Middle School Resources

Grades 6-8, is a time of tremendous physical, emotional, and cognitive changes for students. It is also a pivotal time for understanding and gaining enthusiasm for science.

Featured Resources

Social-Emotional Learning in the Science Classroom

From the Editor's Desk...

Journal Article

Fieldwork Fridays: Connecting Scientific Learning to Nature

Building routines around place-based learning allows students to apply their scientific learning to nature and form a connection with their local environment and the species in it over the course of a school year. Each Friday, in what are referred to...

Journal Article

Unlocking the Power of Emotional Connections: Strategies for Teaching Climate Change in Middle School

In the face of the escalating climate crisis, effective climate education is imperative, not only for imparting knowledge, but also for inspiring action. This paper explores innovative strategies for teaching climate change in middle school, recogniz...

Journal Article

Dyeing to Last: Using Natural Dyes to Create an Ideal Fabric

In this project-based lesson, students explore how chemistry concepts relate to creative expression by investigating a variety of dyeing conditions. Through sequenced discussions and investigations, students arrive at a dyed cotton product that optim...

Journal Article

Journal and Lesson Plans

Middle School Journal

Lesson Plans

NSTA Competitions

Shell Science Lab Challenge

For teachers

eCYBERMISSION

For teachers and students, grades 6-9

Toshiba/NSTA ExploraVision

For students, grades K-12

Bestselling Middle School Books

NSTA Press Book

The NSTA Atlas of the Three Dimensions

New in 2020! Download and read a sample chapter from this book to learn more.A key aspect of learning in K–12 education is the idea that what students know and are able to do grows and evolves over time. Simple ideas learned in the early elementary...

NSTA Press Book

Big Data, Small Devices: Investigating the Natural World Using Real-Time Data

Now your students can transform their mobile phones and tablets into tools for learning about everything from weather to water quality. Big Data, Small Devices shows you how. This book is designed for Earth and environmental science teachers who want...

NSTA Press Book

Disciplinary Core Ideas: Reshaping Teaching and Learning

Like all enthusiastic teachers, you want your students to see the connections between important science concepts so they can grasp how the world works now—and maybe even make it work better in the future. But how exactly do you help them learn and ...

NSTA Press Book

Problem-Based Learning in the Life Science Classroom, K–12

Problem-Based Learning in the Life Science Classroom, K–12 offers a great new way to ignite your creativity. Authors Tom McConnell, Joyce Parker, and Janet Eberhardt show you how to engage students with scenarios that represent real-world science ...

Latest Resources

Member Web Seminar

Teacher Tip Tuesday: Making the Shift: How Schools Successfully Implemented OpenSciEd, August 5, 2025

Join us on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM ET, for another installment of NSTA’s Teacher Tip Tuesday web seminar. Shifting to a new science curriculum is no small feat, but schools across the country are doing it successfully ...

Web Seminar

Learn and Lead – Lunch Edition: The Future of Science Instruction: Why OpenSciEd is Leading the Way, July 21, 2025

Join us on Monday, July 21, 2025, from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM ET, to learn about OpenSciEd. Science education is evolving—and OpenSciEd is leading the way. Join us for Learn and Lead: The Future of Science Instruction, a powerful web seminar desi...

Web Seminar

Learn and Lead: The Future of Science Instruction: Why OpenSciEd is Leading the Way, July 21, 2025

Join us on Monday, July 21, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, to learn about OpenSciEd. Science education is evolving—and OpenSciEd is leading the way. Join us for Learn and Lead: The Future of Science Instruction, a powerful web seminar desig...

Web Seminar

Web Seminar: OpenSciEd 101: An Introduction to Transforming Science Classrooms, June 16, 2025

Join us on Monday, June 16, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, for an introduction to OpenSciEd. Curious about a new way to approach science teaching and learning? Join us for OpenSciEd 101–an introductory web seminar designed for teachers, ins...

Blog Post

Comparing Laboratory Instructional Space Ventilation Standards

Web Seminar

Science Update: The Dynamic Atmosphere: Extreme Weather, June 26, 2025

Join us on Thursday, June 26, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, to learn about the science behind extreme weather....

Reports Article

Freebies and Opportunities for Science and STEM Teachers, April 29, 2025

Reports Article

Freebies and Opportunities for Science and STEM Teachers, April 22, 2025

Reports Article

Freebies and Opportunities for Science and STEM Teachers, April 15, 2025

Web Seminar

Science Update: Amazing Monarch Butterflies, August 21, 2025

Join us on Thursday, August 21, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, to learn about why we refer to the monarch butterflies as "amazing."From their miraculous multi-generation annual migration to their role as pollinators to their importance as an indic...

Web Seminar

Web Seminar: NSTA Membership 101: December 1, 2025

Join us on Monday, December 1, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 6:45 PM ET, for this installment of NSTA’s bimonthly Membership Orientation Series, NSTA Membership 101, where we’ll dive into the variety of benefits available to NSTA members....

Web Seminar

Web Seminar: NSTA Membership 101: October 6, 2025

Join us on Monday, October 6, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 6:45 PM ET, for this installment of NSTA’s bimonthly Membership Orientation Series, NSTA Membership 101, where we’ll dive into the variety of benefits available to NSTA members....

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