Online lessons to fit your middle school science curriculum. A powerful tool for teachers and serious fun for students!
6th-8th Graders
Examine the fossil record and the incredible evolutionary mystery that led to Triceratops.
6th-8th Graders
Dive into current archaeological research to understand the activities and innovations of people living 1,000+ years ago.
6th-8th Graders
Launch your own investigation into the changes taking place in the Uinta Mountains. Are those changes
normal or not?
6th-8th Graders
Engage in real-world research from Utah’s world-renowned Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry.
6th-8th Graders
Study museum collections, guided by museum scientists, to explore ecosystem phenomena and the impacts of change.
Research Quest is a series of free online investigations created by the Natural History Museum of Utah for middle school teachers and students.These investigations engage your students in a variety of virtual museum activities designed by and featuring our all-star team of scientists and educators. The investigations will not only challenge your students with a real-world, phenomenon-based scientific mystery, they will also model how research scientists search for evidence and how they use critical thinking to answer scientific questions.
Next, your students will explore digitized museum collections and data to gather their own evidence for the research question at-hand. Depending on the investigation, your class might observe the nooks and crannies of a 3D image scan of a dinosaur jaw or examine aerial photos of pine trees to research the impacts of change in a montane environment. Throughout their work, your students will record their evidence and reasoning in their Research Assistant Notebooks, and test their ideas by sharing them with their classmates.
Melissa Mendenhall, Alpine School District, Science Specialist and Instructional CoachResearch Quest provides an effective way for teachers to increase student critical thinking skills and science literacy through inquiry-based instruction. The different investigations are facilitated by a scientist and help students to use observation and research to write evidence-based arguments. Students also experience how to adjust their hypotheses to incorporate new understanding through contact with online learning resources. Research Quest is efficient at utilizing science practices to engage students in scientific communication while using authentic resources in real situations.
It’s free!
Full access to all investigations and their activities.
Instructional Guides, Research Assistant Notebooks, and more for each investigation.
Assessment rubrics for student learning
Research Quest is a program of the Natural History Museum of Utah in partnership with The Utah Education Network
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