Class members explore the carbon cycle in the final installment of the 10-part Discover Your Changing World series. They play a simulation game where they walk through the steps carbon takes as it cycles through the different layers...

Human impact on habitats can be alarming. A hands-on activity has learners explore the impact of human interactions with different environments using a gamified approach. They simulate the impact of a species' abundance under different...

It's the attack of the invasive species! Young scientists simulate the behavior of an invasive species with a game-like activity. They assume the roles of native plants, invasive plants, and resources and watch the invasive plant takes...

Catch the fast wave. Using a computer simulation, pupils experiment with amplitude, frequency, damping, and tension of a string to determine which affects the speed of the wave. Learners record the observations to determine their...

A hummingbird isn't the only bird with a unique beak. After a discussion about the specific characteristics of bird beaks, pupils complete a station rotation and use different tools to simulate the function of different beaks. They...

But for a fluke, 1862 could have gone differently during the Civil War. When Union troops found Robert E. Lee's battle plans for critical engagements in Maryland wrapped around cigars and tossed aside, history changed forever. Class...

A day in the life of a wasp queen is not as royal as it may sound. Pupils assume the role of the wasp queen to complete an interactive activity that simulates building a colony. They make decisions along the way and note the changes from...

Individuals have $50,000 to spend on a program at their schools—what will they do with the money? After looking at the Constitutional mandate, learners use a census simulation activity to consider the question. After conducting their own...

The census has been a part of the American landscape since the Constitution was written; however, it does have a history of controversy. Class members use a guided reading and simulation activity on developing census questions to...

Earthquakes are really no one's fault. A thorough lesson explains the different types of earthquakes how they happen. Learners interact with the online lesson to simulate earthquakes and examine their results. The lesson is appropriate...

Patience is the name of the game. Using Plaster of Paris and chicken bones, learners simulate an archeological dig site. They excavate the chicken bones over a period of several days using tools and a large amount of patience.

Perhaps one day humans will learn to control the weather. Future scientists simulate clouds and fog in a plastic bottle. They conduct an experiment where they place smoke and hot water in the bottle, then squeeze and release repeatedly....

Watch paper form anew. Scholars take part in an activity where they create new decorative paper from used white and colored office paper. They use a blender to make a pulp slurry, then place it into molds to form the paper. They learn...

My body is my castle. Pupils learn about the innate immune system in the second lesson plan of a three-part unit on the immune system by comparing the innate immune system to a castle and moat. Groups conduct a simulation where they try...

Stop the spread. Pupils work through two activities to gain an understanding of vaccines and immunity. Learners research different types of vaccines and how they are made and explore the advantages and disadvantages of them. Using a...

Light up the class's knowledge. Pupils build a simple circuit using a battery, wire, and a light bulb and create a diagram of their circuit. The teacher provides a short lecture on a complete circuit, calling attention to the direction...

Young scholars gain insight into how historians record events by engaging in an oral history project. In preparation, class members brainstorm open-ended interview questions and take part in and debrief a mock interview simulation....

Pledge your loyalty to the king and the Stamp Act or sign an oath against the tax. After simulating an in-class tax for school supplies, young historians consider the reasons for the Stamp Act and similar colonial policies. The...

The lesson is real—even if the computer code isn't. Scholars learn about pseudocode, which simulates computer code using everyday language. They write pseudocode for simple actions, then have classmates guess the action from the written...

Help mice beat the odds with an exciting activity about traits. Biologists discover the role of diet and other factors on animal traits by participating in a simulation activity. Teams collect and evaluate data to understand how certain...

Renew one's interest in renewable energy sources. Scholars learn about the advantages and disadvantages of various renewable and non-renewable energy sources. They conduct an activity to simulate the greenhouse effect and take part in a...

The moon is famous for its craters, but they haven't always been there. Young learners experiment with materials to simulate the creation of moon craters. Pupils are able to see patterns in their materials that are similar to the...

Driving a Mars rover is a challenging task. Learners play a board game that simulates the decisions scientists and engineers make while controlling the rover. Their task involves building a command sequence to get from point A to point B...

Who needs the daylight to simulate a lunar eclipse? Astronomers model the positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon to explain the necessary conditions for a lunar eclipse. Investigators cut and label a paper plate to represent the Earth and...