Pennsylvania Department of Education
The Weight of Things
Pupils explore weight. In this math lesson plan, students predict which item weighs more and discuss how they arrived at their decision. Pupils weigh several items to determine which weighs more.
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Discovering Pi
Fourth graders are introduced and experiment with the concept of pi. Using this information, they discover the relationship between the circumference and diameter of circles. In groups, they practice measuring the circumference of...
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Million Dollar Gift
Third graders create a box big enough to hold a million dollars. This is a project fun to do near the winter holidays with inexpensive gifts included in the boxes. This hands-on lesson plan very effectively demonstrates the concept of...
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Jupiter and Io
For this Jupiter and Io worksheet, students use a diagram of the planet and its moon to find the dimension of the image, the width of the largest feature in the atmosphere of Jupiter, the width of the smallest feature in the atmosphere...
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Asteroid Eros
In this asteroid image worksheet, students observe a photograph taken by the NEAR imager and they determine the scale of the image following the given steps. They solve 4 problems using the scaled image and determine the dimensions, the...
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How Big is a Lunar Crater?
In this lunar crater activity, students use an image taken by the Lunar Orbiter spacecraft to find the scale of the image and determine the diameter of the lunar crater Tycho. They also find the size of the smallest and largest features...
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Washington D.C. from Space
In this Washington D.C. from space learning exercise, students use a picture generated by the International Space Station and they find the scale of the image. They determine the actual size of features in the image, they find the...
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Water on Mars!
In this water on Mars worksheet, learners use a diagram to answer four questions about the structures in the image. They find the dimensions of the image, the width of the streams half-way down their flow channels, the smallest feature...
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Craters on the Moon
In this moon craters worksheet, students use a high resolution image of the lunar surface and calculate the image scale in meters per millimeter. They use the image scale to find the largest crater in the image, the smallest crater, the...
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Mars Rover Landing Site
In this Mars Rover Landing worksheet, students are given an image of Mars near the Bonneville Crater. Students determine the image scale in the diagram and use it to find the diameter of the Bonneville Crater, the width of the Rover's...
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Exploring a City from Space
In this exploring cities from space worksheet, students use a satellite image from the QuickBird Satellite to determine the image scale. They use the image scale to calculate the length of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, the length of a...
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THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT SPACE
Ninth graders set up a scale model of the solar system using the same scale for distance and diameter. They calculate scale distances and sizes for modeling the solar system and relate actual distances to difficulties in discovering and...
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Cell Size and Division or How Big Would You Want To Be if You Were a Cell?
Students investigate why cells divide. In this cell size lesson plan, students observe how far a solution travels into 3 different size model cells of agar. They answer questions about the most effect movement of "nutrients" into the...
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Ellipse Lab
Leading the students to draw a representation of ellipses of planets, this handout will help understanding the planet movement around the sun. There are ten questions about the analysis of those orbits and a conclusino specifically...
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Water Pressure Blaster
Third graders complete an experiment to introduce them to the concept of water pressure. In this water pressure lesson plan, 3rd graders create pressure in a water bottle and observe the force of water that is created.
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We All Scream for Ice Scream
High schoolers explore the formulas for volume of three-dimensional objects. They participate in various activities involving ice cream, ice cream cones, small candies, and gum balls, recording their calculations on a lab sheet.
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Heating and Cooling a Really Large Lizard
Remind your middle school scientists how fox ear size varies depending on the climate they live in; large ears allow heat loss while small ears keep heat in. Discuss how a cold-blooded animal might try to regulate body temperature. Then...
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The Internet Pizza Server - Pizza Simulation
Young scholars simulate going to a pizza restaurant, ordering a pizza, and determining whether a small, medium, large, or family size pizza is a "better-buy." Students calculate the price/per/topping and determine whether this price is...
LABScI
Potential and Kinetic Energy: The Roller Coaster Lab
Ron Toomer, a famous roller coaster designer, suffered from motion sickness. Pupils design their own roller coasters, learning about potential and kinetic energy in the process. Labs focus on the importance of drop height, energy...
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Crystal Growing
Pupils grow crystals and document their observations by recording timeing and growth. Additional characteristics of crystals are observed under a black light, by growing under different conditions and mineral content is determined.
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Was Kepler Correct?
Students are introduced to Kepler's 2nd law of Planetary Motion. The instructional activity reinforces the understanding of focal points. They calculate the sector area of an ellipse.Students expand understanding by modeling Kepler's 2nd...
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The Miracle Fish: Learning to Design an Experiment
Students develop procedures to explore the behavior of fish. In this scientific experiment lesson students from a hypothesis, write a question, identify different variables and controls in their experiment.
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Should Populations in an Ecosystem be Restricted?
Fourth graders experiment to determine how overpopulation effects ecosystems specifically plants. In this ecosystem lesson plan, 4th graders conduct an ecosystems experiment after listening to Claire Daniel's, Ecosystems. They watch a...
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Mapping The Ocean Floor
Young scholars explore and analyze the bottom structure of underwater habitats. They describe and explain what can't see through the collection and correlation of accurate data. Learners assess that technology is utilized as a tool for...