Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plate, punch card, and instructions for Herman Hollerith's Electric Sorting and Tabulating Machine

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students read an article and participate in a class discussion.  In this technology and engineering lesson students conduct an online search for images and terms.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Applied Science- Physics

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students investigate how something at home uses physics to work. For this practical physics lesson, students develop a theory of their own to conclude how an object might work. This lesson plan includes a worksheet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electricity and Lightning

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students define important vocabulary words related to electricity and charges. In this physics instructional activity, students examine force created by electricity and lightning. They differentiate between the two forces and how they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Circulation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students define the functions of the circulatory system.  In this body circulation lesson students see how engineers have involvement with the circulatory system. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Make a Sundial

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore space science by conducting a sun experiment in class. In this time telling lesson, students discuss how the sun sits in our sky at exact times each day and how astronomy is based on our perspective of the solar system....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Grass as Biomass

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore energy properties by listening to a sustainability lecture in class. For this biomass lesson, students identify what biomass is, how it can be transformed into a usable energy and how it complements the energy cycle....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electric Field Mapping / Equipotential Lines

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students determine the equipotential lines surrounding a charged object. In this physics lesson, students draw lines to identify areas. They relate the spacing of the field lines to the strength of the charge.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Security System Design

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explain how laser security systems work.  In this security system design lesson students create a presentation of their system that they designed. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Exploration of Wind Energy and Wind Turbines

For Teachers 9th - 12th
How is wind produced and is it a good source for energy production? Get some air moving in your class. Learners take a pre-test, watch a demonstration of how electricity can be generated by wind energy, test different turbine factors for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovery Science Center Activities

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders complete a variety of experiments to meet science goals.  In this life sciences instructional activity, 4th graders make yogurt, discover the attraction of opposite charges in electricity, learn the effects of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Electric Sieve

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine different mixtures and how they can be separated.  In this electric sieve lesson students complete an activity that allows them to separate mixtures.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alexander Graham Bell's Patent for the Telephone and Thomas Edison's Patent for the Electric Lamp

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read a short biographical account about Bell and student B about Edison. Ask each pair to exchange information and determine what qualities these inventors shared. Ask students if they think all inventors share these qualities.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Compare and Contrast to Write in Science

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate and compare the behavior of magnetism using magnets. In this physics instructional activity, 5th graders write about the similarities and differences of a variety of magnet types.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Science Inventions

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore the world of inventions by describing their impact on their own lives.  In this technology instructional activity, 3rd graders practice writing descriptive paragraphs about different inventions that they find...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Capturing Light: The Science of Photography

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Young scholars create their own cameras to understand how artists use light to capture an image in a photograph. In this light lesson plan, students use tape, wax paper, rubber bands, and more to create their cameras.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fossil Fuels: Facing the Issues

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore energy by researching fuel usage on Earth. In this fossil fuel lesson, students define fossil fuels, the energy created by burning them, and the impact on the environment when using them. Students conduct pollution...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Applied Science - Technology Pre - Lab (inventions)

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars read the book Icky, Sticky Gloop by Morgan Matthes. In this scientific exploration lesson plan, students compare the fictional character in the book with Benjamin Franklin (both are inventors). They discover why and how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Applied Science - Built Environment Pre Lab (Morse Code)

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students study communication. In this telegraph lesson, students examine Morse code and the composition of an elementary telegraph circuit. They listen to a presentation and try to create Morse Code messages on a worksheet. This lesson...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Path of Electrons

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students engage in an interactive "hot potato" demonstration to gain an appreciation for the flow of electrons through a circuit. They role play the different parts of a simple circuit and send small items representing electrons (paper...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Properties of Salt

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners discuss certain properties of salt and how it is used every day as well as harmful uses. They experiment with salt to see it conduct electricity, form crystals and water freezing temperature. They complete a worksheet to record...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Potato Power

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students light a LED clock or light bulb using potatoes. They examine how a battery works in a simple circuit. They determine how chemical energy changes to electrical energy while experimenting with potato powered circuits.
Lesson Plan
Pennsylvania Department of Education

Light the Bulb!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders investigate electrical circuits and how light bulbs are powered. In this electricity and power lesson plan, 3rd graders study the vocabulary necessary which includes the different types of circuits, electrical currents, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Completing the Circuit

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students use a battery, wires, small light bulb and a light bulb holder to learn the difference between an open circuit and a closed circuit, and understand that electric current only occurs in a closed circuit. They describe the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

TE Activity: Yogurt Cup Speakers

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders build a speaker as they investigate the roles of electricity and magnetism. They discover the properties of magnets, create an electromagnet, and determine the direction of a magnetic field. They show cause and effect...