PBS
Inventions
Use this lesson plan to discuss inventions that have changed your class's world and have impacted society. Middle schoolers investigate important inventions of their time and design an invention in a simulated business atmosphere. Modify...
Curated OER
Blood Cell Basics
Students design a proportional model of blood out of red gelatin, a plastic bag, and rice. They study the components that make up blood and investigate what happens when the arteries in different scenerios. They work in pairs in order to...
Curated OER
Learning Inference
Making inferences can be a tricky proposition for middle schoolers. In the activity presented here, pupils practice the skill of drawing a conclusion and making a judgment - which are what making an inference is all about! There are five...
Teach Engineering
Electromagnetic Radiation
How can nanoparticles be used in the battle against skin cancer. Class members take on the question as they gather information about electromagnetic radiation, specifically ultraviolet radiation. Pupils learn about the mathematical...
Teach Engineering
The Keepers of the Gate Challenge
Help your class make a connection between salt water and nanoscience. In the introductory lesson of a seven-part unit, the class explores why salt water helps a sore throat feel better. Pupils conduct preliminary research about the...
Curated OER
Deborah Sampson: Revolutionary War Heroine
Eleventh graders read the story of Deborah Sampson, who helped bring freedom to the newly organized colonies in their fight for independence from England.
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Making & Breaking : The Rock Cycle
Students examine the rock cycle and how rocks can change over time. In this geotechnical engineering lesson students draw a diagram of the rock cycle.
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Checking the Surf
Students read and discuss waves and their wavelengths and amplitudes. For this waves lesson plan, students draw the wavelength and amplitude of a wave and discuss tsunamis and storms.
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Volcanic Panic!
Students begin with an overview of the Earth's interior and how volcanoes form. They learn how engineers predict eruptions. In a class demonstration, students watch and measure a mock volcanic eruption and observe the phases of an...
Curated OER
How Quickly Disease Spreads
Students demonstrate how quickly disease spreads and the importance of protective measures with communicable diseases. They examine past epidemics such as the Bubonic Plague and make predictions about future epidemics.They compare and...
Curated OER
It's Alive! Or is it...?
Students apply their knowledge of the characteristics of living things to unknown creatures to determine whether they can be considered "alive." They watch a Star Trek episode, then describe the characteristics of life.
Curated OER
UV Beads
Young scholars recognize preventitive measures that can be taken to reduce the risks associated with exposure to solar radiation. They explain why solar radiation can be harmful. They utilize beads that turn color when exposed to UV...
PBS
Home, Sweet, Home!
Students investigate the local history and architecture of their community. They draw maps, conduct Internet research, discuss varied architectural designs, take a walking tour of their town and work in teams to record their community's...
Curated OER
TE Activity: The Beat Goes On
Students determine what the pulse is before examining how to measure the heart rate in different situations. They build a simple device that measures the heart rate, take heart rates, and record them on a worksheet. They discuss how...
Curated OER
Numbers in Art
Students choose a number from one to twelve and tell a number story about it. They listen to the teacher read "Numbers in Art" by Lucy Micklethwait. Students choose three numbers from one to twelve and view works of art while looking for...
Curated OER
What Does Bird Flu Mean to Students?
Students consider the far-reaching effects of the avian flu. For this personal health lesson, students visit selected websites to discover information about the flu, viral infections, and intensive farming. Students contribute to a wiki...
Curated OER
Human Fingerprints: No Two the Same
Sixth graders explore scientific observations by analyzing a group of data. For this fingerprint identification lesson, 6th graders identify the reasoning behind fingerprinting and create their own ink fingerprints. Students discuss the...
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JAPAN, IMAGES A PEOPLE
Young scholars interpret Japanese and American paintings; evaluate paintings as sources of cultural and historical information
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Using Newsprint as a UV Detector
Students investigate the effects of UV radiation. In this earth science instructional activity, students explain how the time of day relate to UV abundance on Earth. They determine if weather affects the amount of UV that Earth receives.
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Show 303: New Research into Dyslexia
Students explore the causes of dyslexia. They view CT sans and MRIs to view the brain and how it responds. Students read reports about dyslexia. They discuss the nature of dyslexia, its cause, how to diagnose it, and its permanency.
Curated OER
Fossils
Students act as paleontologists to discover who a mystery guest to the classroom was. They do not know the identity of the guest but infer the identity from items left behind in the classroom. They make inferences from dinosaur fossils.
Curated OER
Do Different Colors Absorb Heat Better?
Students work together to test how the color of a material affects how much heat it absorbs. They make predictions and take notes on their observations. They discover how engineers use this type of information.
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Cardboard History
Pupils investigate the history of baseball and create baseball cards based on research they have collected about early baseball players.
Curated OER
TE Activity: Pitch and Frequency
Students experiment with a vibrating ruler and a kazoo to study the different pitches and frequencies they produce. They create both high and low pitch sound waves. They examine how engineers use sound energy when designing electronic...