Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Atomic Structure: Elements

For Teachers 9th - 12th
It's all relevant, really. Individuals use the scientific method to learn more about elements, atoms, and their placement on the periodic table. They conduct experiments using materials common in nature to explore how elements affect our...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Math Is Malleable?

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Learn about polymers while playing with shrinky dinks. Young scholars create a shrinky dink design, bake it, and then record the area, volume, and thickness over time. They model the data using a graph and highlight the key features of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Angle/Pair Relationships

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students find missing angles and sides of triangles. In this geometry lesson plan, students create intersecting lines to measure angles. They use Cabri Software to create virtual angles.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Measurement: When Degrees Matter

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders record the temperature change of the beakers. In this general science lesson, 8th graders create their own data table for recording observations. They discuss experimental results and cite real life applications.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hormone-Induced Plant Propagation Lab using Carrot Root Cultures

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students evaluate the importance of hormones in living things. In this biology lesson, students experiment on carrots to differentiate how humans and plants reproduce. They collect data from experiment to answer analysis questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Density lab

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Learners relate the concept of density in relation to the rocks that make up the Earth. They determine the density of various rock specimens and answer assessment questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Product of Chord Segments

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students creating chords intersection using circles. For this geometry lesson, students create visuals of chords ad their properties using Cabri technology. They measure the chords and explore the relationship among chords.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Getting Familiar with Fractals

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use the Internet to answer lab questions about fractals, and then construct fractals using the initial stage and iteration rule. They complete tables and generate rules for the "nth" term and create their own fractals.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Video to Quantify a Reflex Response to a Stimulus

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the effects of a stimulus on a reflex by changing the strength or force at which the stimulus is applied. Students chart and record data of the lab using video tape.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Diffusion & Osmosis with Data Analysis

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Students explore principles governing diffusion and osmosis. Students perform a dialysis tubing experiment. They obtain core samples of potato in varying concentrations of sugar-water to measure water potential of the potato cells....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Principles of Flight

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study flight and compare various flights.  In this measurement lesson students complete a lab activity and record measurements. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science: Flight Aerodynamics

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students apply the principles of aerodynamics by constructing styrofoam airplanes. By using simple tools and materials, they improve their spatial visualization abilities while increasing motor skills. After small groups of students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Snell's Law (And Then Some)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conduct an experiment to test Snell's Law using a block of lucite and a ray box. They measure the light rays as they impinge upon the block. Students are also asked to draw the situation of the lab or create a model of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hominoid Cranium Comparison

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers describe, measure and compare cranial casts from contemporary apes (chimpanzees and gorillas, typically), modern humans and fossil "hominids" (erect and bipedal forms evolutionarily separated from apes).
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Finding Mass

For Teachers 8th
Student measure mass to discover how pennies have changed in their composition. In this measurement lesson, 8th graders investigate through an open-ended problem to discover how the US pennies composition changed in the 1980's.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Strawberry DNA Extraction

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore the DNA of strawberries. In this science lesson, students extract the DNA of strawberries. Students complete a lab report.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Full is Full?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine porosity and permeability and relate these concepts to groundwater flow. They use simple materials to conduct a porosity experiment and use the information to understand how environmental engineers decide on the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Territorial Behavior in Crickets

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the behavior of crickets during courtship. They measure the number and types of interactions between household crickets. Students discriminate between quantitative and qualitative observations. They collect data to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Clouds

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders complete various activities about clouds. They create a cloud in a lab, write a cloud story, make a cloud model and complete a webquest.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Precipitation Monitoring

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students monitor the pH level of the precipitation in their local area for one month. In this hands-on activity, students use lab equipment to measure the pH levels and an online tool to track their findings. Ultimately, students seek to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Project Geode

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young geologists attempt to predict the appearnace of a geode's internal structure based on how it looks from the outside, its mass, and its physical characteristics. For this geologly lesson, learners use scientific equipment to collect...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is Dilution the Solution to Pollution?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the different types of pollution. they conduct experiments using dye mixed with tap water to measure the levels of dilution. They discuss at what point the dye (pollution) would be diluted enough to be safe to drink.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather Instrument Use and Application

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders measure temperature, wind speed and pressure using Skymaster SM-28. For this earth science lesson, 8th graders collect data and record observations taken from outdoors. They explain why numerical values are different in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Math and Science in a Wetland

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students use scientific methods during field and lab investigations. Students collect specimens and make measurements using the metric system. Students describe biotic and abiotic factors in an estuary and design a model.