Captain Planet Foundation
Frog Garden Party! Toads and Triangles in the Math Garden
It's frog party time! With frog banners, frog juice, and a triangle hunt, your garden party is sure to be both entertaining and educational. The instructional activity connects geometry, earth science, and delicious snacks to teach kids...
Curated OER
Why do Stars Rise in the East?
In this stars rise in the east activity, learners use geometry to show how the Earth rotates from west to east and why celestial bodies appear to rise in the east and set in the west. Students draw a figure and label given points in...
Curated OER
Seeing Solar Storms in STEREO-I
In this geometric calculations of solar storms worksheet, students use a diagram indicating the location of 2 STEREO satellites, the earth and the sun to calculate the distance between a Coronal Mass Ejection and the Earth. They use...
Curated OER
Seeing Solar Storms in STEREO-II
In this solar storms worksheet, students use a diagram given the location of two STEREO spacecraft satellites, a coronal mass ejection, the sun and the Earth to solve 2 problems about the coronal mass ejection. Students use segments,...
CK-12 Foundation
Atoms to Molecules: Constructing Helium
Protons and neutrons and electrons, oh my! Physical science scholars get hands-on with interactive atomic modeling. Starting with a simple helium atom, participants create and name ions, then build isotopes. Questions throughout the...
NOAA
To Explore Strange New Worlds
It's time to boldly go where your class has not gone before! The introductory lesson plan in a five-part series takes young oceanographers aboard the NOAA Ship Okeanos to begin a study of ocean exploration. The lesson plan includes a...
Curated OER
Big Fleas Have Little Fleas
A benthic habitat hosts a vast collection of organisms and its structure influences the biodiversity. Middle-school marine biology explorers will discuss how corals impact structure, and therefore diversity, on the ocean floor. They draw...
Curated OER
Wind Effects on Model Building: Pre-Lab for Truss Design and Testing
Emerging engineers perform pre-lab calculations in this first of a three-part lesson plan on model building. They determine the forces of tension and compression in a truss. After completion of the worksheet, pupils will draw a draft of...
Illinois Valley Community College
STEM Activities for Middle School Students
Use STEM activities within the class to provide connections to concepts. The resource includes activities that range from working with buoyancy to building rockets and launching them. Other activities involve the engineering design...
Teach Engineering
Catching the Perfect SAR Waves!
Zero in on an interesting resource involving radar technology. Groups construct a radar sensing unit and learn to calibrate the system. Using the radar system and the Pythagorean Theorem, they calculate distances between objects.
Curated OER
Principles of Flight: Flying Paper Airplanes
Students investigate ways to enhance an object's flying ability. In this model construction lesson, students construct two paper airplanes, one of which is twice as big as the first. Students compare and contrast the two separate...
Curated OER
Molecular Origami
Students construct an origami models of different molecules. For this chemistry lesson, students explain what expansive soils are made up of. They discuss what happens when this expansive soil expands or shrinks.
Curated OER
Using Coordinate Geometry by Land, Sea and Outer Space.
Students complete a table of values and plot points, as well as construct a graph on a coordinate grid. They construct two graphs on the same coordinate system, and identify the point of intersection. Students represent and record...
Curated OER
Properties Of Building Materials
High schoolers investigate the concept of building materials and how they are used to create different things. They focus upon the availability, cost, flexibility, and strength of different building materials. This is done by taking part...
Curated OER
Design a Colonial Garden
Students explore botany by completing an art design activity in class. In this gardening history instructional activity, students identify the plants and crops utilized in the Colonial era for both food and medicine. Students utilize...
Curated OER
Let's Move It!
Students create a simple machine that includes a cart and lever system that could have been used to build the ancient pyramids. In this simple machine lesson plan, students learn about the wheel and the axle as simple machines that help...
NASA
It All Comes Full Circle
How long does it take spacecraft go around the earth? Using the circular orbits of the space shuttle and the International Space Station, groups determine the distance traveled in one revolution, then calculate the distance traveled...
Teach Engineering
Design a Flying Machine
Wrap up the unit in one final design. Pairs use their knowledge of aviation to design new flying machines and record how their designs take into consideration the forces that act upon airplanes. The pupils determine whether their designs...
Curated OER
The Anti-Gravity Machine
Students examine physics by completing a bicycle experiment in class. In this gravity lesson, students measure the characteristics of different bicycles and compare their different race times. Students utilize a shoebox, pencil, tape,...
Curated OER
Wheeling It In!
Students use everyday materials (milk cartons, water bottles, pencils, straws, candy) to build a small-scale transportation device that incorporates the wheel and axle and the lever. They race their carts/trucks, measure distance, time...
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Students create a pyramid design based on the 6 simple machines that they are introduced to. In this simple machines lesson plan, students are introduced to the wedge, wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw, and pulley.
Curated OER
Building Bridges
Students identify the different types of bridges. Using the internet, they research information on how they are built by completing a scavenger hunt. Locating a specific area, they determine which type of bridge would be appropriate and...
Curated OER
Shape Hunt
Explore the world of shapes! After free tangram exploration and pair share time, learners describe various patterns and shapes in both the natural and designed world. They investigate the use of tangrams to create patterns and shapes.
Curated OER
Pyramid Building: How to Use a Wedge
Students explore the simple machine of a wedge. For this wedge lesson, students test wedges on different materials including wax, soap, clay and foam. They learn how a wedge was used to build the ancient pyramid and modern day skyscrapers.