In addition to the catchy title, this lesson plan provides upper graders an opportunity to more closely scrutinize the attributes of plane figures. In particular, they focus on the similarity of different shapes. Both whole-class and...

Here is a simple and clever activity which illustrates the concept of mathematical proportion and size quite effectively. In it, two pupils hold baseball bats: one is a regulation-size bat, the other is a miniature souvenir bat. The...

Train a budding electrician about the principles of electricity and the wiring materials needed to complete the job. Briefly covered are basic electrical concepts such as, volts, watts, circuits, and safety. Also covered are the...

Looking for the best inclined plane for the job? Groups calculate the theoretical mechanical advantage for four different inclined planes. They determine the actual mechanical advantage by measuring the amount of force needed for the...

Mass and density — aren't they the same thing? This activity has groups use balance beams and water displacement to measure several objects. The pupils use the measurements to calculate the density of the objects. 

Rolling for momentum. As part of a study of mechanical energy, momentum, and friction, class members experiment rolling a ball down an incline and having it collide with a cup. Groups take multiple measurements and perform...

Don't be dense—use a robust resource. The second installment of a five-part Floaters and Sinkers unit has learners determine the densities of several objects. As part of the activity, they learn the displacement method for finding...

Stop and drop what is in your hand! Pupils investigate how form effects drag in the 12th part of a 22-part unit on aviation. Groups create equally weighted objects and determine which one falls the fastest by collecting data.

Students explore rhythmic patterns. They create and perform the rhythms and use Cubase software to perform, record, and play rhythms for use in dictation exercises. They identify and count rhythm patterns

Designers measure their own rooms and produce a scale drawing. They use the Internet to visit sites to find the costs of purchasing new carpet, paint, or anything else they would like to add to their room. Using a $1500 budget, they will...

Estimating Errors in Chemistry is a detailed handout that illustrates the importance of calculating the percent error when working in the chemistry lab. There are no actual problems to solve, just notes and examples of calculations. Hand...

In this area of shapes unit, upper graders participate in hands-on problem solving activities to find the formulas for the area of a parallelogram, a triangle, and a trapezoid. They manipulate the geoboard to explore relationships among...

Are you looking for lab sheets to go with your class experiment on plant response to light? You are no longer in the dark! This is a lesson that was written for a unit on light, but could easily be used to demonstrate plant behaviors in...

An engaging hands-on activity is presented. Learners of all ages are addressed in thie unique plan. K-5 learners identify, name, and define a rectangle, square, triangle, and the concept of area. Older learners prove the Pythagorean...

Using a pulse monitor, learners will measure a resting pulse, take a math test, and then measure the pulse again. They analyze the change in pulse and compare it to performance on the test. This multi-purpose lesson can be used in a...

To demonstrate their skills with traditional and computer-assisted notation, young musicians notate and perform the first eight measures of Friedrich von Schiller's theme to "Ode to Joy."

Students experience a "hands-on" activity to get visual evidence of the physical nature of DNA and the process of DNA purification. They explore one method of chromosomal DNA isolation and DNA extraction.

Learners explore how different materials (sand, gravel, lava rock) with different water contents on different slopes result in landslides of different severity. They measure the severity by how far the landslide debris extends into model...

Young geometers investigate two-dimensional figures using coordinate grids. They identify polygons and draw examples of their reflection, rotation, and translation on a coordinate grid. And they complete a worksheet practicing examples...

Here is a hands-on activity where your class members will discover different ways to measure the government's financial situation and work to add data and redraw graphs in order to calculate the ratio of gross federal debt held by...

There's nothing better than a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean. Scholars explore how water affects change in temperature using a hands-on experiment on climate. They use measurement tools to compare the continental and oceanic...

Geology geniuses analyze sediment samples with a hand lens and sort according to physical characteristics. They also learn about the processes of cementation, compaction, and lithification within the rock cycle. The lesson plan is...

Learners demonstrate how to tell time using an analog clock. In this time measurement lesson, students read the book Clocks and More Clocks and use analog clocks to demonstrate the time that the teacher called out.

Kids observe, classify, and measure tree leaves with a scientific eye. They examine leaves, group them according their attributes, and use standard units of measurement as they compare their sizes. They access a web site to learn how...