STEM Lesson Plans

In this lesson, students use the Kepler’s Laws PhET Simulation to collect data on the period and average radius of the planetary orbits. They graph and analyze that data to derive Kepler’s 3rd Law.

In this lesson students will use everything they've done in parts 1-3 to analyze how mutations affect proteins. Students will build the mutated proteins that they sequenced in part 3. They will test

This lesson gives students a hands-on science and math experience with the duff layer in a ponderosa pine forest. Students will explore a sample to identify what is found in it, measure the width of

This lesson is PART 4 of a four-lesson unit, which focuses on futures thinking, the phenomenon of electricity, closed-system agriculture, and water as a renewable energy resource. “The City of Ember”

This lesson is PART 3 of a four-lesson unit, which focuses on futures thinking, the phenomenon of electricity, closed-system agriculture, and water as a renewable energy resource. “The City of Ember”

This lesson is PART 2 of a four-lesson unit, which focuses on futures thinking, the phenomenon of electricity, closed-system agriculture, and water as a renewable energy resource. “The City of Ember”

This lesson is PART 1 of a four-lesson unit, which focuses on futures thinking, the phenomenon of electricity, closed-system agriculture, and water as a renewable energy resource. “The City of Ember”

This lesson uses a PhET Simulation to allow students to collect data on the orbits of planets around our Sun, then summarize and share their results. It is designed for students in Grades 9-12.

This is a multi-day engineering design project. I use this for 2 weeks, a total of ten 50-minute periods. Students will research and design a dog house, creating a 3D model in a web-based computer

Students will explore beginning coding thru binary coding and creating a name bracelet.

This lesson is the beginning stages of planning for a greenhouse. Students work to gather data and information about possible locations for the greenhouse by using their perimeter skills.

This lesson is a great introductory lesson to the engineering process. This activity will have the students design and build a glider to go as far as possible. They will also need to collaborate and

This lesson gives students a real world opportunity to explore area and the distributive property by designing a dream room. Students are given the total square footage and instructions to design the

This lesson is designed around competition. Competition is a driving force behind natural selection. If something can survive to reproduce, the traits are passed on. Students will be completing

In this lesson students will use their climate zone and plant information to create a model of a garden. They will use a variety of charts and graphs to determine what plants will grow best given the

Students will use the Sphero bots to collect and graph data to make a prediction.

Part one of a four part project exploring the movement of the brain upon impact in everyday activities. This lesson uses Pocketlab Voyager sensors to analyze brain movement in high impact activities

This is the first of 4 lessons where students will propose and configure a school garden using criteria given by the principal. Students will work in groups of 3 to determine configurations. They will

Students will be using simple equipment to demonstrate the 3 laws of motion. They will be incorporating technology, math, and the scientific method to demonstrate what they know.

This lesson allows students to explore why volcanoes are shaped differently and why they erupt differently. Students will investigate viscosity, silica content of igneous rock samples, and perform

The students construct and interpret an HR Diagram to better understand the significance and usefulness of the diagram.

This is a high-school level hands-on project that allows students to build their own working sundial, make predictions and assess their accuracy. This lesson ties in with the study of Kepler's Laws.

This lesson teaches students how and why it rains. They will have student-to-student interactions and hands-on learning opportunities. They will also be practicing their counting skills during the

This is a hands-on activity where students can visualize, using Skittles as atoms, the concept of balancing chemical reactions. Many students get thrown off by the fact that products often look, smell