Curated OER
Crazy for Cubes: Art and Science
Learners discuss Sol LeWitt and conceptual art, then analyze the differences in expressing a concept through model-based inquiry and aesthetic art criticism. They develop a geometric, scientific, or mathematical concept, then create an...
Purdue University
Design of a Door Alarm
How does electricity work? Budding scientists explore the concepts of electrical currents and open and closed circuits with class discussion and a hands-on activity using a battery to turn on a light bulb. Learners also make predictions...
Curated OER
Just Plain Buggy: Art and Science
Budding artists explore the shapes and parts that make insects so fascinating to study, then use what they see to create original insect inspired designs. They use wax, dye, and fabric to create their designs.
Jessica Winston
Magic School Bus Going Batty
Have a scary adventure with a set of reading activities based on Joanna Cole's The Magic School Bus Going Batty! Several worksheets encourage kids to predict what they will learn with a KWL chart, examine the new vocabulary words from...
Curated OER
Creating Your Own Rock Art
Fourth graders use regional rock art symbols or their own symbols to cooperatively create a rock art panel. They examine their feelings about rock art vandalism and discuss ways to protect rock art and other archaeological sites.
Tech Museum of Innovation
Seed Dispersal
Engineering challenges are not just man-made ... nature has its own set of them. A hands-on STEM activity has groups designing a seed dispersal system. Each group can only use one sheet of paper — a tough task!
Curated OER
Lesson: Unmonumental: Fragmentation, Fragility, and Consumer Culture
Looking at art is the first step to analyzing it. And, if you can analyze art, you can analyze anything. Kids examine several pop art pieces that represent consumerism in modern culture. They discuss multiple facets of each piece and...
Curated OER
Wired with Alexander Calder
Kids consider how the body functions and moves, how each structure has a specific movement and purpose. They apply that idea as they construct a sculptural piece that moves. For inspiration they look to the work of Alexander Calder,...
Sargent Art
Rainforest Mural
Whether you are an art teacher or a teacher looking for a great project to finish off a unit on the rainforest, this instructional activity is for you. Here are some great teaching tips and instructional practices that can help you and...
Curated OER
Design-A-Room
Students employ art as a means of communication. The meaning of the communication comes out in the design of a unique room that is 3 dimensional. The use of the imagination is encouraged as well as visualization skills.
Curated OER
Rock art
Students study rock art they use art materials, colored photographs and rock art examples to: differentiate between symbol, petroglyph, pictograph, and rock art. They interpret rock art to illustrate its importance in the cultural...
Curated OER
Soft Sculpture Birds
Art can mimic life, and animals are always interesting subjects. Learners create large soft sculptures (stuffed) birds using paper, paint, and other basic collage materials. They view images of birds, and discuss bird traits and shapes....
Teach Engineering
Take Off with Paper Airplanes
Let's go fly a kite ... oops, a paper airplane! The 13th segment in an aviation unit of 22 relates the parts of an airplane to paper airplanes. Pupils learn the functions of the control surfaces of a plane to really make their knowledge...
Curated OER
Dream Stream
Investigate the parts of a healthy stream to build content-specific vocabulary and ecological awareness. The class builds vocabulary and determines why clean water is important for trout. They design a shoe box to show what a clean...
Curated OER
Buoyancy: Integrating Science and Literature
Integrate science and literature by using the scientific method to test the veracity of the floating peach described in Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach. Clips from a Bill Nye: The Science Guy episode about buoyancy frontload...
Curated OER
Radial Design Mandala
Students design original radial art designs.In this radial design lesson, students use compasses and a nature inspired idea to create radial art. Students understand the use of symmetry, balance and design shapes in continual patterns....
Curated OER
A Design You’ll Dig: Designing a Habitat for Worms
Middle schoolers discover how worms contribute to the balance of the environment. In this composting lesson, students study the composting and decomposition processes. Middle schoolers then create habitats for worms that allow them to do...
Curated OER
Art and Anatomy: The Vitruvian Teen
Twelfth graders create an artistic version of a Vetruvian teen. In this anatomy lesson, 12th graders design an experiment to test the theory of the ideally proportioned man. They present their findings in class.
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Campaign
The I-STOP law was designed to regulate the distribution and tracking of prescription drugs. After reading an article about its signing and implementation, middle and high schoolers work together to come up with their own ideas for an...
National Math + Science Initative
Reading an Informational Text: "It All Started with Sputnik"
Sputnik was one of the greatest scientific advancements of the 1950s, and this reading lesson does it justice. Pupils start off with pre-reading questions and a video. They then read an excerpt from an article, which is accompanied by...
Curated OER
Dinosaur Designs
Students study dinosaurs in science and conduct online research to gather written information about his or her dinosaur. Then, in art class, they sketch their dinosaur and create an accurate three-dimensional dinosaur model out of paper...
Curated OER
Rock Art
Fourth graders examine and interpret rock art to illustrate its importance in the cultural heritage of a people and as a tool for learning about the past. They create their own rock art that is a symbol of their culture.
Cornell University
Casting
Don't cast a great hands-on resource aside! Scholars learn about the process of casting by actually trying out an example. Plaster of Paris and cookie cutter molds help them complete the activity.
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)
Understanding the Food Web
Building on prior knowledge of the pervious lesson plan in the series, pupils explain the previous lesson plan to each other. Then they write a simple guide for a young child to read on the same topic.