Students explore the physical properties of sand, soil, and rocks and sort, classify, compare, and contrast the materials found in the soil. The differences between the living and non-living parts of the soil is discussed.

Using footballs, basketballs, tennis balls, and more, learners conduct experiments to illustrate Newton's Laws of Motion.  The experiments are conducted outside, and require them to throw, kick, and hit a variety of balls. Your...

Be at the top of the food chain when it comes to understanding marine ecosystems. The 21st installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program investigates marine ecosystems, ocean zones, and food...

Over a 10-year period, EPA regulations cost businesses less than $30 billion, while businesses saved over $82 billion. Scholars experiment with acids and bases to better understand the pH scale. Then they debate environmental regulation...

Determine physical properties of potential packaging materials. Continuing from previous lessons in the series, the resource asks groups to identify physical properties of the substances. They test for conductivity, solubility, water...

Who's driving that car? Science is! Through a simulation, learners adjust the magnitude and angle of motion on a driverless car. Two different motions create a resultant motion. Vectors represent the motion and graphs depict the...

The first remote sensors were people in hot air balloons taking photographs of Earth to make maps. Expose middle school learners to space exploration with the use of remote sensing. Groups explore and make observations of a new...

Introduce materials science with a class demonstration. After showing a PowerPoint presentation on materials and their properties, instructors provide a ceramic tile, a Popsicle stick, a paper clip, and a plastic bag as examples of...

In the study of wind energy, scholars build a small windmill and observe how it transfers wind into mechanical energy. Learners will make connections to the previous lesson with concepts such as the creation of wind...

Bobsled riders' safety depends on skill ... and physics! Learners use a simulation to understand the physics behind the sport. They manipulate the speed, mass, and/or turn radius of the sled and watch the effects on the centripetal...

This is your brain on drugs ... literally! Your neuroscientists-in-training examine the evidence of drug use on the human brain and how neurons change their connectivity when altered by drugs. They then work together to create testing...

Your young environmentalists can calculate their carbon footprint and discuss ways to reduce it with a worksheet about climate change. After reading a handout about what impact one's carbon footprint can have on the environment, kids...

Looking to take a trip? Why not go to space? Here, scholars take on the role as travel agent to create a guide to their favorite planet including travel tips and sightseeing recommendations. 

Historians believe the first vertical water wheel was invented in Rome during the Augustan Age. The sixth lesson plan in the series of 10 has scholars experiment with designing their own water wheels. Through testing various pastas and...

Scientists state that the higher something is above the earth, the greater the gravitational potential energy. Does this mean there is more gravity acting on the moon than on an apple falling from a tree? Scholars adjust the distance...

An interactive lesson explores the effect of force angles on resulting forces. Learners adjust angles of strings supporting hanging portraits and watch the effects on the resultant force. Vector diagrams provide a visual representation...

Everything has potential energy; learning to use it is the key to understanding all types of energy. Scholars learn the difference between kinetic and potential energy. They then apply the concept to drawing examples of both types...

After nine lessons and activities about energy, here is the final assessment. The 20-questions include multiple choice, multiple choice with justification, short answer, answer analysis, and labeling diagrams to challenge learners.

Gravity does more than keep our feet on the ground — it holds a satellite in orbit, too. Help learners understand the effects of gravity on an orbiting object through a simulation activity. Individuals adjust a launch speed and watch as...

Everything is made up of atoms, but what are atoms made up of? The simulation explores subatomic particles. It focuses on hadron, boson, and lepton groupings as scholars learn about quarks, neutrinos, gluons, and more.

Outer space may be a lot closer than you think! Science scholars model the layers of the atmosphere using transparencies to gain insight into the scale of space. The resource includes ideas to tailor the activity to the skill level of...

Low tides, high tides, spring tides, neap tides, diurnal tides, semidiurnal tides, mixed tides ... just how many types of tides are there? The 10th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO)...

"Neuroscientists consider Cajal as important to their discipline as Einstein is to physics." The first of four lessons has scholars view Santiago Ramon y Cajal's drawings of neurons. They reflect and respond to the art through writing...