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Interactive
PBS

Map a Model Solar System

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Creating a solar system map is a snap thanks to a hands-on activity! Science scholars explore the solar system by building it wherever they choose during an interactive from PBS's Space series. Users pick both the location and scale for...
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Printables
Bozeman Science

NGSS Practice Posters

For Students K - 12th
Begin the year with an emphasis on the NGSS practice standards. The resource provides an 8x10 size poster for each standard. When hung in a classroom, learners have a consistent reminder of what it means to be a scientist.
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Lesson Plan
National Math + Science Initative

Introduction to Decimals

For Teachers 5th Standards
Three activities make up an introductory lesson designed to create a strong foundation in comparing fractions to decimals and exploring and building decimal models. Pupils brainstorm and complete a Venn diagram to show how decimals and...
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Lesson Plan
University of Minnesota

Manduca sexta Wax Model

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Caterpillars' and moths' most obvious change is physical, but what happens to their nervous systems as they complete metamorphosis? Through a hands-on investigation, young scholars construct the nervous system of a caterpillar. They then...
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Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

Build-A-Math

For Teachers 6th - 8th
We can't build our dream house yet, but we can definitely build a model. Scholars use floor plans to build models of their dream homes. Cardboard is as good as any material for this purpose.
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Lesson Plan
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Bonneville

Design and Engineer Solutions

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
What's the best way to collect all that trash? A culminating activity has scholars use the knowledge and skills from the unit to design a solution to the plastic trash island problem. They use 3-D pens or a 3-D printer to build models of...
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Lesson Plan
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Bonneville

Engineering 101

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Make a structure too sturdy to fail. Scholars first watch a video and consider the reasons for the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapse. They take part in two engineering challenges, one using newspapers and the other using spaghetti sticks...
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Activity
Smithsonian Institution

How Would You Design a Lighthouse?

For Teachers K - 3rd Standards
Guide the way to a better understanding of lighthouses. Young scholars first read a story about lighthouse and consider the problem that lighthouses try to solve. They then identify parts of a lighthouse and draw daymark patterns. As a...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Solar System Scavenger Hunt

For Students 6th - 12th
Scholars go on a hunt to locate objects that best fit the measurements to create an eye-catching scale model of the solar system. 
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Lesson Plan
Texas Education Agency (TEA)

Architecture Letter Model

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Using an engaging resource, scholars learn about model-building with direct instruction and discussion. They build an architectural model of a chosen letter from the alphabet, and then present their work to the class. 
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Website
American Museum of Natural History

A Whale of a Tale

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
What's the most interesting fact about a blue whale? Learners read an interview about the similarities between the Titanosaur and the blue whale displays at the American Museum of Natural History. Pupils learn not only about blue whales...
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Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Calculating a Biodiversity Index

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Biodiversity refers to the variety of animal and plant species in a specific habitat. With a collaborative activity, the habitat becomes a page from the white pages, and the species are the surnames in the book. Learners calculate the...
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Activity
Discovery Education

Solar System Scale

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Extremely large or extremely small numbers are difficult to comprehend. To help understand the massive scale of the solar system, learners complete two activities. First, they create a model to compares the size of the bodies in the...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Meet Our Home: Earth

For Students 1st - 6th
Earth is a complex structure. Learners explore their home, the earth, using a fun hands-on activity. They create tactile models of the earth using ordinary household materials that represent some common features: land, polar caps,...
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Lesson Plan
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

The Blood Glucose Monitor

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Become a doctor for a day! Learners analyze synthetic urine and blood samples to diagnose diabetes. They use lab procedures to identify abnormal glucose levels, and, as a follow-up activity, they build a model to illustrate the...
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Lesson Plan
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Creating and Testing Silver-Nanoparticle Socks

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed Standards
Antibacterial socks are a product of nanotechnology. An inquiry-based lesson asks collaborative groups to create their own antibacterial socks and then test them against other products on the market. The sock with the least amount of...
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Activity
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Wet Etching in Nanofabrication

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
Chemistry and physics combine forces to benefit nanofabrications. Learners examine the process of wet etching in nanofabrication. Using corrosive substances such as lemon juice and Coca-Cola, they model the etching process. They then...
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Activity
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Lines on Paper - Laser Box

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
See what you cannot see by getting a little creative. An intriguing lesson has learners use lasers to explore X-ray diffraction. Given a box with unknown structures, they shine a laser through the box and interpret the results....
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Lesson Plan
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

An Easy (Bake) Approach to an Edible NanoLab

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
You can make it if you bake it! Young scientists model electronic chip fabrication with an easy bake oven. They create a design to embed in their brownie "chips" and compare their models to wafer production in basic nanotechnology.
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Edible Algae Models

For Teachers 5th - 6th Standards
Sometimes it's okay to eat your science experiment. A hands-on activity has pupils create models for algae to learn about its cellular structure. The best part of the experiment? The resulting juice-filled gels are edible—yum!
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Lesson Plan
NASA

Model Development Assessment Activity

For Students 9th - 12th
Time to show off what they've learned! The final lesson in the series of six asks young scholars to process their learning from the previous lessons. They identify possible elements of the sun as well as a possible origin.
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Optical Simulation of a Transmission Electron Microscope

For Students 11th - 12th
Don't have an electron microscope? Have your classes build the next best thing! A hands-on lesson plan asks scholars to build a model of Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM). They then use their models to identify the function of each...
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Lesson Plan
NPR

Prototype the Solution

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's always nice to see what the solution looks like. Groups build a prototype of their solution to the plastics problem in the sixth installment of a 10-part unit. The prototypes can be either a visual prototype or a working prototype.
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Unit Plan
Big Learning

The Antarctica Project: A Middle School Mathematics Unit

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Antarctica is a big place, large enough to provide ample opportunities to learn about math. A two-week unit teaches middle school mathematics concepts using project-based learning. The resource covers functions, geometry (area,...