students identify and explain their...

Students explore, experience and experiment identifying the human impact on the environment of vegetative differences within the same biome. They assess what causes deserts, rain forests, savannahs, tundras and saguaros and how these...

Dive into the world of plankton. The 17th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program introduces different types of plankton. Young scientists then use what they have learned to classify...

What do a cheetah, Audi commercial, and air have in common? They're all topics of an engaging inquiry-based, hands-on workshop for educators about background knowledge, reading strategies, the CER model, and argumentative writing. The...

Students observe the embryological development in the zebrafish. Developmental hierarchy from three germ layers is studied in depth. Research is validated on the body plan of the embryo.

Learners recognize the correlation between the trash they dispose of around their school and the environmental hazards that face wildlife, specifically the Laysan albatross. They determine three ways that they can help the albatross chicks.

Students design, revise and construct a method for protecting an egg from cracking when it is dropped from a height. They work in small groups to develop their protection method and then collect and analyze data as a class when each...

Students plan stations for a nature and fitness trail and construct an accompanying e-Book for extended descriptions at each station. Data on the human impact on the environment is gathered in this lesson plan.

Students develop an artwork made entirely out of recycled materials to exhibit during an Earth Day celebration. They participate in a lecture discussion on the history of Earth Day and environmental issues, do internet research on a...

Students explore the idea of consequence that every individual leaves a daily environmental footprint. They read articles about creative solutions to solid waste issues and then create an artwork from household trash.