Curated OER
Recycling Quest
Pupils integrate the concept of recycling into an aerobic activity. They incorporate the use of baskets, crates, wrist bands, vests, and bean bags, They play a remote game until all the "trash" is retrieved.
Curated OER
People Interacting with the Environment
Students explore an arctic, temperate, and tropical environment and then decide what people need in each environment to help them live comfortably and what their lives would be like.
Curated OER
Litter Garden
Students discuss what man-made and natural materials are visible in litter. Using a sample of litter, they review the concept of decomposition between the two types of materials. They examine the two samples once and a while and record...
Curated OER
Rocketry in Motion
Students investigate why a balloon flies in one direction as air escapes in the opposite direction, which helps them understand the nature of rockets and fireworks. Individually and in teams, students conduct research to create a...
Curated OER
Mussel Identification Activity
Students participate in an activity in which they identify mussels by choosing a set of characteristics. They review the parts of a mussel before and after the activity. They complete a worksheet to finish the activity.
Curated OER
Bell Live! The Great Lakes: A Superior Adventure
Young scholars participate in a virtual field trip to Lake Superior. In groups, they perform experiments in which test the level of toxins and bacteria in the water. They also watch video segments life in the lake and discuss their...
Curated OER
Michigan's Lumbering history: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Fourth graders explore lumbering in Michigan. For this lumbering activity, 4th graders examine the life of a modern day lumberjack and how technology can interfere with natural ecology. Students create a list of products from the...
Curated OER
Gas Prices Keep Rising
Students discuss rising gas prices, then read a news article about how the increase in fuel cost may affect other prices. In this economics and current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and vocabulary...
Tech Museum of Innovation
Tree House Escape
Use simple machines to escape from a tree house. Pupils learn about simple machines and how they are useful in everyday life in a STEM lesson. Groups then design a device to rescue a friend stuck in a tree house.
Tech Museum of Innovation
Energy at Play
Get the ball rolling and challenge your class to figure out how to make a ball move. The instruction segment is between two STEM activities devoted to doing just that. The first is simple and involves making a ball move from some force...
Curated OER
California Poppy Postcards
What a great lesson! Learners discuss California history, including the state flower, the poppy, and then engage in an art activity. For the activity, they learn about value, shading, layering, blending etc. to produce a realistic...
NASA
Rocket Wind Tunnel
Using a teacher-built wind tunnel constructed from a paper concrete tube form, a fan, and a balance, individuals determine the amount of drag their rocket design will experience in flight. Pupils make modifications to increase the...
NASA
Water Rocket Launcher
How can you launch an object that isn't propelled by air? The resource provides directions to build a launcher to launch rockets made of two-liter bottles. The launcher, built mainly from materials found at the local hardware store, uses...
Curated OER
Rivers and Streams
Students research the rivers, streams and water bodies of Hawaii. They read a variety of books, play Bingo with water-related terms, create and maintain water-themed journals, view videos, conduct Internet research and participate in a...
Curated OER
Rover Landing Design Challenge
Students examine the concepts of forces and motion. They work together to design protective devices for their egg rovers as they are dropped from a specific height. They record their observations and discuss.
Curated OER
Getting into Shape
Students identify 3-D geometric shapes through different pieces of artwork. They examine and identify segments and angles. Students act out shapes and create a piece of artwork. Additional cross curriculum activities are listed.
Curated OER
Measure Up!
Discover ways to measure items without standard tools. In this measurements lesson, learners estimate how long certain objects are by measuring with a non-standard measuring tool. Students check their estimates with a ruler and share...
Curated OER
WHY DO SOME THINGS FLOAT WHILE OTHERS SINK
Students explore how density can cause things to sink or float by experimenting with a jar, oil and corn syrup.
Curated OER
How Machines Help Us Stay Healthy
Students visit different departments at a local hospital to see how machines help peoples such as the CAT scan machine. They build a model of such a machine that shows how patients are moved in and out of the machine.
Curated OER
Honing in on Hummingbirds
Students explore ruby-throated hummingbirds. In this cross-curricular hummingbirds lesson plan, students listen to the book The Mystery of the Missing Hummingbirds and choose related topics to research with a partner. Students draw or...
Curated OER
Water Power
Students observe a model of a waterwheel to investigate the transformations of energy involved in turning the blades of a hydro-turbine into work. They work as engineers to create a model for a new waterwheel while considering resources,...
Curated OER
Wind Power
Fourth graders develop an understanding of how engineers use wind to generate electricity. They will build a model anemometer to better understand and measure wind speed. They discover that engineers design wind turbines that generate...
Curated OER
Aqua-Thrusters!
Students construct their own rocket-powered boat called an "aqua-thruster." These aqua-thrusters will be made from a film canister and will use carbon dioxide gas - produced from a chemical reaction between an antacid tablet and water -...
Curated OER
TE Activity: Pulley'ing Your Own Weight
Learners experiment with common objects such as spools, string and soap to determine how pulleys make it easier to move large objects. They look at the difference between fixed and movable pulleys. They examine the many uses engineers...