In The Hunger Games novel and movie, a futuristic, dystopian society is the setting. In it, a genetically engineered bird escapes control of the government. Using this as a starting point, teenagers examine the realistic possibility of...

Have your class talk about the importance of the rainforest and the products that come from it. Learners watch a video showing the path of chocolate from the rainforest to the supermarket. They discuss how the rainforest and...

What are characteristics of a planet? With this plan, learners investigate the characteristics of the planets in our solar system. They gather research of the nine planets by using the Internet and other research tools. Then they create...

Help young researchers find credible sources online. Modeling with a Google search for information about Shakespeare’s Macbeth, use a computer projector or Smart Board to show class members how weak the top three search results are....

For the warm-up in this cool climate instructional activity, you will need to click on "Mapping" and then "US Mapping" once you arrive at NOAA's "US Climate at a Glance" page. Earth science explorers realize that 2012 was a warm winter...

There is a specific zone, or distance from a star, that a planet must be in order to have water in a liquid form. The activity demonstrates how flux density depends on its distance from the source. A photovoltaic cell gets power to...

Oh, no! An asteroid is on a collision course with Earth!. Class members must rise to the challenge of designing a shelter that will protect people from the impact and permit them to live in this shelter for one year. In this first lesson...

Learn about the study of medications, including those found in nature and those made synthetically. The first of four lessons in a series on pharmacology includes lectures, hands-on experiments, research, and more.

Students use library search engines to research an animal and its origin. In this animal research lesson, students research their assigned animal using ProQuest. Students then find the country of origin of the animal using a library...

Learners are introduced to desert plants and animals. They demonstrate that the name of an organism does not always match the object. Students perform a guided internet search in order to complete a report.

How do one's habits and lifestyle choices affect the environment? Through a short online survey, learners will calculate their own carbon footprints then determine how to reduce their impact on the environment through simple steps, such...

Role-play to learn. Writers pretend to be a team of news writers. They research information about genetically engineered corn and the impact of biotech food products. Then create a video, Powerpoint, or oral presentation to present their...

High schoolers plot particle sizes of common airborne materials on a log scale. They read an article on particle size and its relationship to the ability to pass through the lungs, into the bloodstream, and eventually into the cells...

How many noodles long is your classroom? Find out when engineers of all ages explore measurement through the use of pool noodles. With the noodles pre-cut to certain metric lengths, the activities could be used to introduce the metric...

Fourth graders study the planets of our Solar System collecting data on a worksheet. They use online tools to create a puzzle or other digital product using the information from their research.

Practice Internet research skills. Each class member will need Internet access in order to follow along as you model how to search using key words and to do their own research on African and Asian elephants. Their notes will go into a...

Find the article, "In the Thick of Air Pollution," not through the resource link in the instructional activity, but through an Internet search. Have high schoolers read it and perform calculations with the statistics provided. The...

Students identify different breeds of cattle and select one breed to investigate further. They gather information online about breed's origin, physical characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages, and present their findings orally to...

What happens to the wood a termite eats? Pupils learn about the three types of symbiosis with pictures of symbiotic pairs. Afterward, they determine whether there is a symbiotic relationship with a termite by dissecting termites and...

A comprehensive lesson on acceleration awaits your physicists and engineers! Two YouTube videos pique their interest, then sample F=ma problems are worked and graphed. The highlight of the lesson is the building of a Lou-Vee air car!...

Third graders create reports in the fashion of small books. They write brief descriptions for a variety of topics and answering a variety of questions. They create a picture book for their individual animals. They utilize basic computer...

Discuss how much water an individual might use for a shower, brushing teeth, and other activities. The website containing actual water use data for comparison is not valid, but perhaps you can find another by a quick internet search. At...

Students experience the first lesson in computer servicing by observing computer components. They observe the internal workings of a computer during the lecture section of the lesson before dismantling a computer to identify its major...

Seamounts in the Coral and Tasman Seas are home to more than 850 different species. Groups explore hydrothermal vents, researching the organisms found there and their energy source. They also learn about seamounts, exploring their unique...