Teach Engineering
Wizardry and Chemistry
No need to go to Ollivanders to buy a magic wand. In the chemistry lab activity, young magicians mix chemicals to create combustible compounds. By applying these compounds to an iron wire, they create magic wands.
Curated OER
How Do We Solve the Problem of Wildlife on Our Roads?
Students analyze data on elk ecology and movements across the highway. In this ecology lesson, students research ways to save them from highway collisions. They write a report and present their findings in class.
Curated OER
Fish Farm: an open ended, student centered laboratory activity
Young scholars are contacted by a fictitious company which raises tropical fish to do basic research for them so that they might keep their production costs down. They need to know the optimum salinity in which to hatch the brine shrimp...
Curated OER
Kids and Chemicals - Facts and Laws
Students examine the impact of everyday toxins on the health of people. They conduct a cost-benefit analysis, watch a video, conduct Internet research, complete a Synthetic Chemical Exposure Chart, and write a one-page summary.
Curated OER
Mankind's Fascination With Flight
Students read various novels and articles about the contributions of the Wright Brothers. Individually, they are tested on their comprehension of the material and discuss. In groups, they research the role of the people in their life...
Curated OER
What Makes a Home "Energy Efficient"?
Young scholars research and report the costs and benefits of making their own homes more energy efficient. In this energy conservation lesson, students explore energy efficient technologies and design over several days. They complete a...
Curated OER
George Washington Carver
Students learn and research the life of George Washington Carver. In this historical figures lesson, students read a book on George Washington Carver, discuss his character and the challenges he faced in becoming a botanist. Students...
Curated OER
Using Technology to Design Animal Habitats
Students study the relationship between an animal and where it lives. In this habitats lesson students research to obtain data and create a professional report.
Curated OER
Aquaculture
Students examine an experiment in which 2 types of commercial fish are fed a new type of fish feed and a commercial fish feed which costs ten times as much. They calculate in the fish grow as well with the cheaper fish feed and then...
Teach Engineering
Air Pollution in the Pacific Northwest
Scholars investigate levels of nitrogen dioxide in the Pacific Northwest by examining the role of nitrogen in air pollution and how remote sensing can be used to measure nitrogen levels. An Excel spreadsheet calculates the difference...
National Center for Families Learning
The Summer Fun Summer Learning Drama and Plays Unit
The play's the thing that puts the play in a summer learning drama program designed to combat summer slide and encourage family literacy. Participants learn about drama as an art form, engage in dramatic presentations, write scripts, and...
Teach Engineering
Measuring Surface Tension
How do you measure surface tension? The fifth installment of a nine-part series is an experiment where young scientists use tubes of different sizes to measure surface tension. They calculate the average and standard deviation of the...
Kenan Fellows
Terrarium in a Bottle: Modeling the Atmosphere, Greenhouse Effect, and Water Cycle
You've heard of farm to table ... but what about farm in classroom? Junior agriculturalists embark upon a two-week journey into the science of growing things. Based upon the classic terrarium in a two-liter experiment, the lesson goes...
Curated OER
Real Family Genetics
Students research genetic disease and mutation causing traits in family pedigrees simulated in a class activity. Students are each assigned a genetic trait and a "spouse" and must conduct research on their traits and the probability of...
Curated OER
Hot Friction
Sixth graders use small electronic devices known as thermistors to measure the temperature beneath an object such as a coffee cup as it slides across a surface. By choosing different surfaces, 6th graders can compare in a quantitative...
Curated OER
Seed to Market
Learners research using a variety of materials and technology. They explain the specifics of growing crops. They use mathematics in common business calculations.
Curated OER
Maintaining Plant Genebanks
Students examine the use, costs, and the need for plant gene banks. The rationale for gaining ownership over scientific information and the implications of the developing nations' reliance on biotechnology is explored in this lesson.
Curated OER
Love Canal-A Man Made Disaster
Students watch a "Waste Management" Power Point as well as a "Love Canal" PowerPoint (a link is provided for the second presentation). Students write the chemical formula for each chemical and convert the contamination to grams using...
Curated OER
Industrial Agriculture
Students write about the benefits that industrial agriculture has had on growing crops. In this industrial agriculture lesson plan, students research how technology has impacted the processing speed of growing food.
Curated OER
INFORMATION FLUENCY UNIT
Seventh graders, after defining/brainstorm the task, divide up into groups and are assigned to an alternative energy source (wind, solar, or water) to research. They complete a presentation with visuals on their findings from their...
Curated OER
Sharks
Pupils research sharks, the food chain, and the water habitat shared by humans and sharks.
Curated OER
Severe Weather - Deciding Where to Live
Students recognize the variety and frequency of severe weather occurrences. They research the type of severe weather that may occur in their area as well as determine the frequency of occurrence.
Curated OER
Endosymbiosis: A Friend Within
Pupils research the ecological principle of symbiosis. Using a microscope, students observe the relationship of mutualism between termites and flagellates. Pupils examine a live termite and protozoans. They discuss the principles of...
Curated OER
Sorting
Young scholars examine the concept of organization. In this library skills lesson, students practice ordering and classification skills by playing the Flood Game as well as locating and shelving books in the school library.