What does it take to produce all of the proteins that make up a living organism? An amazing series of events! Biology novices review the steps of protein synthesis by breaking down transcription and translation in detail. Colorful...

Get a detailed look at plate tectonics with a 14-slide presentation that highlights the Earth's layers, continental drift, seafloor spreading, the theory of plate tectonics, and boundary types. Each slide provides thorough...

Is assembling the periodic table as simple as Tetris? Scholars arrange colored cards into a logical order and then make connections to the arrangement of the periodic table. Hands-on activities include adding trend arrows and analyzing...

Students read Diary of a Worm by Foreen Cronin. In this journal writing lesson, students research an animal and write a diary by their animal. Students apply the research they've completed in their writings. Students share their diaries....

An interesting lesson takes pupils on a trip through the carbon cycle. A reading passage allows scholars to take notes and make choices about what happens to the carbon on its journey. This third lesson in a series of 21 discusses...

Want your class to digest text more thoroughly? Middle schoolers learn about the digestive system in the lesson and reinforce informational text reading skills through a variety of strategies. They engage in a close reading...

Here's a lesson that just might make your class squirm! Learn about segmented worms in a detailed PowerPoint presentation including the wriggly earthworms young scientists dig up in their backyards. Although seemingly simple creatures,...

Should people take vitamins or get the needed minerals through diet? Experts disagree based on many different factors. Scholars compare study findings and discuss the differences. They learn the importance of comparing results across...

For as small as they are, there sure is a lot of information for young scientists to learn about bacteria. Help simplify the subject with this instructional presentation that explores the structure, nutrition, and reproduction of...

Take science lovers on an out-of-this-world tour of the solar system. A PowerPoint presentation gives a pictorial view of the planets of the solar system. Images highlight the unique features of each planet, and the final slides include...

Middle and high schoolers solve a riddle about the appendix, and explore the paradox surrounding this organ. They research other human body organs to create a paper model of the human body, and write riddles highlighting identifying...

When you take a simple task and create an exceptionally difficult way to complete it, it is known as a Rube Goldberg machine. These machines are filled with many types of energy transfers and energy transformations. Here, pupils...

Get your class outside to observe their surroundings with a lesson highlighting weather patterns and seasonal changes. First, learners take a weather walk to survey how the weather affects animals, people, plants, and trees during...

Penguins are very diverse and well-adapted birds; they live on islands, in warm and cold climates. Little ones examine penguin diversity and discuss the highly functional adaptive traits that have helped them survive in some of the...

Too much material will weigh you down. The sixth segment in a series of 22 highlights how weight affects a plane. Pupils learn that engineers take the properties of materials, including weight, when designing something. 

Students view a video about cost of materials. They work together to develop their own backpack taking note of the cost of materials. They create an advertisement to accompany their creation. They share their ideas with the class.

Robert Hass's article "Rivers and Stories" underscores the importance of rivers in the development of civilization and the importance of reclaiming supposedly dead rivers and implementing policies that protect river health. Groups...

Use chemistry to change pennies into gold coins! The experimental procedure leads learners through the process of changing copper pennies to silver and then to gold. They record the mass of each coin through every step of the experiment.

How can removing water change the color of a substance? Lab partners remove the water of crystallization from hydrated copper (II) sulfate, record their observations, then rehydrate the solid. The resource is printable and contains ideas...

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...

Students investigate past winter Olympic games utilizing any skiing or snowboarding event to take Newton's Challenge. Helpful Web resources are provided and students enjoy learning science laws along with researching Olympic events.

Learners learn about snow. In this snow themed lesson, students read a book, make a painting, and observe snow. A math activity timing how long it takes for snow to melt is included.

Pupils participate in a review unit in Astronomy using the Layered Curriculum. This allows them to take charge of the type of assessment that is given. The method also allows better differentiation of instruction to occur.

Eighth graders watch the "Earth, the Environment & Beyond" video on earthquakes. Take notes and give an oral summary. They build a working, two dimensional model of a strike-slip, thrust, or normal fault.