Students design an environmentally friendly home.  In this middle school math/science instructional activity, students watch videos on creating green design.  Students work in collaborative groups to determine what makes a...

Students construct their own rocket-powered boat called an "aqua-thruster." These aqua-thrusters will be made from a film canister and will use carbon dioxide gas - produced from a chemical reaction between an antacid tablet and water -...

In this astronomy as a career worksheet, students use 2 graphs to answer 4 questions about the number of PhDs awarded, the number of PhD's awarded compared to Bachelor's degrees in astronomy and factors that might be involved in the...

Fifth graders brainstorm a list of ways the Earth's surface can change. As a class, they are introduced to the concepts of erosion and weathering and discover how wind and water cause changes to the surface of the Earth. To end the...

Learners explore the expanding universe.  In this science lesson plan, students use balloons to model the expansion of the universe. Learners take measurements of the balloon expansion and answer questions directed to develop...

Eighth graders visit the Virtual Earthquake Web site and complete activities that demonstrate how geologists locate the epicenters of earthquakes. The site uses actual data from historic earthquakes.

Students investigate vocabulary words associated with electricity.  In this electrical lesson, students utilize the Internet to research what electricity is and how it works.  Students create an actual circuit in class using a...

Students view a presentation of water and land and how we need to protect our water resources. In this water lesson plan, students discuss how we rely on water, and complete activities in all subjects related to water.

Sixth graders explore process of drying food using solar energy. They cook and/or dry food such as pumpkins, watermelon, corn, and deer meat, explain how solar energy changes foods, and compare and contrast solar energy with other forms...

Students use and develop their spatial-visualization skills to represent features and physical objects on their playground. Working in groups, they use everyday classroom materials (blocks, crayons, counters, etc.) to build a simple...

Students identify how models are powerful tools of exploration and that the sizes of the planets and distances between the planets in the Solar System span a large range. They make a sign for each planet they have created in the lesson...

Students study drag and how it affects a parachute in the sky.  In this parachutes lesson students build models and compare their drag. 

Learners investigate how weight affects a parachute's rate of fall.  In this investigative lesson students test parachutes, average results and conclude what makes a faster descent.

Students investigate current models for Lunar and Martian settlements and study the mathematics behind these designs. They design their own Lunar or Martian settlement with an explanation of why their model would work best.

Students explore latest Mars rovers - Spirit and Opportunity. They investigate the nature of communications with the Rovers including use of Mars Orbiters as relay stations. They research needs of future missions and design...

Seventh graders observe that heat is produced when two substances are combined. They brainstorm how, and then experiment to find out which of two chemicals created the heat.

Students investigate why some sunrises and sunsets are unusually bright red.

Students investigate the motion of water currents by mapping the possible movement of messages cast into the ocean in bottles.They accurately plot the appearance of bottles on a world map and illustrate the flow of an ocean current...

Third graders watch a video on the solar system and examine the role of the sun. As a class, they complete a KWL chart and make different color temperature pockets to use during their experiment. In groups, they make predictions about...

Students perform a classroom activity of measuring the angular size of something from several distances. On the Internet, they obtain and examine images with various magnification factors and estimate the angular size of Andromeda.

Learners study the nature of a satellite's orbit around the Earth.

Ninth graders study the origin and organization of the solar system. They investigate the Earth's place in the system and how planetary motions explain natural phenomena observable from Earth.

Learners see the difference between weight and mass when they examine the method of measuring each of them.

Young scholars assess the environmental impact of their transportation choices. They keep a transportation journal and use a website to calculate vehicle emissions for themselves and their class. They evaluate their transportation choices.