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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Keep it Cool

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
This cool lesson plan is ideal for elementary engineers or physical scientists, especially when learning about heat transfer and insulation. After reading a page of background information, engineering teams collaborate to design and...
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Lesson Plan
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Baylor College

Gravity and Muscles

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Humans are so used to gravity as a force that we don't tend to pay much attention to it on a daily basis. Through a couple simple activities, learners experience changes to their center of gravity and come to the understanding that...
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Activity
Star Date

Shadow Play

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Three activities make up a solar system lesson that features the sun, its light, and the shadows it produces. Scholars step outside to discover the changes shadows make at different times of day, take part in a demonstration of how Earth...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

A Century of Plastics

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
After reading about polymer materials, engineer trainees examine how plastics have been integrated into everyday products. In groups, they compile a list of products made entirely without plastics and then, as a closing activity, try to...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Insulators and Conductors

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
In a classic activity, emerging electricians test various objects for electrical conductivity in a circuit. Each group constructs a simple circuit by following a diagram. Predictions are made and objects are inserted into the circuit,...
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Activity
Discovery Education

Weathering Cubes

For Teachers K - 8th Standards
Weathering is not necessarily a result of the weather. Scholars conduct an experiment to explore the effect of surface area and volume on the weathering process. They create their own sugar cube rocks using the same number of cubes—but...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Racing M&M Colors

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
More than anything, this is great practice in scientific inquiry. After discovering that the color coating of an M&M® dissolves in water during a preceding activity, investigators now question whether or not the color makes a...
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Lesson Plan
National Science Teachers Association

Hop into Action

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Young scientists find out what makes amphibians such unique and interesting animals in this simple life science lesson. After looking at pictures and discussing the characteristics of amphibians, learners complete a series of three Venn...
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Exploring Rocks and Minerals

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Investigate the properties of rocks and minerals through a rockin' hands-on activity. Learners test rocks for various properties and, using a guide, attempt to identify different samples. They use various properties including hardness,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Roller Coasters

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Twisting and turning through the sky, roller coasters are popular attractions at amusement parks around the world, but how exactly do they work? Explore the physics behind these thrilling rides with an engineering design activity....
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Activity
Exploratorium

Holding Charge

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Slide paper over a plastic straws to generate static electricity, and then stick that straw to glass, a wall, or even your own hands! This is a science activity that students can use to show parents what they learn in school whenever...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Radio Reception and Transmission

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
After reading about radio transmission, application, and the difference between AM and FM, small teams of engineers use a kit to construct an FM radio and then send and receive broadcasts. This is an ideal activity for middle school STEM...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Using Color to See How Liquids Combine

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Blue-tinted water is added to unknown liquids that have been tinted yellow to find out how they interact. This is a memorable activity that is part of an investigation on the properties of liquids, which is part of a unit on the...
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Worksheet
Children's Theatre of Cincinnati

A Charlie Brown Christmas Study Guide

For Teachers K - 6th
Bring A Charlie Brown Christmas to social studies, language arts, math, science, and art class! Learners ponder the meaning of Christmas trees, write about Christmas during the original release of the television special, research holiday...
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Activity
University of Waikato

Solid to Liquid to Gas

For Teachers K - 3rd
Help classes understand heat as a form of energy. A hands-on activity has learners investigate how heat, or the lack of heat, affects the physical state of water. They then connect their discoveries to the water cycle.
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Lesson Plan
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Baylor College

Heart Rate and Exercise

For Teachers 3rd - 10th Standards
What is the relationship among the heart, circulation, and exercise? Your class members will explore first-hand how different physical exercises affect an individual's heart rate. They will begin by learning how to measure their own...
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Lesson Plan
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California Academy of Science

Kinesthetic Astronomy: Earth's Rotation

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
After completing the activity, "Kinesthetic Astronomy: The Meaning of a Year," zoom in on Earth's rotation using the same simulation setup and this outline. Each class member dons a map of the Western Hemisphere and plays the part of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Riding on a Pendulum

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
A comprehensive resource gets fourth grade physical scientists making observations about the period of a pendulum and then applying knowledge to a playground swing. Through seven different stations, they will record observations and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sports and Science

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Using footballs, basketballs, tennis balls, and more, learners conduct experiments to illustrate Newton's Laws of Motion.  The experiments are conducted outside, and require them to throw, kick, and hit a variety of balls. Your class...
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Lesson Plan
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

Solar Structures

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
It's time to soak up the sun! Youngsters read about active and passive solar heating systems, then they collaborate to create a miniature solar-heated building. Provide a variety of materials for them to incorporate and watch their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Physical Science: Magnets

For Teachers K - 6th
Students investigate magnets and how they work. They read and discuss the book, What Makes a Magnet and record their observations as they complete activities. After exploring the magnet set, they record their predictions and results...
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Lesson Plan
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Center for Learning in Action

Introduction to the States of Matter

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
Liquids, gases, and solids are the states of matter in which scholars investigate in a lesson plan that offers in-depth information and engaging activities that look into the three states and the changes their properties make when mixed...
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Lesson Plan
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Center for Learning in Action

Properties of Balls

For Teachers 2nd - 5th Standards
Enhance your states of matter lessons with a hands-on science investigation that compares six different balls' color, texture, size, weight, ability to bounce, and buoyancy. 
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Lesson Plan
California Academy of Science

Coincidental Colonization

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
The Galápagos Islands are an amazing place of isolated adaptation, colonized by an interesting mix of plants and animals. The class plays a game to help them understand how these organisms came to live on the island through a combination...