Biodiversity Big Ideas (Five Sessions; Each 45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Explore the rich array of life on Earth, from the colorful creatures of the tropical rainforest to the desert’s amazingly adapted plants and animals. Through modeling, observation of various media sources, and hands-on investigation, students will develop an understanding of what plants need to grow, the interdependent relationship among plants and animals, and the structures and behaviors that help living things survive. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 2-LS2-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow. 2-LS2-2 Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants. 2-LS4-1 Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.

Biomimicry to Me (Five Sessions; Each 45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Everyone loves animals! But did you know that we can copy our favorite animals’ special qualities to create inventions? That’s called biomimicry! In this series, learn all about what adaptations are, how they help animals survive in their unique environments, and how we mimic these solutions to solve everyday problems. Help apply what you learn throughout the series to solve a problem and design a unique solution with 3D printing pens. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 1-LS1-1 Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs. K-2-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.

Circle of Life (Five Sessions; Each 45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Zoey can’t wait to become a zoologist! Help Zoey apply what she’s learning about in school, from animal adaptations, life cycles, to behaviors that parent animals do to help their babies survive. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 1-LS1-2 Read text and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive. 1-LS3-1 Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.

Backyard Safari (45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Have you ever wanted to go on a safari? Well, let us introduce Mickey. He’s a small but mighty puppy who loves other animals and especially loves noticing patterns! With his love of patterns and making observations, Mickey will serve as the perfect guide for a backyard safari featuring our LSC animals. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: K-LS1-1 Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: RI.K.1. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text. RI.K.4. With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about unknown words in a text. Approaches to Learning: Displaying Curiosity, Communication of New Ideas

Flower Power (30-45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. As the seasons change, flowers begin to bloom again. But how do they get the water they need to grow? Explore how plants use specialized parts to take in water and send it throughout their structure. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 1-LS1-1 Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs. Approaches to Learning: Displaying Curiosity, Persistence, Following Multi-Step Plans

Habitat Hop (30-45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Grab your passport; it’s time for an adventure! Immerse yourself in the brilliant biodiversity of Earth as you visit different habitats and explore the unique plants and animals that make them home. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 2-LS4-1 Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. Approaches to Learning: Initiative and Creativity

Maple Seed Models (30-45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Create your own maple seed model out of paper, and explore how the maple seed has a special way of getting the space it needs to grow and survive. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: K-LS1-1 Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive. Approaches to Learning: Displaying Curiosity, Persistence, Making & Following Multi-Step Plans

Pollinators: Honey Bees (30-45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Have you thanked a bee today? Pollinators provide an essential service to the ecosystem. At least a third of the world's crops depend on pollination provided by insects and other animals. Honey bees produce and store honey, but they also help to make other favorite foods. Design a pollination device that works just as hard as a busy bee. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 2-LS2-2 Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants. K-2-ETS1-2 Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: SL.2.5 Create audio recordings of stories or poems; add drawings or other visual displays to stories or recounts of experiences when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Secret to Survival (45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Animals and plants have internal and external parts that help them grow, survive, and meet their needs. Learn how humans can mimic these special adaptations to help inspire solutions to everyday problems. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 1-LS1-1 Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: W.1.7 Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).

The Light in My Life (Five Sessions; Each 45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Investigate the properties of light! Explore how light interacts with the objects around it and how we can use our understanding of light to solve problems and explore our world. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 1-PS4-3 Plan and conduct investigations to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light. K-2-ETS1-1 Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool. K-2-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs.

The Science of Sound (Five Sessions; Each 45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Bing! Bang! Boom! It’s time to explore the science behind sound. In this series, investigate how sound can make matter vibrate and how vibrating matter can create sound. Afterward, we will see how we can use our understanding of sound to communicate over long distances. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 1-PS4-1 Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate. 1-PS4-4 Use tools and materials to design and build a device that uses light or sound to solve the problem of communicating over a distance.

