Curated OER
A Package of Pringle
Here is a problem-solving lesson that has learners take the role of a packaging expert to design an inexpensive means of packaging a potato chip. It could benefit from having more specific detail about the lesson itself, but it does make...
Curated OER
Secret Formulas
Learners calculate the perimeter of rectangles and squares. They imagine trying to build a fence around a yard or trying to determine how much paint they need to paint a room. They also develop formulas and procedures for determining the...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Attitude Determines Altitude
A fabulous lesson which combines mathematics with space science. Middle schoolers work in cooperative groups in order to research early astronauts and their accomplishments. They look at a variety of rocket and space shuttle designs, and...
Massachusetts Department of Education
Similarity through Transformations
Create the ultimate miniature golf course. The 93-page model curriculum unit from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education contains nine lessons on understanding similarity in terms of both Euclidean geometry...
Curated OER
Many Paths
Learners explore the composition and practical application of parallel circuitry, compared to series circuitry. They design and build parallel circuits and investigate their characteristics, and apply Ohm's law. They recognize that...
Curated OER
Inquiry Unit: Modeling Maximums and Minimums
Young mathematicians explore the maximun area for patio with the added complexity of finding the mimimum cost for construction. First, they maximize the area of a yard given a limited amount of fence and plot width v. area on a scatter...
Curated OER
Another Way of Factoring
Focusing on this algebra lesson, learners relate quadratic equations in factored form to their solutions and their graph from a number of different aspects. In some problems, one starts with the original equation and finds the solutions....
Project Maths
Integral Calculus
From derivatives to antiderivatives and back again. Building on the second lesson of the three-part series covering functions, learners explore the concept of an antiderivative. They connect the concept to the graph of the function and...
Curated OER
TE Activity: Build Your Own Mobile
Students inquire into how the center of mass is the key factor in designing cars. They construct an oddly shaped object and determine its center of mass. They find that engineers are able to predict how objects will behave while they are...
Curated OER
Building Buildings
Students work together with a partnet to design a building. Using materials, they create the inside and outside of the structure along with works of art. They present their creation to the class and receive constructive criticism in return.
Curated OER
Building Storm Shelters
Sixth graders explore area and perimeter. In this online interactive area and perimeter lesson, 6th graders investigate why the perimeter of rectangles can vary considerably even when the area is held constant. Students construct...
Curated OER
Stressed and Strained
Young scholars explore stress and strength in engineering design. In this engineering instructional activity, students become familiar with terminology associated with stress and strain on building material. They will have a class...
Shodor Education Foundation
Volume of Prisms
Explore the concept of volume of prisms using an applet to perform the calculations. The link to the interactive applet is embedded into the lesson plan as well as a link to associated data sheets. Get your math class to the computer lab...
Curated OER
Lego Robotics: Measuring Speed
Students build and program a LEGO robotic car as well as measure and graph its speed. They acquire familiarity with principles of construction, motion, design and problem solving. They compare a robot's speed over two different surfaces...
Curated OER
Designed to Scale
Seventh graders study ratios, scale and distances according to a three dimensional model. For this exploratory lesson students create their own constellation and prepare an oral presentation that describes their model.
Teach Engineering
Windy Tunnel
Lift—it is about the wing's attack. Using a virtual wind tunnel, pupils investigate wing shape and angle of attack. Learners use worksheets to record their observations and to convert verbal relationships into mathematical equations in...
Teach Engineering
Stay in Shape
Using their knowledge of right triangles, pupils find out how far a ship is from a light house. Class members determine how far around the world a ship would be sailing at a constant speed.
Teach Engineering
Let's Get it There Fast
Are planes the best shipping method? Using maps, pupils determine the fastest mode of transportation between two cities. Given a list of items to ship, groups decide the best shipping method to finish the 18th segment of a 22-part unit.
Computer Science Unplugged
Computing: Databases Unplugged
How do databases store and retrieve information? The activities in the resource provide fundamental concepts of databases by introducing an approach that teaches the basics without using computers. The pupils act as the actual data that...
Teach Engineering
Seeing All Sides: Orthographic Drawing
How can your draw three-dimensional figures on paper? The lesson shows pupils how to draw orthographic projections of three-dimensional figures composed of cubes. After viewing a PowerPoint presentation, they practice this skill with...
Orange Public Schools
Stagecraft
The house lights dim, the curtain parts, lights slowly come up, revealing the stage. Before the actors appear, before a word is spoken, the audience is drawn in by the lighting, by the colors, by lines of the set, by the props, and...
Curated OER
Be a Structural Engineer!
Students investigate how to design and build items with a focus on structural strength as an engineer would. They complete a truss-building project as a final assessment.
Curated OER
Paper Towel Structure
Students investigate technology and its purpose in the workplace. In this geometry lesson, students design and build a paper towel structure to investigate motion and forces. They are given a restricted weight and asked to build their...
Curated OER
My Crazy Contraption
Fourth graders design a contraption, which contains five different examples of simple machines and works without intervention. They sketch designs and label its parts. They present their creations to the class and relate them to Rube...