Activity
Teach Engineering

Exploring Variables While Testing and Improving Mint-Mobiles (for Middle School)

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
There are more ways to use mint candies than to just eat them. In groups, learners design and build race cars using mint candies, drinking straws, Popsicle sticks, index cards, and other materials. They decide on an independent variable...
Interactive
Shodor Education Foundation

Incline

For Students 7th - 10th Standards
Study velocity while examining graphical representations. As scholars work with the animation, they discover the effect the height of an incline has on the velocity of the biker. They make conclusions about the slope of the...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Polymers: Instant Snow

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
Is it easy to make snow? Scholars use critical thinking skills as they investigate the concept of polymers by making snow. The class tests several different variables and takes measurements over the course of several days. They then...
Activity
Teach Engineering

Exploring Variables While Testing and Improving Mint-Mobiles (for High School)

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Mint candies are good for more than just one's breath. Using basic materials such as mint candies, straws, index cards, and Popsicle sticks, scholars create race cars that meet a given budget as well as design constraints. They perform...
Lab Resource
US Department of Energy

Electromagnet Experiment Stand: A Variable Power Electromagnet

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Electromagnets come in both large and small scales—from big machinery in scrap yards to hard disk drives. Here's a resource that provides directions for building a variable electromagnet on a stand. Scholars then experiment with the...
Lesson Plan
Illustrative Mathematics

Chocolate Bar Sales

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
In this real-world example, algebra learners start to get a sense of how to represent the relationship between two variables in different ways. They start by looking at a partial table of values that define a linear relationship. They...
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Catapults

For Students 4th - 8th
Ready, aim, fire! Launch to a new level of understanding as scholars build and test their own catapults. Learners explore lever design and how adjusting the fulcrum changes the outcome. 
Activity
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Human Impacts on Biodiversity

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Have you always wanted to take your science class on an amazing field trip they will never forget? Now you can! Observe the wildlife in an African savanna through trail cameras with a five-part data analysis activity. Learners analyze...
Lesson Plan
Kenan Fellows

Saving Those Who Save Us: Exploring the Use of Sensors with Data Visualization

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Sensor technology is amazingly accurate and useful. Combining the sensor technology and mathematical knowledge, scholars design experiments to answer a question they have developed. Questions may focus on light sensing, temperature...
Interactive
Khan Academy

Challenge: Mickey Mouse Ears

For Teachers 6th - Higher Ed
My, what big ears you have! Novice JavaScript programmers adjust Mickey's ears to be proportional with his face and any changes to it. The key is to use variable expressions so that the values used are dependent upon the variable that...
Lesson Plan
Odell Education

Functions 2

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
Demonstrate linear and quadratic functions through contextual modeling. Young mathematicians explore both types of functions by analyzing their key features. They then relate these key features to the contextual relationship the function...
Lesson Plan
Kenan Fellows

Terrarium in a Bottle: Modeling the Atmosphere, Greenhouse Effect, and Water Cycle

For Teachers 7th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Squirmin' Worms

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Wiggle your way through lab day! Young zoologists observe and infer the effects of different stimuli on earthworms during an engaging lab from the K20 series. Lab partners set up four different controlled environments, then record how...
Lesson Plan
Visa

Living On Your Own

For Teachers 7th - 10th Standards
Learners gain a realistic understanding of what is required for independent living. They begin by setting up a budget based on needs and lifestyle, and then use worksheets and a presentation to practice such skills as reading a...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Quadratic Curve of Best Fit

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Class members create a table of the number of chords that can be drawn given the number of points on a circle. Pupils analyze the data created, find a function to fit to it, and use the function to make further predictions.
Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Alka-Seltzer Rockets

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Blast off! An engaging hands-on activity has pupils create rockets powered by Alka-Seltzer. They learn about the physics behind these rockets throughout the process.
Lesson Plan
Odell Education

Square Patios

For Students 8th - 10th Standards
Build a patio from toothpicks and marshmallows to analyze functions! Learners look for patterns in the data as they create different size patios. As they discover patterns, they make connections between the different representations of...
Activity
Discovery Education

Cool It!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Adjust the melting time of ice without varying the temperature! Learners experiment with different materials to decide how the materials affect the rate an ice cube melts. They then connect their findings to the conductivity of each...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Thermochemistry: Heat and Chemical Changes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What makes particles attract? Here, learners engage in multiple activities that fully describe colligative properties and allow the ability to critically assess the importance of these properties in daily life. Young chemists...