Curated OER
Advocacy, Recognition, Prevention Through Art and Health
Students analyze how the environment and family history impacts personal health. In this personal health lesson, students discuss cancer and survey the school community about the disease. Students create a bulletin board about...
Tech Museum of Innovation
Balloon Astronaut
Design protection from high-speed particles. The STEM lesson plan highlights why astronauts need protection from space debris. Pupils use the design process to design, build, and test a spacesuit that will protect a balloon from a...
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!
EngageNY
On-Demand Assessment: Writing of an Information Paragraph About How a Bullfrog Survives
Having read and discussed Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle, third graders demonstrate their bullfrog expertise by writing informational paragraphs. Building on the note-taking and paragraph planning from the previous lesson plan,...
Curated OER
My Building, My Community
Students become familiar with the concepts of community and neighborhood and what buildings are associated with these. In this neighborhood lesson, students tour the neighborhood as a class, observing and taking photos of the local...
Curated OER
Out and About-Creating Design
Students demonstrate the elements of design by creating a digital photography portfolio of photos taken in and arond the scool. The edit photos using Photoshope to emphasize the element of desing in each phot.
Curated OER
How was Your Day? Creating Mixed Media Designs
Students explore how art reflects culture and history. They examine everyday life experiences in various countries. Students design a mixed media composition. They create a class presentation.
Curated OER
Coast-to-Coast Book Design-Part 3: Brainstorming the Book
Middle schoolers examine the process of designing a book and identify the steps necessary to publish a book. In small groups they analyze ABC books, and discuss the similarities and differences between the books. Students then brainstorm...
Curated OER
Problem Solved!: Design Solutions
Students learn about charrettes. In this arts lesson plan, students use creative problem solving processes used by design professionals and then investigate the role of problem solving in the world of design.
Curated OER
Designing a Bus Stop
Young scholars evaluate visual arts by creating a design for a small building. In this art analysis lesson plan, students identify the work of Keith Haring and discuss his uses of color and expression. Young scholars...
Curated OER
Tell Me About It: What is Design? Creating a Design Workshop Part 2
Students create a workshop on basic design to introduce the concept to elementary students. In this design workshop lesson, students view two videos that provide basic design concepts. After discussing the concepts as a class, students...
Curated OER
Zen and the Design of Homework Desks
Students investigate zen. In this design lesson, students use ideas from zen to create a study area. Students understand how different environments affect work habits. Students research how students in other countries study and write...
Curated OER
The Voice of Voting: How do We Judge Design
Students examine various methods of judging popular culture and compare them to the judging of the People's Design Award. In this popular culture and design activity, students research different ways of voting in popular culture,...
Curated OER
Scaling Up Art
Students measure a sculpture of a human and measure other students. They determine the average size of humans and create a life size image of the sculpture. They work with percentages as they create the images.
Curated OER
Building Biographies: A Research Unit
Young scholars explore the fundamental principles involved in completing a research project. Several handheld technical pieces of equipment are utilized to complete this lesson.
Curated OER
The Designed World
Students visit a school or public library and study how information is organized. In this information management lesson, students answer a group of questions about the organizational method of the library. Students then practice sorting...
Curated OER
The Process of Design?
Pupils analyze the architecture of Louis I. Kahn. In this architecture analysis lesson, students analyze how a design is conceptualized and compare examples. Pupils complete image based discussion and two related projects.
Curated OER
Ships 2: What Floats Your Boat?
Students design, build, and test the specifications (water displacement and load line) for a model boat. The lesson focuses especially on integrating design principles with inquiry-based experimental skills.
Curated OER
Architectural Letters
Have your class construct their own architectural letter. This art project focuses on architecture, or the art of building. You can connect this activity to a biography activity. Your class can decorate their initial to reflect their...
Curated OER
Understanding the Complexities of Setting with Where the Lilies Bloom
After reading Where the Lilies Bloom and researching the wildflowers and herbs mentioned in the novel, class members create a mural that reflects the setting of the novel. Groups design the background, the houses of the characters, the...
Curated OER
Monster Descriptions
Monsters take center stage! Elementary schoolers are assigned to write a descriptive paragraph by a toy company to help in designing a new monster for their toy line. One student composes the paragraph, another uses that to create a...
Curated OER
Techno-shapes
Explore the concept of shapes by using tools in Kid Pix Deluxe 4 computer program. This techno-shapes lesson has pupils watching a video about shapes, and using the Kid Deluxe 4 computer program to draw shapes. They get to...
Curated OER
Geometry Vases: Ceramics Lesson
Geometric shapes are used in math and in art. Learners discuss the various names, dimensions, and attributes of geometric shapes, then apply that knowledge to design a vase. They use 3-D shapes to make a cubist-style vase out of clay.
Curated OER
Objectivity
Help young readers examine historic artifacts to determine if they were designed to help people survive or to create enjoyment. They identify objects that were designed to help people to survive and to enjoy themselves. Then compare and...