Curated OER
Conservation in Small Spaces: Conservation
Pupils define conservation, identify actions that conserve habitat and those that reduce habitat, and generate ideas about how one can practice conservation in everyday life.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Fun with Speedboats!
After reading about marine engineers and naval architects, it's all hands on deck to design and test a speed boat. This lesson is designed for the Next Generation Science Standards in engineering and can be a centerpiece for a STEM...
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Water from the Well
How much water does it take to brush your teeth? How about to wash your clothes? Perform an experiment that measures water usage in everyday tasks and compares them to the days before indoor plumbing, specifically the California...
National Math + Science Initative
Introduction to Decimals
Three activities make up an introductory lesson designed to create a strong foundation in comparing fractions to decimals and exploring and building decimal models. Pupils brainstorm and complete a Venn diagram to show how decimals and...
Curated OER
Oil and its Everyday Uses
Explore the properties of oil through an experiment. They use the scientific process to investigate oil, participate in experiments, watch videos,and use information from the internet to determine how oil has changed our...
Purdue University
Simple Machines
What's the best way to use a simple machine to solve a real-world problem? Scholars construct their own simple and complex machines to explore the concepts of work and force. They discuss examples of simple machines they have found in...
California Academy of Science
Energy: A Day in My Life
If only we could harness the energy of fifth graders, our energy problems would be over! The class discusses where different forms of energy come from and how we use them. They complete a chart of the activities that they do daily...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Make a Difference!
We are very dependent upon other life forms around us to survive. Here, scholars explore relationships in the ecosystem with the help of Auntie Litter and the pollution patrol. They imagine a world without grass, making connections to...
Curated OER
Investigating Brass Instruments and Pitch
Students observe the sounds of different brass instruments in order to understand how to create different pitches. In this musical instructional activity, students create a "brass" instrument from everyday household objects. The students...
Curated OER
TECH: Geneticist
A brief PowerPoint is used to introduce the class to the field of genetics by explaining the fields of work, the education required, and the job prospects. A trait inventory worksheet is completed by individuals, and then they gather...
Curated OER
Documenting the Great Depression
Students compare and contrast two photographs from the Great Depression, and identify the ways in which the photographers depicted the hardships of everyday life during this period. They hypothesize about the story behind each photograph...
University of Georgia
Would Your Cat Eat This Stuff?
Processed foods use inorganic compounds for flavoring and preservation. This take-home laboratory challenges scholars to find 20 different compounds identified on the labels of foods to list on their data collection sheet. The activity...
Curated OER
Images of Science
Students understand the diversity of science, both in terms of the work and the people engaged in the work. They learn that some scientists and engineers use huge instruments (e.g., particle accelerators or telescopes), and others use...
Curated OER
What is the Attraction?
Second graders investigate the law of polarity. In this magnets lesson plan, 2nd graders discover how magnets are used in everyday life and which objects in our environment are magnetic. Students experiment with bar magnets and...
Curated OER
Chemical Changes and Biscuits
Fourth graders investigate chemical changes in everyday life settings, such as cooking. They investigate leavening which is one of the classic chemical changes that people experience. Pupils observe leavening in biscuits with the...
Kenan Fellows
How Do Chemists Measure?
Young chemists create gold nanoparticles as they learn to measure accurately with the metric system. They create an advertisement for the application of nanotechnology to complete the first lesson in a series of six.
Tech Museum of Innovation
Tree House Escape
Use simple machines to escape from a tree house. Pupils learn about simple machines and how they are useful in everyday life in a STEM lesson plan. Groups then design a device to rescue a friend stuck in a tree house.
Energy for Keeps
The Energy Times
Extra! Extra! Read all about past and present energy use in a classroom-made historical newspaper. Useful as a cross-curricular assignment between science, history, and language arts, the project is sure to get young journalists...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Lab On A Slab
Capillary action is the frugal chemist's dream ... the less liquid used, the more tests they can run! Learners experiment with the best design to maximize the benefits of capillary action. Using a liquid sample, they design a capillary...
California Academy of Science
Rapid Brainstorming: How Can We Improve Our Global Food System?
In 2018, the average fast food burger cost $2.64 while a salad averaged $4.14. Does the price difference matter to public health? Scholars consider that question and others in a brainstorming session about improving our global food...
Science Matters
Under Pressure
Sometimes a little pressure isn't a bad thing! A collaborative instructional activity uses models to demonstrate how air pressure inflates and deflates the lungs. Participants use everyday materials to create models of the chest cavity...
Science Matters
Digestive System Simulation
What do a sandwich bag and a mouth have in common? Your classes are about to find out in a hands-on lesson that has groups build models of the digestive system. Using a little imagination, learners use everyday materials to create a...
Curated OER
How Are Polymers Utilized in Everyday Life?
Pupils identify the different types of polymers. In this chemistry lesson, students research information about an area of polymer science they chose. They create a PowerPoint presentation to share their findings in class.
Curated OER
Eco Points Score Card
Students play a game in which points are assigned to daily activities which require fossil fuels or electricity. They compare the impact their energy and transportation choices have in everyday life.