Curated OER
TE Lesson: Factors Affecting Friction
Students investigate the effect of weight on normal friction or the friction due to surface roughness. They tell about the effects of contact area that occurs as a result of molecular attraction by looking at data on line graphs.
Curated OER
Identifying Watersheds with Topographic Maps
Students model a watershed and delineate one using topographic maps. For this hydrology lesson, students use aluminum foil to model a landscape and observe how water moves on it. They also observe the features of a topographic map and...
Curated OER
Wet Pennies
Students conduct a simple test to determine how many drops of water, rubbing alcohol and vegetable oil can be placed on a penny before spilling over. They consider how varying surface tensions allow for different amounts of each liquid...
Curated OER
Coal Derivatives
Students use this hands-on activity to demonstrate the production of coke, one of the most widely used raw materials derived from coal. They are also stimulated to do research into the differences in coal types and coal products.
Exploratorium
Tired Weight
Take your class out to visit your automobile and use the tires to compute the weight of the vehicle. This is done by measuring the surface of the tire meeting the ground and the air pressure. This is a fun lesson in the relationship...
University of Rhode Island
Food Safety Smart Curriculum
This is a must-have resource with everything you'll need for studying food safety with your pupils. From handwashing scorecards and cleaning kitchen surfaces to navigating the world of microbes and food-borne illnesses, here you'll...
Curated OER
Task: Miniature Golf
"Fore!" All right, no one really yells this out in miniature golf, but this well-defined activity will have your charges using lots of numbers in their unique design of a miniature golf hole. Included in the activity criteria is the...
Virginia Department of Education
The Cell Cycle and Mitosis
What a packed instructional activity! Provide your class with the opportunity to learn about the cell cycle in several exciting ways. Biologists first learn about the theory behind mitosis, then proceed to view onion tips under the...
Curated OER
Math: Finding Surface Area
Eighth graders engage in hands-on activities to determine the surface areas of various objects. Using boxes, they cut them so they can lay flat and measure all the various shapes, which can be calculated and added together to equal the...
Curated OER
Sustainable Southern Belize: Coral Health Lesson Plan
Fifth graders investigate coral reefs and the dangers they face by labeling and drawing. In this oceanography lesson plan, 5th graders view a PowerPoint presentation of photographs of coral reefs in Belize. Students investigate and...
Curated OER
Walking Magic
Students conduct experiment with water striders by placing the insect in two different solutions and discuss their observations. They discover that weight and surface area are important factors in their experiment.
Curated OER
Cylinders and Scale
Students review what a cylinder is and how a cylinder is measured. They build a variety of cylinders with different heights and radii. They compare the surface area and volume of each cylinder and discuss anything that surprises them...
Curated OER
Geometry, Measurement & Reasoning
Students measure prisms and determine their volume. In this measurement and reasoning activity, students estimate the volume and area of prisms. They measure given boxes. Students use paper to create prisms and cylinders. They determine...
Curated OER
Searching for Meanings Benath the Surface of the Poem
Students read "Soccer Until Dusk". As a class, they discuss the various settings and actions in the poem and discuss the life in Guatemala and compare it with the United States. To end the instructional activity, they complete a...
Curated OER
The Solstices
Compare surface temperatures when the solstice occurs in the different hemispheres. Young scientists draw conclusions from their investigation of data collected using spreadsheets and a globe.
Space Awareness
Meet Our Neighbors: Sun
The sun isn't just a ball of yellow! Young scientists learn about the features of the sun using a hands-on modeling activity. They build models of the sun using common household items to represent sunspots, solar prominence, and the...
Curated OER
Feeling the Heat
Pupils record temperatures at different locations around campus. They examine the results and draw conclusions about how materials and colors affect the amount of heat produced. They also analyze Los Angeles' temperature records over a...
Teach Engineering
Manned Mission to Mars
To go or to not to go — the question for a mission to Mars. This resource provides details for a possible manned mission to Mars. Details include a launch schedule, what life would be like on the surface, and how the astronauts would...
Teach Engineering
Off-Road Wheelchair Challenge
Challenge your class to use their understanding of the engineering design process to design and build a small-scale, off-road prototype for an assistive technology device. Teams select materials to build their scale models, and, using...
Messenger Education
Look But Don’t Touch—Exploration with Remote Sensing
Mars is home to the tallest mountain in our solar system, Olympus Mons. For this set of two activities, learners review geologic land formations through the analysis of aerial maps. They then apply this knowledge to aerial maps of...
Pennsylvania State University
Learn, Protect, and Promote Water
A hands-on activity helps learners explore the water cycle. After discussing how they use water, classes discuss water pollution and then move into a simulation where 20 pupils move through the water cycle based on description cards.
Florida International University
Counting FishStix
How do we count the fish in the ocean? An engaging lesson models how to estimate fish populations with observational surveys. Class members begin by studying the behavior of fish on the coral reef in the oceans. They then become the fish...
Curated OER
Glaciers and Ice Wedging
Fourth graders observe and identify a variety of weathering and geological activities in the area in which they live. This focuses primarily on what happened during the Ice Age, and how, even today, glaciers are shaping and re-shaping...
Teach Engineering
Projections and Coordinates: Turning a 3D Earth into Flatlands
Introduce your class to map projections and coordinates, the basics for the work done in a GIS, with an activity that uses Google Earth to challenge learners to think about the earth's shape.