Curated OER
Our Inventions
Students construct or draw an invention of their own design.  For this problem solving lesson, students define the word invention, discuss famous inventions, invetors, and how inventions come about.  Students work in groups to...
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Weather
Students recognize that carbon dioxide's role in the greenhouse effect. They research the greenhouse effect to design and create a greenhouse structure to measure the changing temperatures over a 24-hour period. In addition, they write a...
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Exploring Living Science Careers
Students explore a variety of agricultural careers that are available and look into them in terms of the economics and suitability to their interests.  In this agriculture careers lesson students research the agriculture careers and...
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Solar Racing
Students design and construct a solar-powered model car.  They watch a PowerPoint presentation, construct the car in small groups, and participate in a car race.
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Rubber Band Racers
Learners create rubber band band powered cars. In this engineering lesson, students are given common materials in order to create their own car. They measure distance and speed of different designs. 
National Security Agency
It's Probably Probable
Learners make predictions and draw conclusions from given information as they learn the meaning of probability in this vocabulary-rich, integrated activity that presents a variety of teaching strategies to motivate and reach...
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The Wheels on the Bot Go Round and Round, Part I
Young scholars determine how speed is measured. In this physics lesson, students design an experiment to find out if the robot's drive wheel size affects its speed. They collect data and discuss results.
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Build Your Own Hovercraft
Students construct a hovercraft following specific procedures. In this technology lesson, students explain the physics principles behind hovercraft. They compare and contrast this machine with the aircraft.
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How Far Will It Roll?
Students construct a car with the longest roll using a ramp.  They construct Lego cars, modify the wheel sizes and car configurations to evaluate which car design rolls the longest distance, develop a graph, and complete a worksheet.
Rochester Institute of Technology
Chemical Reactions and Electricity
After a discussion of chemical reactions and electricity, scholars break into groups and follow a scripted activity to discover if fruit can power a clock. After a concluding discussion, the class a presented with a challenge.
Desert Discoveries
Conservation Cartoons
Learners read and create cartoons that are based on endangered and threatened species. The activity is packed with terrific student handouts, including some very good cartoons that are based on conservation and animal issues. The...
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Insurance Quotes
You're in high school and you just got the coolest car ever! But, now you need to start thinking about car insurance. Luckily, your teacher prepared you by engaging you in a life skills activity like this one. The class actually calls...
Discovery Education
Cushion It!
Sugar cubes, collide! Groups design protection systems using bubble wrap to protect sugar cubes from being destroyed by falling batteries in the STEM lesson. They consider how the experiment relates to collisions in real-world...
Roald Dahl
The Twits - Mrs Twit Gets a Stretching
A cork, a rubber snake, and a bucket of mud may not seem like the best materials for washing a car, but they are in The Twits. The fifth activity in an 11-part unit designed to accompany The Twits by Roald Dahl has readers role play...
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The Sum of the Parts
Second graders observe some everyday common objects in order to attempt to learn about simple systems and how they fit together. They observe small details in order to identify the parts of a whole design.
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CO2 Dragster Challenge CO2 Dragster Challenge
Eighth graders construct a car out of a block of basswood.  In this car lesson students research, design and construct their own cars.
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Race to the Eating Line
Seventh graders investigate the steps in writing a newspaper sports article and utilizd the information to report their class car race results. The racing cars are built out of vegetables and fruit and entered into the class competition,...
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Ramps 2: Ramp Builder
Students design, build, and test their own ramps. They are introduced to a variety of materials and explore putting them together. Students engage in an inquiry-based learning experience to reinforce math, science, and technology...
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Ramps 2: Ramp Builder
Learners plan, build, and test a ramp that allows objects to roll far. After each group has tested out their ramps, allow them to test their design against the record previously established by the prototype ramp.
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Mobility: A Green City, Past, Present, and Future
Students explore transportation systems through history. In this transportation lesson, students determine how modes of transportation affect quality of life and design transportation plans for cities.
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Mobility: Fuel for Change
Middle schoolers determine how to lower the reliance on petroleum-based fuel. For this environmental stewardship lesson, students create concept cars for the future that using renewable energy.
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Recycled Racers
Young scholars research automobile operating systems in relation to racing. They design and construct vehicles from recycled material which they race to study the concept of propulsion.
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Velocity
Young scholars determine the average speed of a toy car as it travels six different distances set up by Students.  Three trials are done for each distance.  The only requirements is that the longest distance must be at least three times...
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Velocity and Acceleration
Twelfth graders look at local speed limits and traffic controls and see if they are reasonable.  They plot the displacement and time to represent velocity, develop a plan for improving the current system, and organize experimental...