101 Questions
Toilet Paper Roll
You won't want to flush a great lesson down the drain! An intriguing resource asks learners to predict the number of sheets of toilet paper on a roll. Presented with the dimensions of the roll and one sheet of paper, scholars make...
National Wildlife Federation
Quantifying Land Changes Over Time Using Landsat
"Humans have become a geologic agent comparable to erosion and [volcanic] eruptions ..." Paul J. Crutzen, a Nobel Prize-winning atmospheric chemist. Using Landsat imagery, scholars create a grid showing land use type, such as urban,...
American Psychological Association
Memory
How does memory work, and how can we recall more? Here is a five-lesson unit that covers the multi-system model of memory, as well as sensory, working, and long-term memory.
Curated OER
Surface Area and Volume of a Cylinder
Seventh graders find the surface area and volume of a cylinder. In this area and volume instructional activity, 7th graders complete several activities to learn the volume and surface area of cylinders.
Curated OER
Tools for Integrating Math and Engineering: Weighin' In
Students collect and analyze data on a fictional cereal company's products. In this measurement instructional activity, students collect data from cereal boxes (weight, volume, surface area, etc.) to determine if the boxes labels...
Curated OER
Measurement
In this measurement worksheet, 7th graders solve 14 various types of problems that include completing a table with the base, height, and/or area of triangles and solving a number of word problems with measurement. They also estimate the...
Curated OER
Exploring Number and Operation in Secondary Mathematics
Young geometers need a clear understanding of perimeter, volume, and area. This lesson provides a worksheet to help small groups of learners to calculate various measurements of objects and choose the proper units for measurement. It...
Curated OER
Lesson: Text Messages
Can a neon sign be considered art? Kids consider two different works that use neon text as the basis for conveying artistic social messages. They then analyze a truism from Jenny Holzer's web site that holds meaning to them personally....
Teach Engineering
Investigating Contact Angle
Discover the properties of water-loving and water-hating surfaces. In the seventh installment of a nine-part series, scholars explore hydrophilic and hydrophobic surfaces by conducting an experiment. They observe surface coatings,...
University of Wisconsin
Sizing a Rain Garden
Most appropriate if you are applying the entire unit to build a rain garden at your school, this installment involves calculating the area that will drain into it. Your garden planners will need data from previous lessons, so this one...
Teach Engineering
Penny Perfect Properties (Solid-Liquid Interations)
I can get more water to stay on a penny than you can! Collaborative pairs determine the volume of liquids that can be contained on the surface of copper pennies and plastic coins. The pairs analyze their results using graphs and go on to...
American Chemical Society
Developing Tests to Distinguish Between Similar-Looking Liquids
Each group talks about how to test unknown liquids based on their findings in the previous experiment. In this second of four activities, they test unknowns on wax paper, newspaper, and construction paper. As a stand-alone, this lesson...
Mrs. Burke's Math Page
The Amazing Pi Race
Add a sense of excitement to your math class with this race across the country. Using their knowledge of all things circular, young mathematicians work in pairs answering a series of pi-related word problems as they hop from one city to...
National Gallery of Canada
Self-Portrait, Mirrors and Metamorphosis!
Using M.C. Escher's Hand with Reflecting Sphere as inspiration, learners create their own set of self-portraits using various reflective surfaces. The lesson begins with a discussion about portraiture and ends with a presentation of work...
Mrs. Burke's Math Page
Let Them Eat Pi
Looking for a fun and creative way to celebrate Pi Day? Then this is the resource for you. From a scavenger hunt and trivia contest to PowerPoint presentations and skills practice worksheets, this collection of materials is a...
Beyond Benign
Water Bottle Unit
How much plastic do manufacturers use to create water bottles each year? The class explores the number of water bottles used throughout the years to determine how many consumers will use in the future. Class members compare different...
Curated OER
Pacing a Gunther Chain
Students pace a Gunther Chain, a measurement used by foresters to determine distance and area. They discuss that pacing is individualized depending on age, gender, etc. They practice to find an average pace. Teams estimate, pace and...
Curated OER
Cap-It to the Max
Eighth graders compare the volume of three cylinders constructed from the same size sheet of paper. They use concrete and graphical models to derive formulas for finding perimeter, circumference, area, and volume of two and three...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Candies R Us
A box is fun to make, especially when it's a candy box! These activities help to cement understanding of the difference between surface area and volume. Have individuals measure the surface area of their box in two-dimensions before...
Earth Day Network
Staying Green While Being Clean
Clean up the environment with a lesson plan that focuses on replacing hazardous cleaning supplies with green, environmentally-friendly products. Using a dirty patch of surface as a control area, kids clean other parts of various surfaces...
NOAA
What Little Herc Saw
See the underwater world through a different pair of eyes! Middle school marine biologists identify deep-sea organisms by examining images taken by an ROV from the Okeanos Explorer. After determining what creatures lie beneath the...
Curated OER
Winter-time Temps
Students measure temperature and become aware the the temperature above and below the snow is different. In this winter temperature lesson, students measure temperatures to find variation based on how the snow is packed. Students create...
Teach Engineering
Better By Design
Which modification is the best? Using the scientific method, pairs determine the effects of each control surface on the distance of a glider's flight. The activity, section 16 in a 22-part unit on aviation, allows pupils to gain a better...
Teach Engineering
Airplane Tails and Wings: Are You in Control?
Keep everything under control. The lesson, the 16th segment in a 22-part unit, provides a more detailed look at the parts of a plane, specifically the control surfaces. Pupils learn about the construction of the wings and the tails and...