Curated OER
Playground Pounding
Students view photographs depicting soil compression. They use soil and sponges to observe how soil can be compacted, and its implications.
Curated OER
Air and Water in the Environment
Second graders participate in a three part lesson plan in which they identify and describe forms of moisture in the environment. Part one of the lesson plan involves the three stages of the water cycle, part two focuses on creating...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Volume of Compound Figures
Fifth graders use patterns, models and relationships to solve equations. In this equations lesson, 5th graders define vocabulary for equations and complete worksheets explaining variables and solving problems.
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Making Cubes
Third graders explore vocabulary associated with three dimensional figures. In this transformations lesson, 3rd graders create two dimensional nets for three dimensional figures. Students become familiar with describing two and three...
Curated OER
Rep Tiles
Third graders use pattern blocks of one shape at a time to try to create a similar shape. They compare the perimeter of the new figure with the perimeter of the original shape and look for a pattern. Students use the pattern to predict...
Curated OER
Geoboard Squares
Students create squares of different sizes on a geoboard. They find and describe a pattern. Students use the pattern to determine the number of squares possible on a 10-by-10 geoboard. They create squares with a horizontal base (and...
Curated OER
Temperature
Students understand that temperatures in Alaska can be negative numbers. In this temperature lesson, students recognize the temperatures above and below zero. Students compare temperatures using the greater than and less than signs....
Curated OER
Let the Rain Come Down!
Second graders construct a bar graph comparing local precipitation to that of the Yucatan. In this graphing lesson, 2nd graders will use conversions and problem solving strategies.
Teach Engineering
Light vs. Heat Bulbs
Careful, that light bulb is hot! Compare heat and light energy using a simple light bulb. The exercise addresses energy conservation and presents actual calculations to determine the most cost-effective light bulb.
Mathematics Assessment Project
Calculating Volumes of Compound Objects
After determining the volume of various drinking glasses , class members evaluate sample responses to the same task to identify errors in reasoning.
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Campaign
The I-STOP law was designed to regulate the distribution and tracking of prescription drugs. After reading an article about its signing and implementation, middle and high schoolers work together to come up with their own ideas for an...
Teach Engineering
Sliders (for High School)
Slip sliding away. Groups investigates the two types of friction by running an experiment that allows them to calculate the coefficient of static friction and the coefficient of kinetic friction. The experiment uses a box, a basket, and...
Teach Engineering
Creepy Silly Putty
It might be silly to determine the creep rate of putty but groups will enjoy making different formulations of silly putty and playing with them to understand how the different mixtures behave. The second part of the activity has groups...
Curated OER
Finding the Area of Polygons
Third graders are exposed to finding the area of polygons by decomposing figures and recomposing them into rectangles. This strategy allows children to expand on their prior knowledge of constructing shapes by rearranging parts into...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Designing a 3d Product in 2d: a Sports Bag
Sew up pupil interest with an engaging, hands-on lesson. Learners first design a sports bag given constraints on the dimensions of fabric. They then evaluate provided sample responses to identify strengths and weaknesses of included...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Sampling and Estimating: Counting Trees
Your task today: count all the trees on a tree farm. To complete the assignment, learners first estimate the number of trees on a tree farm using random sampling. To improve their own response they then evaluate provided responses to the...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Estimating Volume: The Money Munchers
Don't stuff money under your mattress. To find out why learners first complete a task determining how $24,000 in cash would affect the height of a mattress and whether this same amount would fit into a suitcase of given dimensions. They...
Mathematics Assessment Project
Evaluating Statements About Enlargements
Double, toil ,and double linear dimensions. Learners first complete an assessment investigating how doubling linear dimensions affects the area of pizzas and the volume of popcorn containers. They then complete an activity investigating...
Teach Engineering
Pointing at Maximum Power for PV
Following detailed directions, teams collect the voltage and current outputs of a photovoltaic cell by adjusting the resistance. Using the collected data, they determine the highest power output. Implications for weather and a large...
Teach Engineering
How Effective is Your Sunscreen?
Protect skin from UV radiation! Groups design and conduct an experiment to test the effectiveness of UV safety products. The groups collect the data from the experiment and prepare a lab report. In the second day of the activity,...
Teach Engineering
Exploring Acceleration with an Android
Small groups use rubber bands to accelerate an Android device along a track of books. They collect the acceleration data and analyze it in order to determine the device's velocity.
Inside Mathematics
Number Towers
Number towers use addition or multiplication to ensure each level is equal. While this is common in factoring, it is often not used with algebraic equations. Solving these six questions relies on problem solving skills and being able to...
Shodor Education Foundation
InteGreat
Hands-on investigation of Riemann sums becomes possible without intensive arithmetic gymnastics with this interactive lesson plan. Learners manipulate online graphing tools to develop and test theories about right, left, and midpoint...
Teach Engineering
Combustion and Air Quality: Emissions Monitoring
Help your class determine the types of pollutants coming from vehicle exhaust. Groups use an air quality monitor to determine the emissions from different vehicles, to gain knowledge about combustion energy, and to predict how the...