Fifty eye-catching pages contain six lessons about Roald Dahl's novel, Matilda. Each lesson has a theme and covers a different subject—literacy, social-emotional learning, science, and geography. Scholars analyze characters, examine...

Give it up for updraft towers. Pupils learn about solar updraft towers by first watching a video. They then research these structures on their own and think about how the toys they made in the previous lesson use the same scientific...

Who says toys can't be educational? The fourth of five parts in the Solar Updraft Towers unit has scholars create toys that run on solar and wind energy. The devices need to be solar updraft towers that can be placed on a warm surface...

Turn a learning experience into a fun lesson plan. Future engineers create blades for a wind turbine using card stock. Using a fan, they test how well the blades help the wind turbine turn. The goal is to build blades that are effective...

Convection currents aren't just a bunch of hot air. The second of five lessons in the Solar Updraft Towers unit focuses on energy transfer and convection currents. Young scientists watch six demonstrations that illustrate how warm air...

Get energized about all the different sources of energy. A research project has scholars investigate a renewable or non-renewable energy type of their choice. They write a report on their findings and decide on a way to publish their work.

Can you hear it now? Young scientists experiment with sound waves using metal objects and string. They strike metal objects while they hold them and as the objects hang from a string to compare the sound. They discover that sound travels...

The moon is famous for its craters, but they haven't always been there. Young learners experiment with materials to simulate the creation of moon craters. Pupils are able to see patterns in their materials that are similar to the...

Turn up the heat. Individuals conduct two experiments to observe the difference between heated water and air versus cold water and air. Using food coloring, pupils observe the movement of the molecules in the two temperatures of water. A...

If you're going to build a machine, you might as well make it interesting and amusing. A set of eight lessons and activities introduces simple machines using Rube Goldberg machines. A culminating project challenges techies to create and...

Scholars examine, cut, paste, and sort 12 images featuring different types of movement in order to show what they know about energy—potential and kinetic. 

Engineering challenges are not just man-made ... nature has its own set of them. A hands-on STEM activity has groups designing a seed dispersal system. Each group can only use one sheet of paper — a tough task!

A STEM instructional activity presents a simulation of placing a scientific instrument in a lava flow. Teams design and build a device that can place a ping pong ball in a cup from a distance of at least three feet. They test and refine...

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 instructional activity. Groups then design a device to rescue a friend stuck in a tree house.

Ever wonder what it would be like to be Rube Goldberg for a day? Scholars learn about simple machines and how combining them creates complex machines in a STEM activity. They use everyday materials to build machines to ring a bell along...

Model the landing of the Mars Rover using an egg. The STEM activity has pupils create a landing device for a falling egg to simulate the landing of the Mars Rover. They test their devices through experimentation to safely land the device.

Fido needs your help! Groups first learn about form and function and about the design process in a STEM activity. Then, they design a device to save a pet (stuffed animal) from a pipe.

What noise is coming from that box? Teams design and build a device that hears a noise from inside a box. Groups must complete the task within a time limit and use the STEM design process. Participants must be able to hear the sound well...

How high can you go? In a STEM design challenge, teams design and build a structure using only dowel rods and rubber bands. The goal is to build the tallest freestanding structure using all of the dowel rods. Teams present their designs...

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 force...

Design protection from high-speed particles. The STEM lesson plan highlights why astronauts need protection from space debris. Pupils use the design process to design, build, and test a spacesuit that will protect a balloon from a...

The pre-lab portion of the lesson introduces emerging geologists to the various layers that make up Earth. After completing a sheet on the identification of the layers, class members simulate plate boundaries and their...

Examine earthquake intensities and ways to measure an earthquake through the comparison of the Mercalli and Richter scales. After completing the pre-lab worksheet, fourth graders compare high and low intensity quakes by testing the...

How do lighting types affect energy efficiency? Explore different types of lighting and the energy they use. Pupils learn about types of lights and calculate the energy used during a typical school year. They discover that being energy...