Middle schoolers use origami frogs to experience the scientific method. They define different scientific terms. Also they test a hypothesis and draw conclusions from observations to go through all the steps of the scientific method.

You are what you eat, as they say! Are you more starch or more protein? Young scholars use their knowledge of each component to test different foods for their content. Using multiple indicators, individuals describe the protein and...

True or false — Double Stuf Oreos always contain twice as much cream as regular Oreos. Scholars first measure the masses of the filling in regular Oreos and Double Stuf Oreos to generate a class set of data. They use hypothesis testing...

Heat up a lesson on solar energy by building a circuit for a cooling fan. Given a solar module and a DC motor, scholars develop hypotheses for how to make the fan turn. They test out their hypotheses, and then draw a circuit diagram to...

Scholars watch a video and meet a scientist who is studying sharks as she explains her observations about the sharks and provides her hypothesis to explain their behavior. Learners then act like a scientist as they watch an aquarium...

The tension builds as learners experiment in your classroom. The 17th installment in a 24-part series has scholars investigate the concept of surface tension. After discovering characteristics of surface tension, they add a compound...

What can conductivity tell us about a glacier? Groups analyze glacial melt to determine salt content through an analysis of the pH and conductivity measurements of two samples. Groups then determine the source of the salts. 

Where does the mass for a growing tree come from? Scholars consider a few different hypotheses and guess which is correct. They then analyze data from different experiments to understand which concepts science supports.

Who pilfered the pin? Scholars practice measurement skills as they solve the mystery of a stolen pin. They measure length, temperature, and mass and determine which of select suspects committed the crime. During the STEM hands-on...

Take any number, multiply it by five, and then divide by five. Did you end up with the original number? In the same vein as the previous lesson plan, pupils discover the relationship between multiplication and division. They develop the...

Ignore the full moon, it's just a phase. Young scholars observe and record the moon during a full cycle before learning to predict future phases. Then the instructor leads a discussion on the other solar system objects that...

Incorporate reading strategies, math, research, and the scientific method into one lesson plan about water conservation. After reading a story about a landlady trying to determine how many people are living in an apartment, learners...

Lab groups fill a section of dialysis tubing with glucose and starch solutions and suspend it in a water bath. They use iodine as a starch indicator and a glucose test strip to find out if either of the materials crossed the selectively...

Your eyes each work independently, so how do we only see one image? The quick hands-on experiment encourages young scientists to test their blind spots on each eye individually. After learning where the blind spot is and why it exists,...

If you need a way to reinforce the scientific method in your elementary classroom, use a science experiment about GloFish. The resource includes several pages of worksheets that guide learners through making a hypothesis, testing their...

Middle schoolers make a link between prediction and hypothesis in math and science. Based on data collected over one week, students evaluate the predictions of local weather forecasters, compare the predicted outcomes to the actual...

Become a bean counter. Pupils use a fun activity to design and execute an experiment to determine whether they can grab more beans with their dominant hand or non-dominant hand. They use the class data to create scatter plots and then...

Can you find the themes from Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea in other books? What about picture books? Compare the novel to a picture book with a lesson about making predictions and finding textual evidence.

Encourage close reading for young learners with a lesson based on Natalie Babbitt's Tuck Everlasting. The first part of the resource guides readers through a Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA), prompting them to make...

As part of a Directed Reading Thinking Activity (DRTA) class members are asked to predict events in Patricia Polacco's Pink and Say based on illustrations in the story, on their knowledge of Steven Crane's The Red Badge of Courage,...

Encourage your students' inner scientist by conducting experiments and recording their findings. This printable incorporates every part of the scientific method into an easy-to-read outline of experimental questions, research,...

When biologists installed cameras in Gorongosa National Park, they ended up viewing a lot more than the lions they were trying to help! Young ecologists observe one of Africa's most beautiful savanna regions with interactive trail camera...

Step right up! An engaging research-centered instructional activity, the third in a series of six, has young archaeologists study the amazing animals of the Cambrian explosion. Working in groups, they profile a breathtaking and odd...

Have you ever wanted to know the true structure of E.coli? Does the thought of peering into its "small world" sound exciting? Here is a lesson that allows pupils the ability to do just that. Blossoming microbiologists use...