Provide high schoolers with their own indoor gardens! Emerging scientists discuss the process of photosynthesis and germinate seeds before growing plants in multiple lighting conditions. The hands-on application allows...

Zoe and RJ are trying to photograph an egret on a lake, but they are having trouble with the lighting. Reflection, refraction, and absorption are explored through their thoughtful dialogue so that your physical scientists are illuminated...

Students conduct a scientific investigation about organic or inorganic waste.  In this organic or inorganic waste lesson, students create a compost heap to determine the difference between inorganic and organic waste. Students...

Use food coloring in electrophoresis. The last segment in a four-part series mimics DNA fingerprinting by using chromatography. Teams conduct chromatography on food coloring to find colors that use similar pigmentation in their makeup.

Young scientists use electrolysis to separate water into its elements before experimenting with fire to learn about their properties. A helpful resource provides a reading passage and analysis questions. 

Students participate in a laboratory investigation in which they observe the effect of temperature and pH on enzyme activity. Students also examine exposure to heavy metal ions and the effect that may have on enzyme activity.

Students are able to describe earth processes (e.g., rusting, weathering, erosion) that have affected selected physical features in students, neighborhoods. They are able to identify various earth structures (e.g., mountains, faults,...

What better way to learn about ecosystems than by getting outside and observing them first hand? Accompanying a field trip to a local park or outdoor space, this series of collaborative activities engages children in...

Roll up your sleeves and get a little dirty with this elementary and middle school compost lesson. All you need is a large plastic container, a couple old newspapers, some organic waste, and a few hundred worms and you're ready...

Some organisms spend their entire lives in leaf litter. The third in a series of six is a great lesson exploring the community of leaf litter. Groups gather and then spread leaf litter over white paper and remove leaves/twigs while...

Students explore the environment by building a mock ecosystem. In this rainforest analysis lesson, students define many environmental and rainforest related vocabulary terms and discuss the current status of our planet's rainforests....

Students observe and record the changes they see when adding heat and cold to objects. In this changes lesson plan, students experiment with different objects and see if heat and cold change the makeup of the object. They then record...

Take a walk through the forest as the leaves change color and fall from the trees, making way for a new ecosystem cycle to cycle through. An inquiry-based lesson plan examines how the process of decomposition eliminates tons of...

Garbage, recycle, compost: Does it really matter where we put our trash once we are done? By making detailed observations over seven weeks, kids will see which materials break down naturally to become a healthy part of the soil, and...

Steel is an example of homogeneous mixture, also called an alloy, which is made of iron and carbon. The presentation introduces learners to elements, compounds, and mixtures. They explore their similarities and differences, and then take...

Students consider that under certain conditions in nature tend to remain the same or move toward a balance. They observe populations and determine the functions (e.g., de-composers, producers, consumers) they serve in an ecosystem. They...

Seventh graders complete a virtual online salt marsh tour. In groups, they observe and identify the various types of animals found in the marsh. After categorizing the animals, they create a food web based on the animals role in the...

Students examine soil. In this soil composition instructional activity students participate in soil sedimentation and filtration activities. The students discuss what non-living and living things are in soil and why it is so important.

Students explain how the elements are arranged in the periodic table. In this chemistry lesson, students determine the subatomic particles for certain elements. They research the physical and chemical properties of an element they chose.

Pupils define soil, dirt, clay, silt, and sand. They conduct an online scavenger hunt, answer pre-written online questions on a piece of paper, and play the Earth Materials Game after completing the scavenger hunt.

Students identify ecological elements and their factors on species, populations and food webs. They analyze ecosystems for these elements and research how these factors influence species survival rate. Predictions on conditions over time...

Sixth graders draw a habitat and write about what they would need to survive in the habitat. They define the input of items such as materials, energy, and information, and what goes out of the habitat. They play a "Habitat Address" game,...

Pupils examine how food webs illustrate the ways in which organisms depend on each other for energy and nutrients, and make food webs showing the feeding relationships among organisms encountered in the Gal??pagos coastal waters.