Students explain basic principles of aeronautics such as gravity and lift. In this How Things Fly lesson, students visit the interactive, hands-on How Things Fly gallery at the Smithsonian. Students perform three experiments that...

Students investigate human needs and how they have adapted to different environments. They complete an experiment to discover the effect of stress on muscles. They use the food pyramid to create a plan for healthy eating.

Students examine the roles of the immune system in keeping the body healthy. They see how engineers contribute to this process by creating antibiotics, and vaccinations. They discuss how an astronauts' immune system may be suppressed...

Students examine and compare primary and secondary source accounts of the Wright brothers' first flights on December 17, 1903.

Students, by drawing on their own experiences, discuss and examine the basic physics of flight. They participate in a variety of activities regarding flight.

Students observe human health by analyzing different food groups. In this food pyramid lesson, students utilize the web to complete an interactive food pyramid game as well as research the nutrition encyclopedia. Students discuss their...

Students analyze the factors that affect exploration such as religion, trade, territorial expansion, and science. In this Great Explorations activity, students determine the names of famous explorers as well as their routes and...

Students study water resources that are important to the people of North American and Africa. They use satellite images and data to explore how human actions can degrade, improve, or maintain water resources. They analyze and interpret...

Learners study black history, examine portraits and portrait making and create their own portraits, and  investigate their natural environment. This humanities lesson provides a text that can be used to teach lessons in black...

Students study the Curtis- Shapley debate which highlighted the view of human place in the universe. They examine the clash of these two astronomers in a debate which took place in 1920.

Students use a ball to push and pull to demonstrate the concept of force. In this force lesson plan, students talk about the importance of force in space and use balls to demonstrate this phenomena.

High schoolers explain that a landscape painting may or may not accurately represent a specific place. They identify techniques that create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface.

Students study the basics of parachuting.  In this flight and aerodynamics instructional activity students make a simple parachute and investigate different variables that can cause potential problems.

Students investigate African Americans in aviation. In this primary resources lesson plan, students examine primary resources to research the history of African American in aviation. Students answer two research questions and write an...

Students watch segments of a NASA program called "Doing More In Less". In groups, they examine the concept of human exploration and how NASA has contributed to specific research. They are introduced to new vocabulary and answer...

Students write and communicate mathematically with their classmates. They discuss the mathematics that it took to allow us to conquer space and land on the moon. They sketch a plaque they would leave on the moon.

Students read and study an article then answer questions on Saturn.  For this investigative lesson students identify ways space exploration has helped humanity and then they search the Internet for space pictures and sketch a...

Learners observe photographs of selected twentieth-century aircraft at the National Air and Space Museum and note differences in the design of aircraft wings, fuselages, and engines.

Students examine a recent flight of Pathfinder. In groups, they use the information to create a table of values showing the battery charge of the space machine. They predict what the charge would be further on in the mission. They use...

Learners examine a Baga Drum in order to explore the history of the Baga people of West Africa. In this art history lesson, students recognize figures used in Baga Drum design that represent aspects of Baga culture. They also design and...

Young scholars investigate different types of building structures and how they are able to stand up to earthquakes. Through comparison they determine which buildings are better able to handle earthquakes than others. They create a...

Blast off! An engaging hands-on activity has pupils create rockets powered by Alka-Seltzer. They learn about the physics behind these rockets throughout the process.

Did you know that modern Chinese literature “grew from the psychoanalytical theory of Sigmund Freud”? Designed for a world literature class, seniors are introduced to “One Evening in the Rainy Season,” Shi Zhecun’s stream of...

Students discover the techniques meteorologists use to examine the atmosphere. In groups, they build their own weather station and observe the various weather conditions. They identify the types of weather patterns that allow the...