Middle School Projects, Lessons, Activities (Page 35)

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Electric paint is a fun way to include a circuit with lights in an art project, but it presents a challenge not found in traditional electronic circuits. What happens if you change the length or width of your strokes of paint, such as by painting longer, curvier lines or using a thicker brush? Could this affect the electrical properties of your circuit? Try this project to find out! Read more

Engineering Car Crash Safety with Newton's Third Law

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

1

2

3

4

5

6 reviews

Combine Newton's third law of motion with engineering design in one fun lesson! Your students will learn about equal and opposite reaction forces as they design and build a bumper to protect a toy car during a crash. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-PS2-1. Apply Newton's Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects.
MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Excess Volume: Investigate the "Shrinking Liquids" Effect

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Cooking, washing, and many industrial processes involve the mixing of liquids. How liquids behave when they are mixed is dependent on many factors. Sometimes, the mixing behavior of liquids can be quite surprising! For example, when you mix 50 mL of one liquid with 50 mL of another liquid, you might not end up with a 100 mL mixture! In this science project, you will explore this phenomenon, which we call the "excess volume" of mixtures. How do you think your mixing volumes will… Read more

Exploring Mummification with Hot Dogs

STEM Activity

1

2

3

4

5

75 reviews

Have you ever seen or heard of the movies "The Mummy" or "The Mummy Returns"? Mummies have often played a part in nightmares for Western cultures, but in ancient Egypt, mummification was a serious religious ritual thought to be necessary for a person to enjoy the afterlife. In this activity, you will learn about the science behind the process of mummification by mummifying a hot dog. Read more

Exploring the Impact of Social Media on Mental Health with Machine Learning

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Do you ever wonder if you spend too much time online? How can the amount of time spent on social media influence someone's mental health? What other factors play a role? In this science project, you will investigate which variables correlate with better mental health scores using a machine learning algorithm called the Random Forest algorithm. Read more

Flowers Seeking Pollinators

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-7th

1

2

3

4

5

10 reviews

"European honey bee extracts nectar" by John Severns In this activity, students learn about plant reproduction and use real data to construct explanations about which flowers are the most attractive to different pollinators. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-LS1-1. Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
MS-LS1-4. Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants, respectively.

Follow the Flow

Science Fair Project Idea

Engineering Design Process

This project is inspired by the Banaue Rice Terraces, 2,000 year old structures carved into mountainsides in the Philippines. See if you can recreate the water flow of this ancient marvel, often called the Eighth Wonder of the World, using just household materials! Looking for inspiration? You can see how other students have tackled this and other annual Science Buddies Engineering Challenges. Read more

Forensics: How Does It Matter? Measure the Spatter!

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

Every criminal leaves behind evidence at the crime scene. The trick to catching the criminal is collecting all of the evidence and making sense of it. This is what the forensic expert does. In this science project you will be correlating the size of blood stains to the distance they fell, but do not get too grossed out. You will be doing it with fake blood. If you like figuring out mysteries, this is the science project for you! Read more

Fossil Fuels: Air Pollution and the Greenhouse Effect

Lesson Plan Grade: 4th-8th

1

2

3

4

5

2 reviews

"Nuclear Power Plant Cattenom" © 2005 Stefan Kühn In these two activities, students will explore two consequences of burning fossil fuels: air pollution and the greenhouse effect. For a comprehensive unit on fossil fuels, this lesson works especially well as an extension to Fossil Fuels: Chocolate Chip Mining. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

4-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and that their uses affect the environment
MS-ESS3-4. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.

Fossil Fuels: Chocolate Chip Mining

Lesson Plan Grade: 4th-8th

1

2

3

4

5

10 reviews

NGSS Performance Expectations:

4-ESS3-1. Obtain and combine information to describe that energy and fuels are derived from natural resources and that their uses affect the environment.
MS-ESS3-4. Construct an argument supported by evidence for how increases in human population and per-capita consumption of natural resources impact Earth's systems.

Middle School Projects, Lessons, Activities (1,335 results)

Explore Our Science Videos