Students identify and label the different parts of a robot, rover, or a spacecraft. They discuss and record all of the features their robot will need to accomplish its mission and be able to explain why they chose these features to...

Preparing the root tip samples is the most challenging part of the mitosis-viewing lab found here, but the directions help ensure you have everything you need. There is no worksheet included; however, there is a sample data table....

Students trap, collect and identify arthropods in a newly created desert tortoise preserve area over a period of one school year. They determine the rate at which various arthropods take up residence in the newly landscaped area. Data is...

Students conduct an experiment to determine how the absence of a root cap affects a plant's ability to sense gravity. They make comparisons between capped and decapped roots.

Students study living and non-living materials that are found in soil. They study the things required by plants and animals to remain healthy. They design a collage of sand, stones, leaves and other natural items.

Students study the advantages and disadvantages of bacteria.  In this bacteria lesson students draw and label the different types of bacteria.

Students increase awareness of organizations that grew out of necessity and increased social consciousness during the Civil War and Reconstruction. They trace the origins of three organizations founded for the common good. They link...

Students discover many facts about horseshoe crabs. Students identify the main body parts of horseshoe crab. They explore the habits of the horseshoe crab and their importances to the ecosystem. Adaptations for younger students are...

Middle schoolers examine the basic structures and functions of cells. They design and construct a factory cell model where each factory part corresponds to a cell part.

Students begin the lesson by collecting sand at low tide from a local beach. They place each specimen on trays with a tiny amount of seawater. After a week, they can observe the meiofauna present in the sand through a microscope. They...

Students view "The Danger Zone" to learn about food poisoning and the bacterial causes and prevention. Students look at slides, use a worksheet, "Microbial Bugs"and the internet to identify and learn about each bacterium.

Learners use a written key or illustrated key to identify fungi on plant leaves into its genus based on sexual or asexual reproduction, host range diversity, and host-parasite relationships.

Students examine an ecosystem and record what they see.  In this ecosystem lesson students use a worksheet to help them identify the organisms in their ecosystem. 

Learners discuss certain properties of salt and how it is used every day as well as harmful uses. They experiment with salt to see it conduct electricity, form crystals and water freezing temperature. They complete a worksheet to record...

Students observe mold growth on bread. In this mold growth lesson, students place bread in various locations and in various conditions to investigate how location, moisture, temperature, and other variable impact the growth of mold on...

Eighth graders, after creating a Venn Diagram comparing/contrasting animal and plant cells, writing ten similes describing cell types, or drawing a colored diagram of a cell, list cell types as well as describe and label cell parts. They...

Students investigate the effects of urban pollution on plankton. In this plankton and pollution lesson plan, students use samples of plankton collected in urban areas to observe the effects of pollution on plankton samples. They...

Students test the pH of everyday substances. In this chemistry instructional activity, students test the pH of household substances using litmus paper to classify substances as acids or bases, then use pH to test the validity of the...

Third graders utilize the scientific method to explain light and optics in this five lessons unit. Through experimentation and discussion, 3rd graders canvass the concepts of light traveling, reflection and refraction.

High schoolers examine the guidelines the United States Department of Agriculture places on food. In groups, they create a list of the foods they consume and discuss the political and environmental implications of purchasing the food. ...

Students determine seed dispersal methods. In this life science lesson, students make predictions about how seeds might move, then look at seeds under micrographs or microscopes to analyze the seed coat and how this helps dispersal. ...

Students examine and sort seeds. In this life science lesson, students make general observations of a tub of seeds, then develop sorting criteria for sorting the deeds. Lesson includes extension activities.

Students complete a sand analysis project.  In this sand grains instructional activity, students learn background information on how sand is formed and what sand grains are made of.  Students are given bags of sand and use them...

Students investigate the characteristics harmful and helpful bacteria and observe structures within the bacterial cells. They use micro-slide viewers to observe the shapes of various bacteria and the structures within the bacterial cell.