Cubby’s Cowtastrophe (45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Oh no—it’s a cowtastrophe! Cubby the Cow loves to lie in the meadow, but lately, she’s been getting too hot. Can you help Farmer Joe figure out how to help her stay cool in her favorite place? Explore how sunlight warms the Earth’s surface and build a structure that creates shade. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: K-PS3-2 Use tools and materials to design and build a structure that will reduce the warming effect of sunlight on an area. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: SL.K.2 Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood. Approaches to Learning: Initiative and Creativity, Planning and Problem Solving

Flow Motion (30-45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. From puddles to clouds and rain to snow, water is changing its form around us all the time. Help us conduct different experiments to see evaporation, condensation, and precipitation right before our eyes. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: K-PS3-1 Make observations to determine the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface. Approaches to Learning: Displaying Curiosity, Communication of New Ideas

Light It Up! (30-45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Plan and conduct investigations using flashlights and lightboxes to make sense of what it means for objects to be transparent, opaque, translucent, or reflective. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 1-PS4-3 Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: W.1.8 With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. SL.1.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. Approaches to Learning: Displaying Curiosity, Collaboration, Communication of New Ideas

Matter in Motion (45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Matter can be solid, liquid, or gas. But matter can also change. Observe phenomena involving some of the ways matter can change. Work collaboratively to construct evidence-based arguments on whether or not changes to matter can be reversed. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 2-PS1-4 Construct an argument with evidence that some changes caused by heating or cooling can be reversed and some cannot. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: W.2.1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section. Approaches to Learning: Displaying Curiosity, Collaboration, Communication of New Ideas

Super Strong Shapes (30-45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Which shapes are not only strong but… super strong? In a hands-on program that blends science and architecture, build and test your favorite three-dimensional shapes and explore how an object’s shape relates to its properties and uses. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 2-PS1-2 Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4 Model with mathematics. MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically. Approaches to Learning: Persistence, Collaboration, Problem-Solving, Following Multi-Step Plans

What's the Matter? (30-45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Explore the world of chemistry with investigations that show how to classify materials by their observable properties. Learn to describe what happens when matter is cooled using liquid nitrogen. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 2-PS1-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: W.2.1 Write opinion pieces in which they introduce the topic or book they are writing about, state an opinion, supply reasons that support the opinion, use linking words (e.g., because, and, also) to connect opinion and reasons, and provide a concluding statement or section. W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. Approaches to Learning: Displaying Curiosity, Collaboration, Communication of New Ideas

My Daytime and Nighttime Sky (Five Sessions; Each 45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. The sky is full of patterns whether we look at it during the daytime or nighttime. What patterns can we observe, why do they happen, and what can they teach us? Through hands-on activities focusing on the moon, sun, and stars, identify how the movement of these celestial objects can be observed, described, and predicted. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 1-ESS1-1 Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted. 1-ESS1-2 Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year.

My Eco-Friendly Self (Five Sessions; Each 45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Can plants and animals change their environments? Build models to discover how animals like beavers do just that. But it’s not just beavers making changes. Did you know we can also change our environment? Explore how our choices can positively, and sometimes negatively, affect our environment and the animals that inhabit it. Learn how to make more eco-friendly choices. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: K-ESS2-2 Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs. K-ESS3-3 Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on the land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment. K-2-ETS1-1 Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.

Our Big Blue Marble (Five Sessions; Each 45 Minutes)

Available at LSC, or at your school. Planet Earth is extraordinary! Explore the diverse landforms and bodies of water that make up our planet’s surface. Identify where water can be found, differentiate between types of landforms as you hunt for treasure, and create a model of your own island. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 2-ESS2-2 Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water in an area. 2-ESS2-3 Obtain information to identify where water is found on earth and that it can be solid or liquid.

Weather, Weather, Everywhere (Five Sessions; Each 45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. What makes up the weather we see outside every day? Through a variety of hands-on programs, learn the components of weather and explore tools meteorologists use to describe, record, and notice patterns over time. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: K-ESS2-1 Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.

