Lesson Plan
Curated OER

GUM: More, Less, or the Same?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students confirm the law of conservation of matter by weighing chewing gum before and after it is chewed.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Causes of Differences in Density

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the causes of differences in density. Students choose objects, measure the mass and volume, and calculate the density of each. They perform additional density experiments to model atoms and their correspondence to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Too Many Tamales

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students investigate Mexican holiday celebrations and compare them to American Christmas holidays. They conduct a Mexican Christmas Scavenger Hunt. The activity uses a streaming video in order to engage students in the main objectives.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Is The Matter?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars engage in a lesson about the scientific concept of matter. They use essential questions in order to guide the research process. Students engage in several class inquiries that are hands on in order to investigate the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Sphere and Its Net

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students identify and sketch the nets for sphere. In this geometry lesson plan, students differentiate between two and three dimensional shapes. They find the surface area of each sphere.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Causal Patterns in Density Phenomena

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Pupils investigate the relationship between volume and mass in different liquids such as vegetable oil, rubbing alcohol and water. They measure the mass of several different volumes of each liquid and then graph the results as well as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Global Change: Where Land, Air and Water Meet

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students discuss the atmosphere as a mixture of gases. In this science lesson, students explore the world's oceans and fresh waters understanding that there are dissolved chemicals. Students realize that many substances dispersed in air...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

In the Rain Shadow

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students charts the rainfall averages on either side of a mountain range. In this water cycle lesson, students discover that mountain ranges affect weather patterns. Students pretend they are air traffic controllers and must...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

School-Wide Recycling

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students investigate recycling. In this environmental lesson, students design a recycling program for their school. Students collect data about how much recyclable materials they use in one week. Students also survey classmates about how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Surface Area of Pyramids

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify the surface area of pyramids and other polygons. In this geometry activity, students find the different measurements for the different parts of a polygon. They use the surface area formula to solve for the surface...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pyramids- Slant Height and Altitude

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students calculate the height and altitude of a pyramid. In this geometry lesson, students define the parts that make up a pyramid. They use the Pythagorean Theorem to find the missing parts of a pyramid.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Finding Mass

For Teachers 8th
Student measure mass to discover how pennies have changed in their composition. In this measurement lesson, 8th graders investigate through an open-ended problem to discover how the US pennies composition changed in the 1980's.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Density: Float or Sink

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars discover density.  For this density lesson, students discover the properties of objects that allow them to float or sink in water.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Parachutes: What Affects a Parachute

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students create a simple paper parachute. In this parachute design lesson, students examine the effects of the wind and make napkin parachutes.  
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Ecology Lab

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students determine the characteristics of a stream ecosystem and its organisms.  In this water ecology lesson students complete several labs that shows them presence of life, water appearance, and water flow.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Why Are Cells So Small?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine the relationship between cell surface area and the ability of materials to diffuse through a cell. They participate in an experiment in which they determine which materials diffuse easier than others. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Human Body Explorations

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pupils examine genetics and the DNA of a kiwi.  In this DNA lesson students complete a lab to extract DNA and interpret their results. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paper Gliders

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders study friction and drag. In this science lesson, 6th graders use different models of gliders and test to see which of the gliders fly the farthest. Students analyze their data and construct a graph.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Surface Area of Spheres

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars identify the properties of a sphere. In this geometry lesson, students calculate the surface area of spheres using the formula derived by nets. They identify the radius and diameter of the sphere.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cones, Cylinders, Spheres

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students classify polygons by name and shape. For this geometry lesson, students identify the lateral surface of each conic. They differentiate between cones, cylinders and spheres.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

More Prisms/Nets

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students calculate the volume and surface are of three-dimensional shapes. In this geometry lesson, students use the nets to prove their calculations of shapes. They identify the different parts of a solid using the nets.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Impact of Exotic Species on Lake Ecology

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils examine the effect of foreign species on various habitats. In groups, they identify the population dynamics of the zebra mussel. They calculate averages and graph data from Seneca Lake in New York. They develop hypothesis about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Respiratory System

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students analyze the function of the lungs. In this lesson about the Respiratory System, students explore breathing and the movement of air through the lungs. Students perform an 4 part experiment to observe what it might look like for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fly, Fly Away

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners use materials from their own environment to design a kite. In this kite design lesson, students research the history of kites and obtain a formal mathematical definition of a kite. Learners sketch kite designs after discovering...