Science Friday
Pinhole Viewer
Take a peep into optics. Pupils watch a video about a large Polaroid camera before building pinhole viewers. The scholars then create different types of viewers and compare them to determine which provides the best image.
Missoula Art Museum
Dance with Your Fingers, Draw with Your Toes
Pair dancing, music, and art into one elementary instructional activity. Using the work of Henri Matisse and Rudy Autio as inspiration, kids spend a few days listening to music that fits the moods of various pieces of art, then work on...
Royal Society of Chemistry
Polymers—Gifted and Talented Chemistry
Polymers are an important part of our day-to-day lives, but how much do your pupils know about them? Learn the basics and beyond in a series of activities designed to build skills in observation, planning, organic chemistry, and bonding.
DiscoverE
Aviary Architect
Groups of two to four work collaboratively to engineer a birdhouse that will stay cool in the summer heat. Teams examine several different-colored roofs, testing the efficiency of each with a heat lamp. Then, groups sketch their ideas,...
Serendip
Using Models to Understand Cellular Respiration
Energize biologists with colorful images in an activity that captivates the imagination while demystifying the subject of cellular respiration. Participants build comprehension skills and access core content knowledge by analyzing text...
Workforce Solutions
Workforce Solutions Pre-K Lessons
Four lessons, each following the same routine, explore the careers of a teacher, nurse, electrician, geologist, plumber, and police officer. After listening to a read-aloud and thoughtful discussion, young scholars construct puppets...
Berkeley Engineering and Mentors
Newspaper Towers
The challenge is quite simple: build a tall tower from a predesignated number of newspaper sheets. Emerging engineers work in teams to build the tallest structure. You will demonstrate some structure shapes and discuss their relative...
Curated OER
Creating with Clay
Students are introduced to the Art Museum's Ahambra Vase. They explore the difference between throwing on the pottery wheel and hand building. Students create a functional vessel using two of the three hand-building techniques. They find...
Curated OER
Let's Have a Parade
Students explore the art piece, "Death Cart." In this visual arts instructional activity, students discuss the artistic details of the art piece and design a cart for a classroom "parade." Students use cardboard boxes, glue, and markers...
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Students create a pyramid design based on the 6 simple machines that they are introduced to. In this simple machines lesson plan, students are introduced to the wedge, wheel and axle, inclined plane, screw, and pulley.
Curated OER
Shape Hunt
Explore the world of shapes! After free tangram exploration and pair share time, learners describe various patterns and shapes in both the natural and designed world. They investigate the use of tangrams to create patterns and shapes.
Curated OER
Simple Machines
Learners examine six simple machines and investigate who Rube Goldberg is. They explore various websites, write an article, write ten interesting facts about Rube Goldberg, and design and construct a simple machine.
Curated OER
A Tour in Sustainability
Students explore two LEED certified green buildings. They examine what is the LEED certification process and what constitutes a green building. They tour via the internet two LEED certified green buildings, while comparing and...
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
Constructing Earthquake-Proof Buildings
Middle schoolers examine different materials and design options that can affect the durability of a building. In this investigative lesson students conduct several earthquake experiments.
Curated OER
Cross That Bridge
Learners create paper bridges. In this geometry and architecture lesson plan, groups use legal paper and paper clips to design a bridge that will hold 100 pennies. Links to mini-lessons exploring stability of different geometric figures...
Curated OER
Design Project: Sensitive Microphone Amplifier
In this physics worksheet, students construct and test an amplifier circuit given a schematic diagram. They answer 2 short answer questions about the circuit they constructed.
Science Friday
Make a Model of a Home Made From Shipping Containers
Build a scale model of a home built out of shipping containers. A hands-on activity has scholars watch a video about a home built from shipping containers and then design their own home. They build scale models of their designed homes...
Curated OER
Design Patterns
Pupils extend and create patterns. Through a variety of activities, they discover patterns as they exist in math and their everyday lives. Students create a necklace that represents a pattern.
Mascil Project
Building a Safe Staircase
Climb up the staircase of engineering knowledge. After watching a video of a carpenter measuring out steps for a set of stairs, pupils learn about the terminology and regulations involving stairs. They see how to use a rule of thumb when...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Building and Solving Linear Equations
Young scholars write and solve linear equations in one variable based on descriptions of the operations that are applied to the unknown variable in an algebra machine. They then create their own problems for classmates to solve.
Mathematics Assessment Project
Smoothie Box
Pupils demonstrate their understanding of nets by designing a net of a box that contains 12 bottles. Given the full size top and side views of the bottle, they determine the dimensions needed for the finished box. The directions do...
Curated OER
Reinforced Concrete Bridges
Students analyze bridge designs and functions. In this reinforced bridge lesson students brainstorm bridge ideas, divide into teams and give an oral presentation to the class to show them their bridge design.
Curated OER
TE Activity: Choosing a Pyramid Site
Students determine how engineers decide on choices for final designs and sites for construction. They look at a surveyor's report while they evaluate sites where a pyramid could be build. They consider the distance the pyramid would be...