Leo the Landform Llama (45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Join Leo the Landform Llama on a treasure-hunting adventure! Journey across different landforms, observing the characteristics of each. Along the way, use these characteristics to differentiate the various high and low landforms and answer questions to collect clues and find hidden treasure. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 2-ESS2-2 Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water in an area. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: SL.2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. Approaches to Learning: Engagement

Nothing but Net! (30-45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Shoot “baskets” like a pro! Design and engineer a catapult to push and pull your way toward this goal. Then, analyze, compare, and test a friend’s design. There is always more than one possible solution to a problem. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: K-2-ETS1-3 Analyze data from tests of two objects designed to solve the same problem to compare the strengths and weaknesses of how each performs. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4 Model with mathematics. MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically. Approaches to Learning: Persistence, Evaluating and Modifying Plans, Problem-Solving

Ready Set Robots! (45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Aspiring computer scientists, get ready for a hands-on introduction to the world of robotics. Observe how a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a variety of new robots in this physical science meets engineering program. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 2-PS1-3 Make observations to construct an evidence-based account of how an object made of a small set of pieces can be disassembled and made into a new object.

Adaptation Exploration (45 Minutes)

Available at LSC. Would a polar bear survive in the middle of the Sahara Desert? Explore animal adaptations up close with live animal interactions. Reveal how their adaptations make them uniquely able to find food, protect themselves, or find a mate. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 3-LS4-3 Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. 3-LS3-2 Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.

Disease Transmission (45 Minutes)

Available online. We are influenced every day by the microbes around us, especially viruses. Take on the role of epidemiologists and use online simulations to investigate the transmission of viruses. Make predictions and manipulate variables to speed or slow the rate of infection. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 3-LS2-1 Construct an argument that some animals form groups that help members survive. 4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. 4-LS1-2 Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect. SL.4.5 Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes. W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information. RI.5.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. Connections to NJSLS - Math: MP.4 Model with mathematics.

Ecosystem Survival (45 - 60 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Step into the shoes of a field biologist to study the Hudson River watershed. Gain a deeper understanding of the interconnected living and nonliving factors that make up an ecosystem. Construct a food web to model how energy from the sun moves through the ecosystem. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. 5-PS3-1 Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently. (5-LS2-1)

Owl Pellet Dissection (45-60 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Explore the diet of our favorite raptors by dissecting the undigested remains of their prey. Dissect an owl pellet and identify what the owl consumed. Investigate animal adaptations and begin to make sense of food webs. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: SL.3.4 Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.

Fossils: The Way Things Were (45-60 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Observe fossils up close. Determine their makeup, draw conclusions about them, and organize them by the geologic time periods when different species lived. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 3-LS4-1 Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: RI.3.3 Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect. W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Balls and Tracks (45-60 Minutes)

Available at LSC. What forces help ski jumpers become champions? Using marbles and ramps, this hands-on program introduces the fundamental principles of gravitational forces and projectile motion. Investigate the path that a launched projectile takes, discover the patterns of this motion, and use data to predict the distance of a final launch! Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 3-PS2-2 Make observations and/or measurements of an object’s motion to provide evidence that a pattern can be used to predict future motion. 4-PS3-1 Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: 4-5.MD.A Convert like measurement units within a given measurement system. 3-5.MD.B Represent and interpret data

Chemistry of Candy (45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Investigate chemistry with sweet delights to explore chemical and physical changes, then separate materials based on their properties. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 5-PS1-3 Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

Electricity and Magnetism (45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Starting with the phenomenon of magnetism, conduct several hands -on experiments surrounding invisible forces. Be shocked and amazed while exploring static electricity! Finally, make connections between these two forces. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 3-PS2-3 Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other. 5-PS1-1 Develop a model to describe that matter is made of particles too small to be seen.

Force and Motion (45-60 Minutes)

Available online. Discover how a force acts on everyday objects around you. Use household materials to explore the fundamental principles of force and motion. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 3-PS2-1 Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence of the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object.

