Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Insulators and Conductors
In a classic activity, emerging electricians test various objects for electrical conductivity in a circuit. Each group constructs a simple circuit by following a diagram. Predictions are made and objects are inserted into the circuit,...
Curated OER
Testing the Waters
Students use test kits to measure the level of chlorine, iron, sulfide, and dissolved oxygen in tap (drinking) water and stream water. They post and evaluate the results of these water quality tests.
Curated OER
SAT Preparation
The verbal and quantitative sections of the SAT can be a challenge for even the most erudite logophile. Prepare your test takers for the vocabulary they will encounter on standardized exams by providing them with a helpful list of roots,...
Curated OER
The Tell-Tale Heart
Readers listen and critically read fictional prose to answer prediction questions at designated stopping points, and then they give a summary of the short story. This lesson is ideal for English language learners developing English...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Fun with Speedboats!
After reading about marine engineers and naval architects, it's all hands on deck to design and test a speed boat. This lesson is designed for the Next Generation Science Standards in engineering and can be a centerpiece for a STEM...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Life Vest Challenge
After reading about the history and science of personal floatation devices, patents, and intellectual property, engineering teams design a life vest for a can of soup. To evaluate which groups considered the need for waterproofing, hold...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Making Sense of Sensors
Have small groups in your class construct working hygrometers as an example of the benefits of using sensors in engineering. This activity can be used during a weather unit when covering humidity or in a STEM activity as a preparation...
Rochester Institute of Technology
Artificial Eye
Scientists in California developed a bionic eye that allows blind people to see edges of objects in black and white and costs $145,000. In the activity, groups of scholars discuss bioengineering, focusing on the human eye. They then...
Curated OER
Examining The Scores
Students investigate test scores taken to obtain academic strengths and weaknesses. They practice looking at the scores in order to interpret the results. Students use time for class discussion and planning study strategies to target...
Curated OER
Pay to Learn?
Students discuss the concept of schools paying students as an incentive for scoring higher on standardized tests. They debate the key issues of this question and write a letter to the local board of education expressing their position.
Curated OER
The Testing of the Feebleminded Immigrants
Young scholars examine the intelligence testing of Henry Goddard during the early 1900s. They discover criticisms that are still occuring today. They analyze how science and technology is contributing to this practice.
Curated OER
In Touch with Apples
Students read "How To Make an Apple Pie and See the World", the story of a girl who traveled the world to find the ingredients to make her apple pie. They conduct a series of interdisciplinary activities including testing their senses,...
University of California
Plankton
Plankton: so much more than just a SpongeBob character. Three different activities have kids looking at both phytoplankton and zooplankton in pictures, as well as collecting their own samples (depending on your access to a saltwater...
Curated OER
Lesson Plans That Boost Reading Comprehension
Reading comprehension is a cyclical process that can be supported with lesson plans that build students' knowledge and cognition.
Curated OER
Testing the Waters
Young scholars study the quality of water by running chemical tests on the water. First, they measure pH, temperature, phospates, and nitrates in tap (drinking) water and an outdoor water sample. Then they post and evaluate the results...
Curated OER
A is for Area, B is for Billion
Students interact with math terminology in preparation for standardized assessment. In this math terminology and online storybook lesson, students create their own booklets of math terms based on each letter of the alphabet. Over the...
Cornell University
Who’s Got The Flu?
Become an immunologist for the day. Scholars elicit the use of the enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) to diagnose an infectious disease. Through the process, they learn about the immune system response to infectious diseases.
PHET
Measuring the Interplanetary Magnetic Field
Scientists need to figure out how to measure interplanetary magnetic fields, but the magnetic field of the spacecraft is interfering with their readings. Scholars attempt to solve the problem that has perplexed NASA scientists for years.
Curated OER
You Are What You Eat: Chemical Residues and Consumers
High schoolers determine how evidence gained from a simulated test for the presence of pesticide residues can be used to determine risk. They use peas to simulate pesticide residue testing.
Curated OER
The GED Test: Who Passed?
Students examine the importance of reading with understanding in order to pass the GED. In this literacy lesson, students discuss how important reading for understanding is in order for them to pass the GED. Students also calculate...
Teach Engineering
See the Genes
"If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough" - Albert Einstein. The sixth installment of a seven-part series teaches young scientists about the importance of being able to communicate scientific research and...
Curated OER
Here's an Instant Activity for February 16, 2004
Fourth graders complete a spelling activity that also improves their proofreading skills. In this spelling lesson, 4th graders read a list of words and proofread to find the word spelled correctly in each row.
Gourmet Curriculum Press
James and the Giant Peach
Here is a 19-page sample lesson that uses an interesting format. It starts with an appetizer or activity to make reading the book James and the Giant Peach fun. Then it dives into the main course or core content instruction which...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Radio Reception and Transmission
After reading about radio transmission, application, and the difference between AM and FM, small teams of engineers use a kit to construct an FM radio and then send and receive broadcasts. This is an ideal activity for middle school STEM...