Find similarities in seemingly unlike organisms. The second instructional activity in a series of 12 builds the concept of a taxonomy and explores the use of a dichotomous key. Learners begin in part one by attempting to group a set of...

Learners examine rocks. In this geology lesson, students collect rocks from the schoolyard and classify them by color, weight, and size. Learners use a rock guide to identify each of the rocks.

Young scholars study wind speed and collect wind speed data. In this wind speed lesson, students visit a website to learn about the local wind speed forecast for their week. Young scholars discuss wind and wind speed. Students collect...

Learners work in groups to sort and classify a variety of hardware materials commonly found in the store. Students discuss attributes and explain their reasoning for different classifications.

Student read Sheryl Wilson's story, "A Day at the Beach" while classifying items they find. They design a chart of the items before using educational graphing software to create a graph.

Students sort, classify, and graph M & M's. They create pictographs and bar graphs with the colors and numbers in each bag of M & M's. They calculate the ratio and probability based on class results.

High schoolers classify microorganisms into categories based on their characteristics. Pupils use a taxonomic key to identify organisms. They classify certain bacteria, protists, and viruses using a classification or taxonmic key.

Second graders examine different types of graphs and discover the meanings of the symbols used on them. After gathering data about themselves, their communities, and the world, they use that information to create graphs. Among the...

Learners identify the physical properties of items using the sense of touch. In this touch and discover lesson, students describe items.  Learners sort items using a Venn diagram.

Learners determine the number of pennies needed to fill a room.  In this pennies lesson plan, students work in groups to determine the number of pennies needed to fill a room.  They compute the probability of the head of a pin...

Fourth graders investigate the ecosystem and how forests are disappearing.  In this environmental protection activity, 4th graders analyze the changes in their school for 2 weeks.  Students practice identifying trees, birds,...

Second graders collect data on different forms of transportation and create a bar graph or pictograph with the information.

Scientists classify everything from the smallest cells to the largest galaxies, but how do they decide on a classification system? Scholars use 40 pictures of galaxies taken by the Hubble Space Telescope to sort and try creating their...

Which travels faster, light or sound? Scholars work in groups to simulate the ability for waves to travel through solids, liquids, gases, and through a vacuum. Then, they learn about the properties of a mystery wave and must determine...

First graders graph a data set. Given a set of buttons, 1st graders sort them into categories using specific attributes. They graph the number of buttons in their set based on their attributes using a variety of graphs. Students share...

Students create graphic, algebraic and verbal ideas of functions. In this algebra lesson plan, students graph functions and identify the zeros of the functions. They find the domain and range and classify functions as relation or not.

Fifth graders interpret data and create graphs. Given Fruit Loops, they sort and classify according to color. Using spreadsheet technology, 5th graders record their data and create bar and circle graphs. Students analyze data and...

Students explore the value of insects in the natural world. For this insect lesson, students examine species of insects, collect and record data, and analyze the data.

Students utilize their own drawings of spiders to analyze and sort the attributes that each student drew.

Investigate which items float and which ones sink using this resource.  Learners participate in an activity in which they investigate this phenomena. Then they describe the experimental process, and learn how to display their results.

Learners investigate what color Valentine Candy is found more often than any other in a standard bag of "Valentine Conversation Hearts." They sort, classify and graph their findings.

Learners identify the pattern in a problem. In this geometry instructional activity, students make predictions, collect and analyze data. They apply the idea of scales and measurements to the real world.

Students differentiate between parallel and perpendicular lines. In this geometry lesson, students make conjectures and apply it to solve real life situations. They collect data and make predictions based on the data.

Students explore basic Excel spreadsheets.  In this spreadsheet lesson plan, students enter Alaska weather information and  perform calculations. Students title the columns on the spreadsheet and format the cells. ...