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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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Lesson Plan
Journey Through the Universe

The Voyage Scale Model Solar System

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Young scientists learn how to select a scale factor for a large scale model. Then they figure the scale for each of the planets and the distance between them. Finally, they construct a giant scale model of the solar system and answer...
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Lesson Plan
Journey Through the Universe

Voyage of Discovery

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Did you know that Pluto is smaller than the United States of America? It is difficult to conceptualize the size of planets and the distance between them, and the lesson addresses those exact issues. After a discussion, pupils create...
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Unit Plan
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NASA

The Science of the Sun

For Teachers K - 6th Standards
There's more to that glowing ball of light in sky than most children realize. From the overall structure of the solar system, to the changing of the seasons, these hands-on lessons open the eyes of young scientists to the important role...
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

How Big is Big?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
In a math or life science class, "mini-me" models are created with cardstock to reflect a 1:10 scale of young scholars' bodies. Learners measure each others' heights with meter sticks, and then reduce the size by 10. After this exercise,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Proportions and Scale Drawings

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Proportions are ratios found using multiplication or division. Middle schoolers solve measurement problems, find a figure's missing dimension, and find the distance between two points. Resource features four lesson plans with detailed...
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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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Performance
Radford University

“Putt-Putt” For The Geometry of It!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Take a swing at the task. Using their knowledge of polygons and solids, scholars design one hole of a miniature golf course. They calculate areas and perimeters, determine the cost of building the holes, make scale drawings, and create...
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Performance
Radford University

A Place at the Table

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Find a seat at the table. Learners design a non-rectangular picnic table given constraints on the number of people that should be able to sit at the table. They draw blueprints and build scale models of their tables. After researching...
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Unit Plan
Radford University

Fun with Solids

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Geometry is all around us—if we're only willing to look. The final three activities of the Fun with Solids unit continue work on surface area and volume. For lesson three, scholars investigate the formulas for spheres and solve a problem...
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Performance
Radford University

How do I Create a Scaled Model of a Full-Sized Basketball Court?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Take mathematics to the hoop! Pairs first measure the linear distances on a basketball court. Using those measurements, they determine the scale lengths to create a scaled model. To finish the activity, learners create models of the...
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Area and Volume of Similar Solids: Similar Solids

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Five questions make up an interactive designed to boosts knowledge of area and volume of solid figures. Question types include multiple-choice, true or false, and fill-in-the-blank. A scale model changes measurement to provide a visual...
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Lesson Plan
Pace University

Grades 7-8 Solving Equations

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Create a similar blueprint. The differentiated lesson has pupils work in teams to create a brochure, scale model, or blueprint of a selected house with some minor changes. Once finished, team members present their final projects to the...
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Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Meet Our Neighbors: Moon

For Students 1st - 6th
Since a field trip to the moon isn't possible, bring the moon to young astronomers! Participants use everyday materials to create models of the moon and represent the features on its surface. The materials serve as a tactile as well as a...
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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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Assessment
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CCSS Math Activities

Smarter Balanced Sample Items: 7th Grade Math – Target E

For Teachers 7th Standards
How well do your classes understand scale? You'll certainly know after they answer the set of eight questions from an informative and helpful presentation. Questions include items from coordinate geometry, similar triangles, and scale...
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Unit Plan
Princeton University

A Teacher's Guide to the Universe

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Astronomers only observe four percent of the universe as the rest hides in darkness. The size, shape, and movement of the universe are the focus for an long-term high school unit. Its 43 lessons include hands-on experiments, direct...
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Interactive
PBS

KidVid: Fractions and Scale

For Teachers 6th - 7th Standards
Scale the challenge of learning about ratios and scales. Young mathematicians learn to incorporate fractional measurements when considering scales and scale factors. They use an interactive to investigate the concept and critically...
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Lesson Plan
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Brigham Young University

Problems? Working it Out

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Working in pairs, set designers take turns sharing their sketches, explaining how their renderings articulate their concept, and receiving feedback on concerns and questions.
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Viral Lysis and Budding

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How do some viruses spread so quickly, and why do they make us feel terrible? Answer these (and many more) questions through a simple yet impactful lessons. Pupils observe demonstrations that show the two methods viruses use to escape...
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Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

What van Leeuwenhoek Saw

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
When van Leeuwenhoek saw cells and single-celled organisms for the first time, he knew these small things were a big deal! Share his discoveries with young learners through a narrated video, model-building activity, and scale study....
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Activity
Colorado State University

How Far Away Is Space?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Outer space may be a lot closer than you think! Science scholars model the layers of the atmosphere using transparencies to gain insight into the scale of space. The resource includes ideas to tailor the activity to the skill level of...
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Interactive
CK-12 Foundation

Modeling: Mathematical, Physical and Conceptual

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Scientific models help explain ideas and concepts to non-experts. The online activity covers conceptual, mathematical, and physical models. Through four multiple-choice questions and three discussion questions, scholars gain a deeper...
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Scale Model Project

For Students 8th - 10th Standards
Try your hand at scale models. Scholars create a scale model of an object using a scale factor of their choice. As part of the project, they give presentations on their processes and calculations. This is the last installment of the...