K-12 Basics

A hydrostatic skeleton is one that contains no rigid, hard structures or bones for support, but rather relies on a fluid-filled cavity surrounded by muscles. It is the skeleton adopted by worms,...

Seventh grade is often the year students are assigned the onerous task of creating a model of an animal cell. Just because it is a common project does not mean your model has to be common, and it...

Learning about plant and animal cells is fundamental to science courses, from elementary all the way to doctoral studies. For most, the creation of a cell model for a class is a labor without...

To appreciate something means to regard it, or place a high value on it. Since teachers sacrifice their time and often their money for students, it is proper to thank them for their contributions...

The earliest form of desalination was to boil or distill water, but in colder climates, like in areas along the Arctic Ocean, freezing the water to remove the salt was more practical. Most...

Specific gravity (SG) is a comparison of the density of a substance to the density of water at a specific temperature and air pressure. The standard for the water is 39 degrees F (4 degrees C) at...

All science depends on math, as does engineering. Math also comes in handy in the everyday---for instance, to figure out which pizza deal will be the best based on how much pizza you'll get. ...

Humans cannot perceive the motion of the hour hand on a clock or the opening of a flower bloom because it is too slow. We cannot perceive things that move too fast either. For example, following a...

Sunlight contains a wide spectrum of wavelengths (the rate of pulsing of energy). It includes the visible range of colors that you see--red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet and all the...

In geometry, the study of the circle is an important topic. From early-recorded history, man used various methods to measure the area of a circle. Today, students taking geometry must learn to...

A table of values is a list of numbers that are used to substitute one variable, such as within an equation of a line and other functions, to find the value of the other variable, or missing...

Although cells are often thought of as being one of the simplest forms of life, these simple structures are complex and efficient organisms. Different cells have different purposes, but often have...

Making a potato powered light bulb is a fun way to better understand chemical reactions, and might even give you some relief from a power outage.

Children need to develop listening skills for future performance in work, social and school situations. Honing listening skills in children takes time and patience. With a few exercises performed...

Meteorologists use many instruments to predict the weather correctly and create a forecast. Some of the weather instruments are even found in the home so individual people can have a better idea...

Hydrogen fuel cells may replace gasoline as a fuel in the near future. Using hydrogen will also break the dependence on costly and dirty fossil fuels. While hydrogen-powered cars may have many...

You can demonstrate the effect of salt water on an egg's ability to sink or float by conducting a simple scientific experiment. Fill two clear glasses with lukewarm water. Pour 1 tbsp. of salt...

Sea ice is an integral link to the polar bear habitat in relation to hunting, feeding, breeding and traveling. Arctic ice is massive chunks of frozen seawater that float on the surface of the...

Oxygen has long been important for many applications in medicine and industry. With the growth of interest in hydrogen as a fuel for automobiles, an oxyhydrogen generator has great potential for...

A math compass is used to draw perfect circles. The compass works with a sharpened pencil inserted into the cam lock. A sharp, pointed tip rests on the paper that the circle will be drawn on, and...

Flash cards are a wonderful tool to help your child learn. But why pay several dollars for cards on each subject when you can easily make your own? Using just a few common household items, you can...

Writing a biography essay for a school assignment? Not sure where to start, or quite how to continue once you do start? Don't worry. Read on to learn how to create an informative, engaging and...

There is an ongoing debate about which schools provide the best opportunities--public or private. There are benefits and disadvantages in both, but overall, you may find that public schools are...

Crippled by budget cuts and a lack of funding, a growing number of schools across the country are facing a serious shortage of school supplies. Educators whose classrooms lack basic items such as...

A pie chart is used to display a set of data in presentations or other places where the details of the data set are not important. Its greatest utility comes when trying to compare different data...

Prime factorization refers to expressing a number as the product of prime numbers. Prime numbers are numbers that only have two factors: 1 and itself. Prime factorization is not as hard as it...

At some point in your career as a teacher, you will find creating a classroom seating chart unavoidable. While you may not need a seating chart yourself, provide one for emergencies and...

Nouns are one of the most common parts of speech in the English language. Students begin studying nouns in elementary school and continue to study nouns in college. The following guide will help...

This seems to be a big problem in today's schools. It affects every aspect of a students life, present and future. It is so important that students CARE about their education. They must realize...

Fruit loop graphing is a great way to teach the kids about the concept of graphing. This is not only a great math activity, but it is also an excellent fine motor activity for the kids. Here is...

The "Print Screen" command is a useful function of your PC if you know how to use it. Before graphics were common on the Internet, DOS systems would actually print the screen that you were...

Teachers spend a lot of their own money on educational supplies. Many businesses offer discounts to help. All you have to do is ask.

A Polynomial in the variable X, of Degree n, has the form: aX^n+bX^(n-1)+...+vX^2+wX+z, where (a),(b),(v),(w),and (z) are Real numbers, (n) is a Whole number, and (a)is not equal to zero, . This...

From an early age, kids are naturally underfoot in their attempts to be helpful. It's a wise decision to nurture their desire to help, finding tasks that are age appropriate as well as safe for...

Very young children, from infancy on, show a strong desire to learn in every aspect of their lives, and this motivation allows them to master walking, talking and interacting with others. However,...

The American Bald Eagle is not only a beautiful, powerful, and majestic creature, this natural treasure is also the emblem of our great and free nation. Our national seal proudly displays the...

Do you want to write a really great story, but you just don't know where to start? Learn to tap into your creative powers and write the story you know you have inside!

Even if you don't have musical experience, you can teach a child to read music--you'll simply have to do your homework first. Having a piano or electric keyboard on hand helps, but the approach is...

The almighty decimal point. Who would have thought that one little period could mean so much? Understanding its importance and how it affects place value really isn't too complicated. If, by...

Verbs are what you do, but some verbs do not describe an action. Certain verbs connect one part of a sentence to another. These are helping verbs (verbs that help to clarify a main verb) and...

Lots of grammar students have found that relative pronouns can be tricky, and students will keep seeing these parts of speech throughout their school careers, including on the SAT standardized...

Handwriting skills may have gone downhill over the past 100 years, but now a person's handwriting can tell more than ever about their personality and character. In the past, strict handwriting...

Lions in the wild are usually sexually mature by 2 years old and most female lions (lionesses) have already reproduced by the age of 4. Lionesses go into heat several times a year and mate with...

The sun is a star at the center of our solar system. The sun includes six separate layers, all functioning as a whole in the development of light and heat, supporting almost all life on earth....

Fungi can reproduce either sexually or asexually. Fungi sexually reproduce when male and female cells come together. Fungi asexually reproduce via spontaneous growth, like new fungus growing from...

Even if you live in America, the metric system will eventually become relevant to you in science classes you will inevitably take in school. The metric system is used in almost every science-based...

A parabola is a mathematical concept with a u-shaped conic section that is symmetrical at a vertex point. It also crosses one point on each of the x and y axes. A parabola is represented by the...

Finding the area of a geometric object is an essential part practical mathematics. By understanding the principles involved in calculating the square feet of rectangles and squares, you can...

Conflict resolution skills can be significantly important to a child's well-being and self-confidence. These conflict resolution skills are not something one is born with. We must teach our...

This is an easy method to convert 12-hour time to military (24-hours) time.