Third graders use pattern blocks of one shape at a time to try to create a similar shape. They compare the perimeter of the new figure with the perimeter of the original shape and look for a pattern. Students use the pattern to predict...

Students create a cookbook.  In this recipe and writing lesson, students brainstorm the skills necessary to follow a recipe, watch a cooking show and write down a recipe used.  Students use a word processing program to write a...

Students visit different departments at a local hospital to see how machines help peoples such as the CAT scan machine. They build a model of such a machine that shows how patients are moved in and out of the machine.

Students build conductivity testers and investigate which solids and solutions conduct electricity. Working in groups, they predict which items will conduct electricity and record their answers on worksheets.

Students create squares of different sizes on a geoboard. They find and describe a pattern. Students use the pattern to determine the number of squares possible on a 10-by-10 geoboard. They create squares with a horizontal base (and...

Third graders examine the difference between composting and wasting food. They problem-solve what to do about leftovers after lunches so good food doesn't go to waste.They study food storage techniques that are environmentally friendly...

Students explore tessellations. In this shapes and geometry lesson, students describe the attributes of many of the shapes displayed on an Elmo. Students create examples of tessellations using pattern blocks.

Upper graders represent multiplication of a two-digit number by a two-digit number as the area of a rectangle with dimensions of the two factors. They find patterns for the number of different base ten blocks in a rectangle representing...

Another fantastic lesson on energy is presented by the American Coal Foundation. This one focuses on electricity; how it is produced, how it is delivered, and how it is used. Some excellent handouts are embedded in this fine plan which...

Students examine concept of time, and explore difference between analog and digital clocks; students make art project to represent time and create a time-story problem and solution.

Young mathematicians explore number values by utilizing food as a visual aide. They discuss the differences between halves, fourths, and eighths and how they are visually represented by a pizza. Then create their own pizza in class and...

Using the scientific method, and bubble gum, learners conduct a motivating experiment. After conducting a series of tests involving bubble gum, they graph and analyze their results. This is the type of activity everyone loves.

Students complete a simulated book order form for their class. For this book club lesson, students budget and plan an order form for their fellow students, discussing why they chose specific books.

Explore types of angles and the characteristics of each. After observing a PowerPoint Presentation, learners tour the school facilities and use a digital camera to capture prescribed angles. Using the digital pictures and written...

Third graders are exposed to finding the area of polygons by decomposing figures and recomposing them into rectangles. This strategy allows children to expand on their prior knowledge of constructing shapes by rearranging parts into...

Let knowledge grow bountifully like plants in a garden. Given a diagram of a rectangular garden split into plots, scholars determine the area of the entire garden and the areas of the individual plots. As a culminating activity, they...

Collections of data represented in stem and leaf plots are organized by young statisticians as they embark some math engaging activities.

Elementary schoolers explore the wide variety of horse coat colors and reproduce an existing color as well a create their own horse coat color. There are two fine worksheets embedded in this plan that learners use to crete these coat...

Obviously, four is the perfect number when you're playing Four Square. Scholars first use multiplication and division to solve a set of problems on the number of balls needed, the number of games, and the number of players required for a...

Here's an assessment task that's better than watching a show. Young mathematicians solve word problems involving multiplication and division with equal groups. They must find the total number of attendees on a trip to a theater based on...

Aim high with a task on window washers. An assessment task challenges learners to determine the number of windows two people wash. They do this using a given number of window rows on each side of a building. In addition, they find the...

How do dams support bodies of water? Scholars engage in a hands-on STEM activity where they design, build, and test dams to learn about bodies of water and how humans use natural resources. They learn how criteria and constraints affect...

Students investigate the characteristics of a community. They investigate the characteristics of the Omaha community through internet research and discussion. Students create books about their community.

Students work collaboratively to design and construct a roof out of Legos for a house that was built in a previous lesson. The roof must be structurally sound and pass certain criteria determined by the teacher.