North Carolina State University
Exploring Genetics Across the Middle School Science and Math Curricula
Where is a geneticist's favorite place to swim? A gene pool. Young geneticists complete hands-on activities, experiments, and real-world problem solving throughout the unit. With extra focus on dominant and recessive genes, Punnett...
Rochester Institute of Technology
Solar Energy
Warm up to the idea of solar energy. A lesson plan includes three activities that challenge scholars to apply knowledge in new ways. First, they learn to run an alarm clock without a battery by using solar energy. Next, they complete an...
Curated OER
Ditto - A Cooperative Game
Learners, in groups, first build/design something using equipment given. Then students write a detailed description of what they built. After all groups are finished they switch directions and try to build the other teams design by...
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How - To - Posters
Students investigate the skills needed to survive for the early colonial settlers and Native Americans. They conduct research, develop a list of skills, and create a how-to poster demonstrating a survival skill.
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Bringing Young Architects to Surface
Students work in pairs to design a building. In this architecture lesson, students take on the role of head architect to design and construct a 3-D scale model a building for a client. Students' goal is to meet the needs of their client...
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LEGO Mini-Golf
Students work together in teams to build a LEGO golf course. They build holes with sensors on them for the golf balls. They answer questions about their project to end the instructional activity.
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Get Your Butt off the Beach!
Students participate in a Beach Field Study in which the analyze the affect pollution is having on beaches and the animals that live there. Students focus specifically on the damage cigarette butts are causing on the environment.
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Words in the News Maradona And the 'Hand of God' 24 August 2005
Learners study vocabulary about football and the World Cup. They complete word work and read an online article looking for answers to specific questions.
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Robots All Around Us
Student work in design teams to research robots, create a drawing of a robot they want to make, build a prototype of their robot, present their prototype and research, and write a descriptive paragraph about their creation.
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Project X-35
Students demonstrate rocketry principles through a cooperative, problem solving simulation. They work in teams to simulate the development of a commercial proposal to design, build, and launch a rocket.
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Have Block Party!
Students discover that the possibilities are limitless in this block-building activity. In this early childhood, problem solving lesson, students develop social, problem-solving, math, and language skills using a specific number of...
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School Lighting Audit
Learners identify the data included in an energy audit. They perform an audit on the lighting in their school building. They complete a worksheet and discuss lighting issues with school staff.
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Understanding Space Travel
Students study the unique environment of the moon and Mars. In this space science lesson plan, students design a city located in the outer space. They create a computer aided design, models or drawings of their cities and share them with...
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The Rights of the Child
Students create a set of rights that promote safety and tolerance at the school site. For this Bill of Rights lesson, students read the U.N. Declaration on Rights of the Child. Student presenters lead a discussion of these rights and...
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Planning a Trip
Students collect data, organize data, and compute differences of multi-digit numbers. In this data analysis lesson, students put together their best travel plan in small groups as outlined in the first lesson. Students study a map,...
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Back to School with Paper Quilts and Partnerships
Make a commitment to collaboration, and build classroom community by integrating art and classroom objectives to create a paper quilt.
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Creating the Ideal Cargo Boat
Students build boats out of clay to test the buoyancy of the boat in water. Students break into pairs and construct their boat to specific guide lines, then experiment with their boat in the water.
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Developing Models
Students study the concept of a scientific model and demonstrate climate change models. In this scientific instructional activity students design a model using direct and indirect evidence and use it to make hypotheses.
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Create-A-Town Simulation
Students design and construct a model town. For this community lesson, students will collaboratively build a small town from construction paper and toys.
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Adopt An Insect
This lesson plan combines a creative building activity with analyzing a butterfly photograph and using problem solving to complete the puzzle. It blends art and science very well. Learners will learn and enjoy the process. The extension...
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Cosmic Wheels
Young scholars build a scale model of the Solar System and determine the time other planets take to travel around the Sun in comparison to the time of the Earth's revolution. The velocity of the planets are also determined in this lesson.
PBS
Home, Sweet, Home!
Students investigate the local history and architecture of their community. They draw maps, conduct Internet research, discuss varied architectural designs, take a walking tour of their town and work in teams to record their community's...
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Marine & Aquatic Habitats Activities - Aquatic Animals
Students explore importance of marine or aquatic habitats, and investigate habitat characteristics and conditions required by various organisms to ensure survival. They then select an animal to study and design an artificial habitat...
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Meeting in the Middle
Students view a video clip about the building of tunnels. They discover the importance of measurement and communication between groups when building a tunnel. They participate in an activity in which they must communicate with others.