NASA
The Science of the Sun
There's more to that glowing ball of light in sky than most children realize. From the overall structure of the solar system, to the changing of the seasons, these hands-on lessons open the eyes of young scientists to the important role...
American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—First Grade
Build an interest and appreciation for architecture in your young learners with this fun 10-lesson art unit. Engaging children in using their five senses, the class first observes the environment around them, paying special attention to...
EngageNY
Analyzing Residuals (Part 1)
Just how far off is the least squares line? Using a graphing calculator, individuals or pairs create residual plots in order to determine how well a best fit line models data. Three examples walk through the calculator procedure of...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Viral Lysis and Budding
How do some viruses spread so quickly, and why do they make us feel terrible? Answer these (and many more) questions through a simple yet impactful lessons. Pupils observe demonstrations that show the two methods viruses use to escape...
Princeton University
A Teacher's Guide to the Universe
Astronomers only observe four percent of the universe as the rest hides in darkness. The size, shape, and movement of the universe are the focus for an long-term high school unit. Its 43 lessons include hands-on experiments, direct...
Curated OER
Scaled Rubber Band Drawings
Students demonstrate the process of creating a scaled rubber band enlargement of a simple drawing. They observe and discuss a teacher-led demonstration, and create a scaled rubber band enlargement of simple drawings and their invention...
Curated OER
Lesson 2: Ultimate Classroom - Web Model
Students create a scale drawing. In this ultimate classroom lesson, groups of students create a scale drawing of the ultimate classroom. They explore the and explain the constructed design.
Curated OER
Our Solar System - Comparing Planetary Travel Distances
NASA presents a mini-unit on distances in our solar system. It incorporates scientific concepts of gravity, mass, density, and payload while your aspiring astronauts also employ mathematics skills. They calculate speed, they determine...
Mascil Project
Design a Parking Garage
Parking structures don't build themselves. Investigate the process of designing and planning the construction of a parking garage. After considering the factors that must go into the design, scholars create their own models from a set of...
Curated OER
Wherever We Go, There They Are!
The central video for this lesson is not available through the included resource link. However, the activity that simulates the passing of a virus through a population is impacting and the other resource links are invaluable. Use this...
Curated OER
Exploring Similarity Using Scale Drawings
Learners explore scale factor as they create a scale drawing of a box, then determine the surface area and volume of the original and the scale drawing. The one page worksheet contains activities and procedures with four questions.
Curated OER
Solar System Lab
In this solar system instructional activity, 8th graders make a scale model of the solar system, answer 5 questions and write a conclusion.
Curated OER
Stadiums in America
Let's play ball! A great springtime activity to learn about ratios. This activity challenges learners to draw stadiums to scale on standard letter paper and also on construction paper. This three-day lesson plan includes a pre-assessment...
University of Colorado
Planetary Distances on the Playground
Earth is 149,600,000 km, or 92,957,130.4 miles, from the sun. Young astronauts create an interactive model to learn the distances between planets. Nine groups, each representing a different planet, are spread around at class-calculated...
Discovery Education
Architects in Action
Hands-on and real-world applications are great ways to teach mathematical concepts. Creative thinkers examine how ratios are used to create scale models of buildings and structures. They practice working with ratios by looking at a map...
Teach Engineering
Portable Wheelchair Ramp Challenge
Ramp up the engineering design process in your classroom with an activity that challenges teams to design, build, and test a small-scale portable wheelchair ramp. The class develops design requirements, and teams test their designs using...
Baylor College
Modeling an HIV Particle
Models are an important part of science; they help us see the world on a scale that works for us. In the first of five lessons on HIV, learners make a paper model of the HIV virus that is about 500,000 times larger than the actual virus....
Teach Engineering
Load It Up!
See how a marshmallow can hold up a bridge load. Teams take a closer look at the design of bridge piers. They determine the types of loads that might affect a bridge, and, using that information, they calculate the needed cross-sectional...
Curated OER
Unit V: Worksheet 2 - Constant Force
Physics learners studying force and acceleration practice solving eight problems with this assignment. They calculate acceleration and deceleration, net force, and distances required for stopping a moving object. Kinematics equations and...
Curated OER
How'd They Do That?
Learners research the movie production occupation and careers in the industry. In this movie careers and effects lesson, students watch a video about special effects used in movies and scale. Learners draw a building to a specific scale...
Curated OER
Models as Tools for Ecosystem Management
Fifth graders explore the concept of environmental management. In this ecosystem lesson, 5th graders discover how models help scientists learn more about managing ecosystems. Students create their own model, make observations and...
Balanced Assessment
A Loud Noise
In a scale measuring noise, an increase in 10 dB is a 10 time increase in power. Mathematicians examine the data graph of a real world exponential growth, with no logarithmic scale, and then create two equations relating the decibels and...
Massachusetts Department of Education
Similarity through Transformations
Create the ultimate miniature golf course. The 93-page model curriculum unit from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education contains nine lessons on understanding similarity in terms of both Euclidean geometry...
Curated OER
Earthquakes: Fourth Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Examine earthquake intensities and ways to measure an earthquake through the comparison of the Mercalli and Richter scales. After completing the pre-lab worksheet, fourth graders compare high and low intensity quakes by testing the...