Illinois Valley Community College
STEM Activities for Middle School Students
Use STEM activities within the class to provide connections to concepts. The resource includes activities that range from working with buoyancy to building rockets and launching them. Other activities involve the engineering design...
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Concentration and Reaction Rates
Students investigate how varying the concentrations, volumes, and other factors affects reaction rates. Students design and conduct investigations to obtain data used to create graphs of an uncatalyzed reaction vs. a catalyzed reaction....
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Inside Out: An Up-Close Look At Foods We Eat
Fourth graders identify the origins of meats and vegetables consumed by humans on a daily basis. They classify foods (meats, dairy products, grains...) and create a food pyramid.
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Cartography
Students follow directions to draw a map of an island. They complete the island map adding their own details using symbols and a legend.
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Biology Research Assignment
Students become aware of and develop an appreciation for science in the world around us.
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Forget The Dictionary!
Accessing Web sites and playing interactive word games enliven the study of Greek, Latin and Anglo-Saxon roots and affixes. Alas, the link to resources appears broken. Take some time to find game links.
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Little Bees, Big Potential
After reading an article on the alfalfa leafcutting bee, learners chart its characteristics alongside those of the honeybee. Then they draw the leafcutter lifecycle. The article provides fascinating reading when studying the role of...
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I Wonder What That Thing Is On My Manduca
Students use the internet to gather more information on the anatomy of the Manduca. They make predictions of what the insect will look like when it hatches and complete a crossword puzzle to practice their vocabulary. They continue to...
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A Tree-mendous Project
Seventh graders use their observation and measurement skills to identify trees. Using a tree diagram, they label the parts and discuss the functions of the tree. They practice using a dichotomous key to identify trees as well.
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A Fibonacci Primer
Upper graders explore the Fibonacci sequence. They examine the characteristics of the Fibonacci sequence, list the properties of the sequence and determine how it connects to Pythagorean Triples. Related thinking questions are included.
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Static Electricity
In this static electricity learning exercise, students complete nine questions about electron charges, coulombs, potential energy, voltage and the Van de Graaf generator.
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The Egg Activity
Students comprehend the three basic steps of science: 1) Observation, 2) Statements of cause and effect (Hypotheses), and 3) Testing. By working with an egg, students are required to observe an object that is very common to them. This...
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Mystery Creek
Fourth graders are introduced to the Riparian Ecosystem. They define the following terms: riparian and riparian ecosystem. Students take a trip to the creek, where they make observations about the environment around them. They are...
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Teaching Science to English Language Learners
Use these hands on lesson plans to make science more accessible for English Language Learners in your classroom.
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Plate Tectonics
Students research separate elements of the theory of Plate Tectonics, then share that information with each other, drawing conclusions from the culminated information.
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Designing Babies
High schoolers analyze current and emerging techniques used to select specific characteristics in offspring. They examine specific case studies and make ethical decisions based upon the Ethical Decision-Making Model.
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Food Chains
Students study food chains by creating their own slide show using KidPix. They compare information after sharing their slide shows as a whole group. As the children are watching the slide shows of their peers, they tally every time...
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"Egypt, Gift of Nile"
Sixth graders are introduced to the basics of ancient Egypt focusing on the Nile River and the necessity of the river. The students work in small groups and
become "experts" on the given topic and then present the information that
was...
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Classification and Identification
Students, after exploring and analyzing diagrammatic and taxonomic keys and their association to marine sciences, identify and classify objects and organisms based on visual attributes/characteristics. They research and create their own...
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Paper Dart Airplane
Students create a paper dart airplane and measure its flight pattern. In this flight lesson, students follow the included directions to build their own paper airplane. The students change the aileron configurations to see how it affects...
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Modeling the Big Bang and the Formation of the Universe
Sixth graders conduct an experiment to understand the Big Bang Theory. In this Big Bang Theory lesson, 6th graders will observe a balloon with confetti popping to emulate and analyze information related tot he Big Bang theory. Students...
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Hurricanes
Students perform various experiments to explore hurricanes. In this earth science activity, students explain how they form. They identify the structure of a hurricane.
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Edible Rocks
Middle schoolers create meteorite models using candy bars. For this earth science lesson, students describe the physical features of a meteorite. They sketch it and write a short description about it.
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The Next Logical Step in Astronomy
Students research future astronomy endeavors and how the exploration with contribute to astronomy and humanity. In this astronomy lesson plan, students research, present, and debate the topics as a class.