Properties of Polymers: Making Chains (45-60 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Investigate the properties of polymers to analyze physical and chemical changes. Explore, discover, get messy! Apply new ideas and create some slime to take home. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 5-PS1-4 Conduct an investigation to determind whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances. 5-PS1-3 Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties. Connection to NJSLS - English Language Arts: RI.5.4. Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 5 topic or subject area.

Filter the Future (45-60 Minutes)

Available at LSC. How does tap water become so clean and clear? Conduct a variety of tests to determine if a water sample is safe for human consumption. Then generate a solution to make a water sample as clean and clear as the water from your home faucets. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 4-ESS3-2 Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans. 3-5-ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Natural Disasters (45 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Discover the mechanisms of volcanoes and earthquakes and explore the ways scientists use models to prepare for future catastrophic events. Create a tectonic plate model and investigate ways to minimize structural damage. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 4-ESS3-2 Generate and compare multiple solutions to reduce the impacts of natural Earth processes on humans. 5-ESS2-1 Develop a model using an example to describe ways the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere interact. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively.

Green Engineering (45-60 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Why is it so much hotter in a city than in the country in the summertime? Can we use plants to cool down? Learn about the urban heat island effect as you complete an engineering design challenge to create your very own model green roof! Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 3-5-ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. 3-5-ETS1-3 Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: W.4.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

Simple Machines: Catapult (45-60 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Discover how simple machines are used to make work easier. Learn the various types of simple machines and how they can be combined to build a complex machine like a catapult. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 3-5 ETS1-1 Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.5 Use appropriate tools strategically.

Adaptations: The Truth in the Tooth (45 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Our incredible planet is host to roughly 7.8 million species of animals. One trait unites them all: Every one of them must—in some way, shape, or form—eat to survive. Among vertebrates, this need to feed requires a dazzling array of teeth. Get (safely) up close and personal with the tools animals use to chow down. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 3-LS3-2 Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment. 4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Do the Wave! (45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Let's make some waves using hands-on models to explore wavelength, frequency, and amplitude. Then break into teams and take a closer look at various stations designed to engage and build connections! Alignment to NJSLS - Science: 4-PS4-1 Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength and that waves can cause objects to move. Connection to NJSLS - English Language Arts: NJSLSA.SL2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

BRAAINS! You and the Zombie (45-60 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Join the Zombie Response Team as research scientists to help determine how a mutated strain of a zombie virus is altering zombie behavior. Gain a better understanding of how the brain works as you identify and construct scientific explanations for observed differences in behavior and capabilities of zombies and humans. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: MS-LS1-3 Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts. WHST.6-8.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content. WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Cow Eye Dissection (45-60 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Follow light on its journey through the eye. Observe (online) or perform (at LSC or at your school) cow eye dissections and gain a deeper understanding of the structure and function of the human eye. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: MS-LS1-8 Gather and synthesize information that sensory receptors respond to stimuli by sending messages to the brain for immediate behavior or storage as memories. MS-LS4-2 Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

Disease Transmission (45 Minutes)

Available online. We are influenced every day by the microbes around us, especially viruses. Take on the role of epidemiologists and use online simulations to investigate the growth and transmission of viruses. Make predictions and manipulate variables to determine what factors speed or slow the rate of infection. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: MS-LS2-4 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Alignment to NJSLS - Computer Science and Design Thinking: 8.1.8.DA.5 Test, analyze, and refine computational models.

Mystery at the Hotel Philadelphia (60-75 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Conduct an investigation, collect and analyze evidence to identify a pathogen, and solve a deadly mystery based on a real-world disease outbreak. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: MS-LS1-5 Construct a scientific explanation based on evidence for how environmental and genetic factors influence the growth of organisms. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions. WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: 6.SP.A.2 Understand that a set of data collected to answer a statistical question has a distribution which can be described by its center, spread, and overall shape. 6.SP.B.4 Summarize numerical data sets in relation to their context.

All About Reactions (45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Conduct an inquiry-based set of experiments using chemical reactions to analyze and interpret data on the properties of unknown substances. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: MS-PS1-2. Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.

