Curated OER
Genetics
Become familiar with the basic concepts of inheritance. Your junior high students work through mulitple examples of crosses and calculate probabilities of trait occurance. The explain the concept that each parent contributes one half of...
Curated OER
Data Collection
Students write a journal exercise that relates to pets. They collect information from each other in order to practice making and interpreting bar graphs. They Continue building different kinds of graphs with the group.
Curated OER
Ecuadorian Rainforest
Have your class talk about the importance of the rainforest and the products that come from it. Learners watch a video showing the path of chocolate from the rainforest to the supermarket. They discuss how the rainforest and...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Population Dynamics
Will human population growth always be exponential, or will we find a limiting factor we can't avoid? Young scientists learn about both exponential and logistic growth models in various animal populations. They use case studies to...
Curated OER
Iron For Breakfast
Third graders are challenged to use scientific thinking, they experiment and observe which objects are attracted to a magnet. Pupils use the evidence to construct an explanation as to what common property the objects attracted to a...
Shodor Education Foundation
Function Machine
Machines can be so helpful sometimes. A simple interactive has learners enter input values for a function machine and observe output values. These values help determine a function that represents the input-output relationship in the...
Tech Museum of Innovation
Energy at Play
Get the ball rolling and challenge your class to figure out how to make a ball move. The instruction segment is between two STEM activities devoted to doing just that. The first is simple and involves making a ball move from some...
Curated OER
Vernier EasyData App
Used along with data collection devices, the EasyData Application for the TI-83 Plus/TI-84 calculator allows learners to use real data to learn math and science. Statistics, curve fits, and integrals are used to analyze the...
Teach Engineering
Force on a Current Carrying Wire
What do electrical currents have to do with an MRI? Using a simple wire setup and a magnet, class members explore forces used in an MRI by investigating the magnetic force acting on a wire carrying a current.
Curated OER
How Gear Systems Work: A Research Project
Students apply information regarding simple machines along with the math concept "ratios." The teacher introduces the concept that technology is the application of scientific knowledge and mathematics concepts to solve a problem. This is...
Shodor Education Foundation
Caesar Cipher
Caesar ciphers hide secret missives. A simple interactive lets users encode and decode hidden messages. The cipher method here is the Caesar shift.
Curated OER
The Viewing Tube
Looking for an excellent instructional activity that incorporates math, science, and technology? Groups of three learners use a viewing tube to perform an experiment, and discover how to organize their data into an Excel...
Discovery Education
It's Getting Hot in Here
Class members engage in a STEM experiment and investigate how materials affect heating in a house by creating models of houses and using different top surface materials. They record the temperature inside the models and consider what the...
Teach Engineering
Strong-Arm Tactics
Experience collecting rock samples using a robotic arm with an activity that has pairs work together to operate a robotic arm. One pupil serves as the eyes and the other operates the controller. The objective is to be the fastest pair to...
Curated OER
NUMB3RS Activity: Coded Messages
Using matrix multiplication and inverse matrices, students are trying to uncode a coded message. Students encrypt simple messages using 2 x 2 matrices.
Teach Engineering
Light vs. Heat Bulbs
Careful, that light bulb is hot! Compare heat and light energy using a simple light bulb. The exercise addresses energy conservation and presents actual calculations to determine the most cost-effective light bulb.
National Gallery of Canada
My First Print
Practice printmaking with a fun instructional activity. After observing images, class members use the listed materials, such as stamps and sponges, create their own prints. They experiment with layering, pressure, and paint colors.
Teach Engineering
Building a Piezoelectric Generator
In pairs, learners build a piezoelectric generator from readily available electric components in the second and final installment of the two-part series. Tapping the piezoelectric element produces enough electricity to light an LED....
Curated OER
Make Work Easier!
Pupils work in pairs to design a lever. They conduct experiments using a penny and nickel to explore the uses of a lever.
Curated OER
Simply Unique
Students identify, compare and contrast simple machines and their functions. They work together in groups to complete experiments using the simple machines. They write in their journals to reflect on the lesson plan.
Curated OER
What Configurations Work to Light a Bulb?
Students explore simple electrical circuits. Students experiment, using different configurations, to determine what is necessary to compeete a circuit. Students observe similarities between arrangements that work and differences in...
Curated OER
Balanced Students
Young scholars investigate the relationships between weights, and construct a balanced first class lever. They formulate a general equation for the relationship explored in the experiment and perform calculations.
Curated OER
Magnetic Discovery Bottle
Pupils examine how to conduct simple investigations and use simple equipment to gather data. In this magnet lesson plan students decide what types of objects are attracted to magnets.
Curated OER
Starch and Sugar Testing 2
Students design and conduct an experiment to determine which of three solutions contain starch or sugar. This task assess students' ability to make simple observations, design simple experiments, utilize indicators, and make generalized...