Students will create animals that have adaptations that would enable them to survive in environments that evolve after they have learned about Classification and the Animal Kingdom.
Meet the Bio Builders—a team of scientists at the Thomson Lab who are using stem cells to repair damaged tissue and improve human health treatments.
Resources available for learning about this lab include:
• Interactive cards designed to introduce students to scientists in a more personal way
• A video with a personal story that explains why the lab's research matters in real life
• Questions to consider that will spark connection, reflection, and conversation
• An interactive video experience where you can ask questions of scientists in the lab and learn about their research
• An inquiry-based activity that focuses on doing science, using some of the same science practices that the lab uses
• An educator guide with information about standards alignment, curriculum connections, and tips for using the media resources
These resources are part of Meet the Lab, a collection of educational resources for middle school classrooms.
This is a lesson that could also be used as an assessment for students who are learning about the Kingdoms of Life.
The Science Buddies website offers a lesson plan called the “Rubber Band Car Challenge” designed for grades 6-8. In this engaging engineering activity, students build rubber band-powered cars using readily available craft supplies. The challenge is to construct a car that can travel as far as possible while being mindful of the materials used. The lesson plan includes learning objectives related to designing devices based on specific criteria, evaluating competing design solutions, and understanding concepts like kinetic and potential energy, force, and friction. Students can enter their car designs in the 2024 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge for a chance to win a cash prize for their school. The lesson aligns with Next Generation Science Standards and encourages hands-on exploration of physics concepts. The materials allowed for building the cars include items like CDs, plastic bottle caps, paper, wooden pencils, straws, and rubber bands. Teachers can find detailed instructions and guidelines on the Science Buddies website
Meet the Virus Investigators—a team of scientists at the John W. and Jeanne M. Rowe Center for Research in Virology who study how viruses replicate and evolve so that we can better control them!
Resources available for learning about this lab include:
• Interactive cards designed to introduce students to scientists in a more personal way
• A video with a personal story that explains why the lab's research matters in real life
• Questions to consider that will spark connection, reflection, and conversation
• An interactive video experience where you can ask questions of scientists in the lab and learn about their research
• An inquiry-based activity that focuses on doing science, using some of the same science practices that the lab uses
• An educator guide with information about standards alignment, curriculum connections, and tips for using the media resources
These resources are part of Meet the Lab, a collection of educational resources for middle school science classrooms.
In this lesson students will learn about food allergies and how food manufacturing companies, like McCain Foods, work hard to properly label foods and protect against cross contamination. Students will analyze data from allergen testing and make recommendations to improve cleaning procedures.
In this lesson, students will learn about the different properties of paper towels and design a method for testing paper towel absorbency and strength.