STEM Lesson Plans

As an intro to Thermal Energy, students are challenged to create a warmer that will keep my coffee warm. Students project will be tested in class, data will be collected, compared, and graphed.

Students will learn about the four types of seismic waves during an earthquake. Students will then use that information to design a house that can absorb a majority of the seismic waves, limiting the

Students research the impact natural hazards in a city in the southwest and create an artifact to prompt public action.

Bee Colony Collapse Disorder was first discovered around 2005. Since then, 60-80 percent of honey bee hives have been affected. Scientists thought they were making progress into identifying the

Students will use published scientific data and current evidence to identify the phenomenon known an urban heat island effect. Students will first analyze temperature data as well as land-use data

Students will continue from their research and start an investigation to help with their solution. They will first learn about compost and what it does. They will then develop and investigation and

This lesson plan explores the science of natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and volcanoes, and hurricanes. It is a lesson that would help enhance student's vocabulary and

Student partners or teams build a model of a watershed with topographical features; tributaries, mountains, lakes, rivers and valleys. Students experiment to see where the water goes when “rain” falls

Methane emissions are far more potent then CO2 emissions in the short-run in the atmosphere yet this is rarely covered in the media. Students will create a multi-media public service campaign to cover

Students will increase efficiency of the solar panels by using angles. Students are given a solar panel, protractor, and a multimeter. They need to complete a pre- investigation plane before they

This is a week-long unit which includes the following lesson objectives: -Explain that a watershed is an area that collects water and delivers it to a specific area like a lake or an ocean. -Show how

In this lesson, students will build on what they understand about heat/energy transfer to research, design, and construct solar cookers.

Hot Air Ballooning in Arizona is a two day science and engineering lesson. Students explore how to create a model hot air balloon and talk about the science behind it. This lesson compliments the

In the final part of A Light in the Dark (pt. 3 of 3), students create their solution to the problem based on their chosen theme. Students present their final solutions to be evaluated.

In this continuation of A Light in the Dark (pt. 2 of 3), students research their questions and consolidate their learning, then determine their next steps in the process to solve the problem.

This lesson introduces the unit exploring light pollution and possible solutions students can create. Students will explore what light pollution is. Students will determine next steps in the process.

In this challenge students will use various materials to build a flood barrier that will protect their home during a flash flood.

What is a geometric shape? Observe and discuss a variety of geometric shapes. Similar/different? Mathematical geometry vocabulary/activities with shapes Engineering a geometric playground Share or

This lesson will introduce students to the phases of the moon and how they are created by the position of the Earth, moon, & sun during the month. There is an embedded hands on activity that is

This lesson and accompanying activity are designed to introduce students to the celestial coordinate system used for location objects and locations in the sky. This lesson will also introduce students

An introduction to Kepler's 1st Law and ellipses. The lesson includes some guided notes for students as well as a hands on activity where students will draw, measure, explore, and conduct calculations

This two-part lesson models STEM instruction in the context of an ELD classroom. In this lesson (part 2), students pose a research question about clouds, weather, and/or climate, and address it with

Students will learn about the atmosphere and what causes it to form layers. Then students will identify how the atmosphere interacts with the geosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Students design an

This two-part lesson models STEM instruction in the context of an ELD classroom. In part 1 (this lesson), the goal is to promote scientific academic discourse in an ELD classroom. Students use a