It's time to go to Mars. Using the provided cards and mat, groups design a mission to Mars. The cards contain information about the different components of the launch and warn about a few mishaps that might occur along the way.

Heat things up in your physical science class with this interactive lesson series on thermodynamics. Through a series of class demonstrations and experiments, young scientists learn how heat is transferred through conduction, convention,...

A multi-faceted and exciting activity awaits your astronomy students. In collaborative groups, they plan a mission to hunt for extraterrestrial life within the solar system, while adhering to specific measurement criteria. 

Engineering design projects serve as great opportunities for collaborative problem solving. In this case, students work in small groups designing, building, and eventually testing a structure that meets a teacher-specified objective. It...

Demonstrate lift to the class that is studying aerodynamics. In the stream of air produced by a blow dryer, little physicists place a wad of tissue paper and a spherical figure to compare. Or, if you have a vacuum cleaner and beach ball,...

What is a network? Kids model one to find out that it is a series of paths that something can travel along. Take them outdoors to get in touch with this technology topic; make it an introductory lesson in your STEM unit when teaching...

Talk about Velcro®, Gecko Tape, WhalePower turbine blades, and other innovations that mimic nature to inspire your STEM or engineering class. This set of worksheets gets them thinking about imitating nature in terms of sustainable...

High school physical scientists collide with motion. They work in pairs to design a paper car that will protect a raw egg during a head-on collision. Measurements of distance traveled, time of run, vehicle specs, and photo gate flags are...

Follow a fabulous slide show on how monsoons form and how satellite technology is being used to observe the phenomena, explaining why they occur. Afterward, visit the TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission) website to access actual...

After a brief reading on conduction and home heating systems, middle schoolers design a comparison experiment of temperature change in both hot and cold water. They will need to write up their own lab reports even though the procedure...

A well-designed, comprehensive, and attractive slide show supports direct instruction on how sonar and echolocation work. Contained within the slides are links to interactive websites and instructions for using apps on a mobile device to...

As physics masters view this presentation, they learn how nuclear power is used in submarines. They use Google Maps to plot a course through the ocean and calculate the time required for surfacing and traveling. They learn about fission,...

If you are navigating to find a terrific lesson on GPS (global positioning system) that incorporates math, geography, and science, then you have finally arrived! This is an ideal STEM lesson in which high schoolers learn the history of...

With James Cameron's DEEPSEA CHALLENGER expedition as an example, engaged engineering students learn about biomimicry and how engineers can imitate processes in nature to design new technology. They experiment with temperature on...

Whip up some wind in your class with this blustery lesson plan about the Lake Turkana wind energy project. Pupils view a video clip about the pros and cons of using wind turbines to generate electricity. They read two articles and take...

Amateurs of alternative energy build a mini parabolic-trough solar energy collector and use it to heat water. Temperature is recorded over a three-minute period and the data is graphed and analyzed. Note that in order to paint aquarium...

Have your techies read up on the details of how combustion engines work in an automobile. Create a set of accompanying response-to-reading questions and have your mechanical engineering or automotive technology class use this as a...

Take a look at acceleration within the context of automotive technology. They vary the mass on a toy car and run it down a ramp, exploring Newton's second law of motion. Though this is a classic lab activity, you will appreciate the...

Engineers construct a steam-powered turbine as a demonstration of geothermal energy in action! 

Rise and shine! Class members collaborate to construct a photovoltaic solar cell with two semiconductor layers, as guided by this fabulous lab sheet. They test its output with an ammeter or galvanometer. 

A wind turbine will be constructed with two different sizes of rotor blades. In an experiment, future engineers find out if there is a difference in the power output based on amount of weight that can be moved with the turbine. 

Following this procedure, eager engineers construct a working model of a piston system, similar to that in an internal combustion engine. Perfect for STEM or automotive technology classes, the activity comes complete with analysis and...

Third in a set of lessons regarding reservoirs, dams, and hydropower, this involves a two-day hydropower plant simulation. Collaborative groups build, maintain, and finance the plant. The transparency of the reservoir setup can be...

Everyone knows that eggs break easily. Or do they? Give learners an egg-citing chance to try crushing an egg with one hand, and they likely will fail, due to the pressure being evely distributed around the shell. Life science learners...