Energy: Use It and Lose It (45-60 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Energy comes in many forms. We use it and lose it every day. Through hands-on stations, use models and complete experiments to track energy flow in a series of transformations that produce useful actions and losses. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: MS-PS3-5 Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.

Forensic Science: Gotham Detective (60 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Conduct an investigation and analyze evidence to build a case against one of the city’s notorious criminal masterminds before it’s too late. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: MS-PS1-2 Analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations or descriptions.

Moving Molecules (45-60 Minutes)

Available online, at LSC, or at your school. Investigate how thermal motion influences particle motion. Experiment with hot and cold substances to determine how molecule movement changes depending on the temperature. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: MS-PS1-4 Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed.

Projectile Motion (45 Minutes)

Available online. Learn what it takes for astrophysicists to determine landing sites of Mars Rovers. Collect and interpret data using a Phet simulation on your own device to determine patterns of projectile motion. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: MS-ETS1-1 Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions. Alignment to NJSLS - English Language Arts: W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories. Mathematics: 6.RP.A.1 Understand the concept of a ratio and use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities.

Evolution: How Whales Lost Their Legs(45 Minutes)

Available at LSC or at your school. Despite appearances, whales actually have a lot more in common with us than with fish! They breathe air, give birth to live young, and they used to live on land. Wait, what?? It's true, whale ancestors were tiny, four-legged hoofed mammals that adapted to life in the sea through evolution. But how? And why? By studying the fossil record, we can learn about how the ancestors of whales transitioned to aquatic life. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: MS-LS4-2 Construct an argument supported by empirical evidence that changes to physical or biological components of an ecosystem affect populations.

Animal Behavior (60-75 Minutes)

Available at LSC. What is behavior? Can we influence it? What would be the benefits of influencing behavior? Observe our cotton-top tamarin monkeys and your fellow humans as you learn how to decipher and record animal behaviors. Discover how to influence behavior as you design an experimental habitat for a live Madagascar hissing cockroach! How do we affect behavior change in animals, including humans? Alignment to NJSLS - Science: HS-LS2-8 Evaluate the evidence for the role of group behavior on individual and species changes to survive and reproduce.

Disease Transmission (45 Minutes)

Available online. We are influenced every day by the microbes around us, especially viruses. Take on the role of an epidemiologist and use online simulations to investigate the growth and transmission of viruses. Make predictions and manipulate variables to determine what factors speed or slow the rate of infection. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: HS-LS2-1 Use mathematical and/or computational representations to support explanations of factors that affect carrying capacity of ecosystems at different scales. Connections to NJSLS - Mathematics: MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively. MP.4 Model with mathematics. HSN.Q.A.1 Use units as a way to understand problems and to guide the solution of multi-step problems; choose and interpret units consistently in formulas; choose and interpret the scale and the origin in graphs and data displays. Alignment to NJSLS - Computer Science and Design Thinking: 8.1.12.DA.6 Create and refine computational models to better represent the relationships among different elements of data collected from a phenomenon or process.

Forensic Science: Gotham Detective (60-75 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Conduct an investigation and analyze evidence to build a case against one of the city’s notorious criminal masterminds before it’s too late. Help reconstruct the crime to determine what could have happened to the victim based on the evidence you’ve gathered. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: HS-LS1-3 Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: WHST.9-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Mystery at the Hotel Philadelphia (60-75 Minutes)

Available online or at LSC. Conduct an investigation, collect and analyze evidence to identify a pathogen, and solve a deadly mystery based on a real-world disease outbreak. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: HS-LS1-3 Plan and conduct an investigation to provide evidence that feedback mechanisms maintain homeostasis. Connections to NJSLS - English Language Arts: WHST.9-12.7 Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question) or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation.

Chemical Investigations (60-75 Minutes)

Available at LSC. Why is the periodic table that strange shape? Melt, dissolve, and electrify chemicals as you learn how to predict an element’s properties by noting its place on the periodic table. Alignment to NJSLS - Science: HS-PS1-1 Use the periodic table as a model to predict the relative properties of elements based on the patterns of electrons in the outermost energy level of atoms.