Middle school is the bridge from elementary school to high school. It is a critical time of transition and identity formation. PLATO’s online curriculum helps students take advantage of this critical time in their lives to build a love of science and to think about the world scientifically. Engaging online curriculum helps students formulate hypotheses and test them using real-world data. Students master key facts about the world around them and learn to apply those facts to new and challenging problems. Informed by, and aligned to, the standards laid out by the National Science Teachers’ Association, these lessons challenge and engage all students in understanding the world around them.