Here's an assessment task that's better than watching a show. Young mathematicians solve word problems involving multiplication and division with equal groups. They must find the total number of attendees on a trip to a theater based on...

Aim high with a task on window washers. An assessment task challenges learners to determine the number of windows two people wash. They do this using a given number of window rows on each side of a building. In addition, they find the...

How do dams support bodies of water? Scholars engage in a hands-on STEM activity where they design, build, and test dams to learn about bodies of water and how humans use natural resources. They learn how criteria and constraints affect...

Students explore counting, sorting, and graphing skills. In this data analysis lesson, students sort jelly beans by color, count the jelly beans, and create a bar graph of the jelly beans according to color.

Fourth graders experiment to determine how overpopulation effects ecosystems specifically plants. In this ecosystem instructional activity, 4th graders conduct an ecosystems experiment after listening to Claire Daniel's, Ecosystems. They...

Third graders explore vocabulary associated with three dimensional figures.  In this transformations lesson, 3rd graders create two dimensional nets for three dimensional figures.  Students become familiar with describing two...

Students triangulate using a compass, topographical (topo) map and a view of outside landmarks. They take a field trip to another location away from school and mark discernible landmarks (like mountains or radio towers) and changes in...

Students discover the history of hot air balloons by watching one ascent.  In this physics lesson, students utilize a Montgolfier Hot Air Balloon from an earlier lesson and record the temperature, rate of ascent and the volume....

Students determine their own eyesight and calculate what a good average eyesight value for the class would be. They examine how technology enhances eyesight and how engineers play an important role in the development of these technologies.

Students design and create robotic cars using Legos and the Robolab program. They hold a "snail race" where the slowest car that can be determined to be actually moving is the winner.

Students construct and maintain a school garden. In this gardening lesson, students plan the construction of the garden by writing letters to local businesses asking for supplies and materials; students build the garden using their math...

Learners explore different size circles to discover the relationship between diameter and circumference. In this circles and Pi lesson, students construct simple parachutes using circle patterns of varying sizes. Learners predict the...

Students are introduced to the concepts of a watershed, stream flow and water quality. This five-day plan is an excellent way to introduce students to the concepts involved. They create their own watershed using a paper bag, water and...

Middle schoolers work in groups to conduct experiments the demonstrate the differences between static and kinetic friction. They consider how friction affects us in our everyday lives, determine the effects of weight on friction and...

Learners discuss the different types of tornadoes and how they form. Working in groups, they record journal entries by conducting experiments with water bottles simulating vortex formation.

Second graders explore weather. In this weather lesson plan, 2nd graders read Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and participate in four supplemental science activities. Students participate in Internet research, create weather maps,...

Students visit different departments at a local hospital to see how machines help peoples such as the CAT scan machine. They build a model of such a machine that shows how patients are moved in and out of the machine.

Two students are blindfolded and each receives a cardboard square, one with pompoms glued around the edge and one with pompoms glued all over the surface. They identify what they feel. The class discusses perimeter and area of polygons....

Students use vocabulary to describe the quilt making process. In this quilting lesson plan, students collect needed materials, sequence the steps for quilting and create an original peace quilt. Students write about their quilts.

Students examine the characteristics and types of tornadoes. They discuss how they are formed, conduct an experiment with two liter bottles, analyze data and determine mean and median, and design a house to withstand tornado-force winds

Learners revisit midpoint and segments by graphing on the TI or computer. This activity can be done with pencil and paper, but is more interactive if it is done on a TI-navigator.

Fifth graders study environmental changes by examining the annual rings of a cross-section of a tree trunk. They access websites to complete a worksheet on the parts of a tree. They count the annual rings on a tree slice while observing...

Students build conductivity testers and investigate which solids and solutions conduct electricity. Working in groups, they predict which items will conduct electricity and record their answers on worksheets.

Students create squares of different sizes on a geoboard. They find and describe a pattern. Students use the pattern to determine the number of squares possible on a 10-by-10 geoboard. They create squares with a horizontal base (and...