Curated OER
Aluminum Adventure
Chemistry aces use an electrochemical cell to anodize a strip of aluminum. They apply an organic dye to it. In a practical application, they design a piece of jewelry out of the anodized metal and describe the process. Thorough notes...
Curated OER
Information Shuffle
Gather some information, print it onto sentence strips, and then have your class physically shuffle the cards to better understand the importance of organizational patterns in writing. Middle school learners examine information for a...
Curated OER
Westward Ho!
For any teacher of American History, The Lewis and Clark Expedition is a watershed event that should be shared with your students. This is a very good lesson on the Expedition, and the events that led up to it; including The Lousisiana...
Curated OER
Indirectly Direct
Students use prior knowledge of angle and lines as they conduct an experiment with a rolling marble to determine the shape of a mystery object located under a metal pie tin.
Curated OER
What is the Nature of Science?
Conduct a survey about the nature of science with your high schoolers. They will record their responses in a table and then discuss the implications of scientific theory. Note: There are activity sheets, and forms included with this lesson.
Curated OER
Comparison Shopping
Elementary schoolers explore the concepts associated with comparison shopping, and the concept of need versus want. They also look closely at the power of advertising and become more aware of the messages that ads present. After taking...
NASA
Pop Can Hero Engine
Hang a soda can from a string and watch it spin by the force created by water streaming out of slanted holes. This plan provides background information, detailed materials and procedures, discussion questions, a lab worksheet, and...
Space Awareness
Navigating with the Kamal
Historians have proven that as early as 1497 skilled navigators were using a kamal to sail across oceans. Scholars learn about navigation tools and astronomy before building their own kamals. They then learn how to use it to determine...
Curated OER
Humor and Irony in Eudora Welty's The Ponder Heart
Students demonstrate an understanding of humor in writing, specifically the use of irony (verbal, situational, and dramatic). They evaluate an event from his or her life that lends itself to a humorous retelling, and demonstrate an...
Curated OER
WebQuest Solar System Colonization Project 2000
Sixth graders investigate the livability of different planets in the universe by researching and organizing information from a number of sources in this unit project. They decide on a location for a space station which they support in an...
Curated OER
Maps
Learners investigate threee types of maps. In this algebra lesson, students idenitfy different maps and explore how they relate to the area keeping cllimate and topography in mind. They discuss maps used to navigate land. air and sea.
Curated OER
Applying Proportionality in Scale Drawings
Sixth graders examine a blue print and discuss the reasoning behind using blue prints. For this proportionality lesson, students collaborate with their teammates to create a scale drawing. Once that is complete, 6th graders write a...
Mathematics Vision Project
Module 7: Modeling with Functions
The sky's the limit of what you create when combining functions! The module begins with a review of transformations of parent functions and then moves to combining different function types using addition, subtraction, and...
Curated OER
Quadratic Functions and Stopping Distance
High schoolers solve quadratic equations. In this algebra lesson, students factor and graph quadratic functions. they use the properties of quadratics to calculate the distance.
Curated OER
M&M's and the Scientific Method
Sixth graders explore the scientific method by conducting an in class experiment. In this scientific averages lesson, 6th graders discuss the concept of the scientific method, and define the different mathematical averages, mean, median...
Curated OER
Do You Feel Lucky?
Students explore probability by using games based on probable outcomes of events. They name all of the possible outcomes of an event and express the likelihood of such an event occurring.
Curated OER
Measurable You!
Conduct guided experiments and discussions while collecting anthropometric measurements. Your class will explore impact of experimental errors in a scientific system, and explain their observations/findings in writing. An introduction to...
Curated OER
The Slant on Slides Lab
In this inclined planes instructional activity, students investigate the effort force needed to move a 1 kg weight up a ramp to different distances on the ramp. Students calculate the work input and output for each trial as well as...
Curated OER
Experimenting with Pressure and Volume
Students explore the relationship between temperature and pressure using a paper-pencil laboratory activity and software. The nature and behavior or gases with respect to temperature is the focus of this lesson.
Teach Engineering
About Accuracy and Approximation
How accurate are robots? Groups draw lines by moving robots backwards and forwards by one rotation of the wheels. Using the appropriate formula, they determine the percent error in the length of the lines in relation to the calculated...
Curated OER
The Study of Molecular Orientation by Linear Dimension Change of Polymeric Films
Students investigate the linear dimension change of heated plastic film and relate the results to processing and service use of the materials. They calculate percent change in dimension as related to anisotropy and molecular reorientation.
Curated OER
Point- vs. Non-point Pollution
Students differentiate between point and non-point pollution and determine how the different types of pollution are harmful to aquatic ecosystems. They complete a series of tests on a sample of "polluted" water and a sample of "pure" water.
Foundation for Water & Energy Education
How is Flowing Water an Energy Source? Activity C
Can the force of falling water through a tube vary by altering the diameter of the tube or its height? That is what physical scientists aim to discover in this activity, the third in successively more revealing activities on the power of...
Center for Learning in Action
Density
Explore the concept of density within states of matter—gases, liquids, and solids—through a group experiment in which young scientists test objects' texture, color, weight, size, and ability to sink or float.