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

How Can I Pay for That? Finding Grants to Support Learning, October 14, 2025

Have a great idea for your classroom, school, or district but you are not sure how to fund it? You are not alone. Join us on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, for How Can I Pay for That?, a practical and empowering web seminar de...

Web Seminar

State Policy Landscape in 2025 and its Implications for Science Education, June 18, 2025

Join us on Wednesday, June 18, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, for the final installment of the Advocacy in Action webinar series, featuring NSTA Policy Advisor James Brown and Hands-On Science Partnership Chair Alex Molinich. Together, they’ll e...

Web Seminar

2025 STEM Policy Landscape, June 11, 2025

Join us on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, for the second installment of the Advocacy in Action webinar series, featuring NSTA Policy Advisor James Brown, as he provides an insightful overview of key national policy trends shapi...

Web Seminar

Science Teacher Compensation in a Competitive Landscape, June 4, 2025

Join us on Wednesday, June 4, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, for the first installment of the Advocacy in Action webinar series as we take an in-depth look at the newly released position statement on science teacher compensation....

Member Web Seminar

Data-Driven Instruction with OpenSciEd: Using Student Insights to Improve Learning, January 22, 2026

Join us on Thursday, January 22, 2026, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM ET, for a dynamic web seminar designed to empower education leaders and data professionals with practical strategies for leveraging student assessment data to improve teaching and learnin...

Member Web Seminar

Teacher Leadership and OpenSciEd: How to Build a Community of Science Educators, December 3, 2025

Great science teaching grows stronger through collaboration, leadership, and shared vision. Join us on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM ET, for a dynamic, stakeholder-led web seminar designed for science educators, leaders and pro...

Member Web Seminar

Engaging Parents & Communities in OpenSciEd Science Learning, November 18, 2025

Strong science instruction does not stop at the classroom door, it thrives when families and communities are engaged in the learning journey....

Web Seminar

Learn and Lead: Supporting Teachers in an OpenSciEd Classroom – Tools, Strategies, and Solutions, September 16, 2025

Implementing OpenSciEd transforms science teaching but it also comes with a learning curve for educators. Join us on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, for Supporting Teachers in an OpenSciEd Classroom, a practical web seminar f...

Web Seminar

Learn and Lead - Lunch Edition: Supporting Teachers in an OpenSciEd Classroom – Tools, Strategies, and Solutions, September 16, 2025

Implementing OpenSciEd transforms science teaching but it also comes with a learning curve for educators. Join us on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, from 12:30 PM to 1:00 PM ET, for this lunch edition of Supporting Teachers in an OpenSciEd Classroom, a ...

Member Web Seminar

Supporting Teachers in an OpenSciEd Classroom – Tools, Strategies, and Solutions, September 9, 2025

Implementing OpenSciEd transforms science teaching but it also comes with a learning curve for educators. Join us on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, for Supporting Teachers in an OpenSciEd Classroom, a practical web seminar fo...

Member Web Seminar

How OpenSciEd Supports All – Empowering Multilingual Learners Through Science, October 2, 2025

Every student deserves access to high-quality, meaningful science instruction—and OpenSciEd is built with all learners in mind. Join us on Thursday, October 2, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM ET, for How OpenSciEd Supports All, a focused web seminar ...

Web Seminar Series

Science Notebooks in Student-Centered Classrooms: A Professional Book Study for K-8 Teachers

This web seminar series, scheduled on February 4, 11, 18, and 25, 2026, from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM Eastern Time, offers an opportunity to K-8 teachers to learn about the use of science notebooks in the classroom....

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