Students read and discuss Boyle's Mechanical Philosophy and his rejection of Aristotle's theory of "Forms and Qualities." They answer a given set of questions and discuss these with the class.

Students investigate Nanotechnology. In this physic's lesson, students evaluate a hands-on model made from chocolate syrup and pretzels to determine the advantages of size.  Students weigh chocolate syrup to determine it's wait...

In this solar flares learning exercise, students observe a sequence of figures of a solar flare observed in 2003 from the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager satellite. Students solve 6 problems including finding the scale of...

Students examine the gold-mining industry in Africa. In this geography skills lesson, students watch "Africa: Economics and Change," investigate the challenges of working in mines, research attributes and production of gold and discuss...

Ninth graders describe that matter is made of minute particles called atoms, explain structure and properties of atoms, classify chemicals, locate chemicals on the periodic table, and play Jeopardy.

Fourth graders explore plant life by completing an Internet activity. For this botany lesson, 4th graders identify the types of plants that grow locally and the different soils they utilize to survive. Students read assigned text about...

Students read an article about probability and radon. They practice using a hand held geiger counter to understand the properties of radiation and radioactivity. They identify the harmful and helpful effects of radiation as well.

Cancer patients need as much help as they can get. Future engineers design a system that delivers cancer medicine to the lungs but doesn't harm other organs. Using ferrofluids and iron particles, they test out their delivery systems.

Students explore the different forms that water can take and conduct simple experiments to demonstrate some of its properties in each state. They watch a short video that illustrates some of these concepts.

Second graders explain the definition of hail and sleet. In this precipitation lesson, 2nd graders discuss when hail and sleet fall and the results of hail falling.

Fourth graders investigate conditions causing saturation and measure the dew point of the atmosphere performing simple experiments.

Students use sight, touch and chemical test kits to evaluate and classify soil types. They determine the organic content, soil pH, conduct visual analysis and nutrient tests of a variety of soil samples from various sources.

Fifth graders compare and identify variables that affect the rate of a chemical change using Alka-Seltzer, water, ice, and hot water. They time how long each variable takes to pop the canister into the air, and record the results on a...

Seventh graders examine the different types of pollutants. In this environmental science lesson, 7th graders observe particulate matter under a microscope. They explain how these can affect once health when breathed in large quantities...

Students define vocabulary related to the parts of the atom.  In this matter instructional activity, students navigate the web to find the structure and the forces that affect atoms.  Students complete an experiment with...

Students observe examples of physical changes that can take place between the three states of matter and develop common sense and intuition in distinguishing between chemical and physical changes. They observe diagrams on the board from...

Young scholars create a paper dart airplane and measure its flight pattern. In this flight lesson, students follow the included directions to build their own paper airplane. The young scholars change the aileron configurations to see how...

Students use indicator paper to determine if substances are acidic, basic, or neutral. They test for Ph levels in them. They investigate the effect of oxygen on darkening fruit cut and exposed to the air. They observe vitamin C as an...

Students examine the motif of spinning and weaving in myths and folktales. They read various myths, complete a WebQuest, develop a mind map of story elements, and write an original "spider" story.

Second graders identify animals with each letter of the alphabet. In groups, they create a PowerPoint presentation which shows the information they have collected about each one. Using all of this information, they create an animal...

In this leaf chromatography worksheet, students separate the pigments of a leaf using paper chromatography. They answer 4 questions about their results and draw the colors they observe on their chromatogram from the leaf.

Students read A Tree is Nice and It Could Still Be a Tree. In this tree planting lesson, students compare and contrast private property and common resources. Students identify the needs of a tree and follow the directions to plan a tree...

Students understand the importance of trees to the environment and their community. In this Earth Day lesson, students discuss the value of trees and plan a project to plant trees. Students understand the role of an environmentalist and...

Students explain basic principles of aeronautics such as gravity and lift. In this How Things Fly lesson, students visit the interactive, hands-on How Things Fly gallery at the Smithsonian. Students perform three experiments that...