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

Novel Engineering, K–8: An Integrated Approach to Engineering and Literacy

New in 2020! Download and read a sample chapter from this book to learn more.With the Novel Engineering approach, “students become excited about what they are reading, writing, designing, and building! This excitement in turn helps them make stride...

NSTA Press Book

Creating Engineering Design Challenges: Success Stories From Teachers

If you’ve ever wished for advice you can trust on how to make science and math more relevant to your middle or high school students, Creating Engineering Design Challenges is the book for you. At its core are 13 units grounded in challenge-based le...

NSTA Press Book

Supporting Emergent Multilingual Learners in Science, Grades 7–12

Many middle and high school teachers are educated to teach science content—they don’t anticipate that one day they may be teaching it to students who need to learn both content and English. If the day has come when you’re facing that two-pronge...

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...

Latest Resources

Reports Article

Freebies and Opportunities for Science and STEM Teachers, August 5, 2025

Web Seminar

Developing a Competitive Application for the Shell Science Lab Regional Challenge, November 3, 2025

Are you a K-12 teacher that works near a Shell asset? If so you could win a science classroom makeover. Join us on Monday, November 3, 2025, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM ET, to learn about the Shell Science Lab Regional Challenge....

Web Seminar

Developing a Competitive Application for Shell Science Teaching Awards, September 22, 2025

Join us on Monday, September 22, 2025, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM ET, to learn about the Shell Science Teaching Awards....

Web Seminar

Next Generation Science Standards: Critical Components for Implementation at Scale, October 27, 2025

Join us on Monday, October 27, from 7:00 PM to 8:15 PM ET, to learn about the critical components for implementation at scale of the Next Generation Science Standards....

Workshop

OpenSciEd Middle School Unit Launch 7.1 Workshop

Workshop

OpenSciEd Middle School Unit Launch 6.6 Workshop

Workshop

OpenSciEd Middle School Unit Launch 6.5 Workshop

Workshop

OpenSciEd Middle School Unit Launch 6.4 Workshop

Workshop

OpenSciEd Middle School Unit Launch 6.3 Workshop

Workshop

OpenSciEd Middle School Unit Launch 6.2 Workshop

Workshop

OpenSciEd Middle School Unit Launch 6.1 Workshop

Reports Article

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

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