Build up from the previous activity where your learners charted the population growth and decay of a fish pond with M&Ms®. Have them look at the data from that activity and create a Now-Next, or recursive equations, to predict the...

Control the spread of a contagious disease. An applet allows pupils to run a simulation on the spread of a disease. Rules govern how the disease is spread and the length of time it takes to recover. Learners view the spread visually and...

Just how big is Earth's moon? With a hands-on simulation, scholars use Play-Doh to model the sizes of the planets Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and their moons. They make predictions as a class, work together to make their models, and discuss...

A change in a parameter can end in overpopulation. The resources gives pupils the opportunity to control the parameters of rabbits and wolves in a natural setting. Using the set parameters, the simulation runs and displays the population...

Aspiring astronomers study stars. They compare stars and explain the relationship between radius, mass, and diameter. By creating a star simulation, they discover how a binary star system's orbit can cause changes in the observed...

Groups simulate an orbit using a piece of string and a water balloon. Individuals spin in a circular path and calculate the balloon's velocity when the clothes pin can no longer hold onto the balloon.

Pupils explore data collection in this lesson. They investigate distance vs. time and velocity vs. time graphs using information collected with a CBR 2 to simulate the reconstruction of an accident.

Model an oil spill cleanup. An engaging engineering lesson has groups using aerogels to simulate an oil spill cleanup (vegetable oil in water). Along the way, they learn about nanotechnology and hydrophilia/hydrophobia.

Dressing for success is not always about looking sharp. Sometimes it is about staying warm and dry. Present your class with an activity that challenges groups of pupils to design a layered material for blizzard conditions. The teams test...

Fifth graders accurately measure the distance to eight points on an uneven surface by conducting a simulation of sattelite altimetry. They create a two-dimensional model of the simulated ocean surface by graphing data from the Radar Run...

Students choose natural phenomena to research. They design and conduct experiments or simulations. Students predict, gather, and analyze data. They graph the results using a spreadsheet software.

Students use the internet to research how biometrics is being used in the real world today. They work together to research hand geometry applications. They share their findings with the class.

Students explore how the brain works. In this nervous system lesson plan, students create a network of "neurons" to simulate how the nervous system and the brain work together.

Many people confuse atomic mass and atomic numbers. The sixth of seven lessons in a unit requires scholars to find the weight of different groups of pennies. Then, they must solve how many of each type of penny exists in a closed system...

What do a cheetah, Audi commercial, and air have in common? They're all topics of an engaging inquiry-based, hands-on workshop for educators about background knowledge, reading strategies, the CER model, and argumentative writing. The...

Students investigate the laws of physics that govern the flight of helicopters and airplanes. They build and launch a model rotor, simulating rotors used on helicopters to provide lift.

Students are given a budget and an alternative-fuel vehicle. Using a map of Texas, they are given a starting point and determine how to arrive at their destination within 72 hours. They use the internet to research the alternative fuel...

Lift—it is about the wing's attack. Using a virtual wind tunnel, pupils investigate wing shape and angle of attack. Learners use worksheets to record their observations and to convert verbal relationships into mathematical equations in...

What does your class know about GMOs? Are they savvy to selective breeding? Challenge young minds to engineer the greatest crop of all time using a hands-on genetics unit. Learners discover the good and bad details of selective breeding,...

Students investigate forms of energy as well as light and sound. In this science instructional activity, students participate in hands-on activities that require them to evaluate how sound affects astronauts in flight. A video of this...

Students examine worm habitats. For this animal habitats lesson, students participate in a lab activity that requires them to explore the adaptations that earthworms make to their environment.

Various computational physics models including interactive applications for practicing physics problems.