Use STEM activities within the class to provide connections to concepts. The resource includes activities that range from working with buoyancy to building rockets and launching them. Other activities involve the engineering design...

Work out your core, Common Core State Standards, through the first workshop in a series of 15 designed for educators. Inquiry-based activities designed for all content areas and grade levels explore the shifts to new standards,...

Thirty-eight pages of information prepares you to assign middle or high schoolers a project on sustainable energy. They take a pretest, review the scientific method, conduct background research, and finally choose an experiment to carry...

Pupils study tree identification. In this tree identification lesson, students design and assemble a tree tour booklet describing 5 trees found in their community. The booklet should feature common and Latin names of the species, a bark...

Students complete guided reading activities for the book, Saturday At The New You I by Barbara e. Barber. They read about a young girl who visits her mother's beauty salon on Saturdays. They answer pre-reading questions and decide...

Are you thinking about taking your class to the local zoo? Kids of all ages love visiting exotic animals in order to learn about biodiversity, habitat, and animal adaptations. Here is a 44-page activity guide that provides educators with...

Begin with an online pre-quiz about West Nile Virus. Using a fictional scenario, young epidemiologists read how it is transmitted and examine the stages of the life cycle of a mosquito. They imagine that they are members of the Centers...

Only eight problems are on this competitive national chemistry exam. It required the balancing of chemical equations, solving stoichiometry questions, and more. This is part two of three of the national exam. Also available is a...

Is one type of energy inherently good or bad? Young scientists explore energy resources in a week-long unit. After extensive research, groups create powerful position statements and presentations supporting their energy resource of choice.

Auntie Litter is here to educate young scholars about water pollution and environmental stewardship! Although the 15-minute video clip is cheesy, it's an engaging look at the water cycle and conservation. Learners start by illustrating...

Are you ready for the biggest astronomical event of the year? More importantly ... are you ready to share it with your scholars? Use a presentation filled with facts and diagrams to make sure everyone in class understands the importance...

Students examine a globe to locate the bodies of water present and create a representation of those bodies of water for further exploration of the concept. Extensions of their observations are made at school, home, and the community.

How is wind produced and is it a good source for energy production? Get some air moving in your class. Learners take a pre-test, watch a demonstration of how electricity can be generated by wind energy, test different turbine factors for...

Pupils explore botany by conducting a sunflower growth experiment. In this plant life lesson, students identify the anatomy of a sunflower plant and the essential nutrients it requires to grow. Pupils utilize compost, soil, garden spades...

Students detect water leaks. In this water conservation ecology lesson, students take a tour of the school grounds and identify sources of water and possible leaks. Students report leaks to the custodian and administration.

Students participate in an experiment that shows them how to use their senses to find their way "home." This experiment is based on the video that shows how salmon find their way to their home stream.

Young scholars analyze an environmental issue of local or regional interest and compare and contrast the roles of the individual and the community in responding to the issue. They discuss how values are expressed in environmental issues...

Students identify the common trees of Iowa and make observations while creating a key. In this tree hunt lesson, students write a letter to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to receive a pamphlet of Common Trees of Iowa. Students...

The I-STOP law was designed to regulate the distribution and tracking of prescription drugs. After reading an article about its signing and implementation, middle and high schoolers work together to come up with their own ideas for an...

Students investigate recycling at several scales, including local, state, national and global. They become aware of recycling, re-use, reduce efforts and policies. Students read the article Where Does Your Garbage Go. They look up where...

First graders identify the different stages in the hydrologic cycle. To study earth science, they investigate how sunlight affects the earth's temperature. They also discuss how the sun's energy is transformed.

Students in this inquiry-based experiment, put in the role of a method development chemist. The scenario they are given is that a train wreck has occurred resulting in a chemical spill. Students are told that the spill mixture consists...

Students study the characteristics of wetlands. They are introduced to terms and different examples of wetlands. The hands-on activity reinforces the different parts of the wetlands, and provides a working model of a wetland.

Students determine ways of conserving water and write a Big Book about them. In this water conservation lesson, students participate in a puppet show about Drip and Drop, and ways to conserve water. They write a book that tells about...