Chymist
Problem Solving by Dimensional Analysis
Is your class in another dimension with regards to dimensional analysis? Give them some extra practice with a straightforward activity. Learners convert units by following concise step-wise examples, including setting up the...
NOAA
Waves
Is it possible to outrun a tsunami? After watching a presentation that explains how waves and tsunamis occur, class members investigate the speed of tsunamis triggered by an earthquake.
Teach Engineering
Energy Skate Park
Skate through a simulation on energy with an a activity that uses a computer simulation of a skater to reinforce the concept of conservation of energy. The resource guides pupils through scenarios using the computer simulation to...
Teach Engineering
Energy and the Pogo Stick
Let your class bounce to examine the concept elastic potential energy. Individuals bounce on a pogo stick in order to calculate its elastic potential energy. Groups then compare the elastic potential energy to the gravitational...
Denver Public Schools
Kung-hsi Fa-ts' ai! – A Chinese New Year Celebration
Looking for ideas for your Lunar New Year celebration? Check out an interdisciplinary unit of study that includes lessons in counting, calligraphy, culture, geography, literature, art, and music. Kung-hsi Fa-ts' ai! (May you...
Teach Engineering
Microbes Know How to Work!
Scholars harness the power of microbes with an engaging activity that uses yeast to break down sugar in water. Multiple setups of the same experiment lets learners determine which temperature results in the fastest rate of...
02 x 02 Worksheets
Slope
What does slope have to do with lines? Pupils work with lines and determine the slope of the lines informally and with the slope formula. Groups use their knowledge to calculate the slopes of parallel and perpendicular lines. They also...
Teach Engineering
Fun Look at Material Science
Introduce materials science with a class demonstration. After showing a PowerPoint presentation on materials and their properties, instructors provide a ceramic tile, a Popsicle stick, a paper clip, and a plastic bag as examples of...
Space Awareness
Valleys Deep and Mountains High
Sometimes the best view is from the farthest distance. Satellite imaging makes it possible to create altitude maps from far above the earth. A three-part activity has your young scientists play the role of the satellite and then use...
Cornell University
Diffraction Demystified
Study diffraction patterns using CDs and DVDs! Scholars measure the diffraction patterns of a light wave as it hits a CD or DVD. Using the information, they can measure the distance between the tracks.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Building Functions: Inverse Functions from Tables and Graphs
Is the inverse a function? Scholars learn how to examine a function to answer this question. Using an online interactive, they examine the properties of inverse functions to compare to the original function.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Unit Circle: Special Angles—Just Know One
It's all about the patterns! Young scholars learn that the unit circle repeats itself in all four quadrants. Using these patterns, they evaluate the sine, cosine, and tangent of special angles.
NASA
Developing an Investigation
Watch as your class makes the transition from pupils to researchers! A well-designed lesson has scholars pick a solar wind characteristic to research. They then collect and analyze official data from the LANL website. This is the...
Kenan Fellows
Introduction to a Flight Computer
Keep your hands on the wheel—at all times! Scholars learn why pilots use a flight computer through a high-flying demonstration. Making calculations for speed, distance, or time is automatic if you know how to use a flight computer.
Mascil Project
Parachute Food Drop
Drop a perfect project into your lesson plans. Groups use different building materials to create models of parachutes for food drops. After testing out their prototypes, they make improvements to their designs.
5280 Math
Go with the Flow
Round and round they go ... where they stop, only scholars will know. By writing systems of equations, classes determine the number of cars a roundabout can handle given specific constraints. Systems use up to six variables and become...
Discovery Education
Wind Power
How do engineers turn something that is readily available, like wind, into energy? Scholars create a prototype of a wind turbine and attach it to a motor. They test out their prototypes and decide on their effectiveness. They also...
Discovery Education
Urinalysis
What do lab tests reveal about a patient's health? Scholars perform a simulated urinalysis on two different patients by testing color, pH, glucose levels, and protein levels. Then, they compare their findings to what they know passes...
Workforce Solutions
Egg-streme Sports
Here's a new twist in the egg drop competition. Using only six inches of tape, four straws, and 2 pieces of newspaper, teams build a structure that keeps an egg from breaking when dropped. What's different about this project is that the...
University of Colorado
Are All Asteroids' Surfaces the Same Age?
Did you know scientists can tell the age of an asteroid by looking closely at its craters? This final lesson of a six-part series focuses on two asteroids, Gaspra and Ida, in order to demonstrate the concept of dating asteroids. Scholars...
Curated OER
How Much Grass Should I Buy?
Students examine a variety of real life situations in which they must access information, select an appropriate formula, and calculate an answer. A rectangular piece of grass provides an opportunity for the exploration of this...
Curated OER
Pooling Around
Learners complete a unit of lessons on computing area and volume. They play a Jeopardy game of basic area formulas, calculate surface area of shapes, develop a Powerpoint presentation, and conduct a simulation of finding the surface area...
Curated OER
Navy Sail Design
High schoolers use the Pythagorean Theorem to explore sailboat design. In this Pythagorean Theorem lesson, two sides of a triangular sail are measured, and the theorem is used to calculate the third side. A worksheet, bulletin board...
PBS
Could You Start a Business?
High schoolers learn how a business starts and finds financial independence. For this lesson, students learn the struggle of financial management, the costs of running a business and how to keep a budget.