STEM Lesson Plans

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

Students will explore how gravity plays a role in orbits and the attraction between objects in space, using online simulations. In addition to the online simulations this lesson contains ideas for

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

Involving themes of biology, ecology, and conservation, this engineering lesson introduces students to the behavior of immersed bodies within the realm of fluid mechanics. Utilizing the phenomena of

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

Including themes of natural resources, art, and geography; this engineering lesson introduces students to the idea of mass conservation. While using the phenomena of the water crisis in Arizona,

In this engaging lesson, students explore the concept of position (Hayu') vs. time (nkez) graphs through a hands-on car motion (Buggy) activity. Using the Buggy on a marked track, students measure and

The Parachute design lesson involves students learning about the engineering design process, air resistance, and parachute principles before planning and constructing their own parachutes. Through

In this lesson, students will learn about Wilson Bentley, the "farmer scientist" who pioneered photomicrography to photograph snowflakes and share them with the world. Students will then design and

Students in 4th grade learned about natural disasters through this interactive STEM lesson focused on the creation on a 'tsunami-proof' home. Students used the Engineering Design Process to create a

Launch into a fun activity! Students will be building a rocket, then blow into the straw inserted and watch how high their rocket flies. This fun activity can be done indoor or outdoor. Students can

In this lesson plan, students will make use of their knowledge about gravitational force and factors affecting it to design a stuffed mini parachute that will land the slowest from a given height

Students will learn about water availability in Arizona and design and build a prototype/model of a rain-catchment/recycling system to provide water for a school garden.

This lesson plan is part 1 of 4. This lesson focuses on how Newton's Laws apply to rocket launches as well as what forces are present at three different stages of launch. Additional lessons will be

This lesson includes having students design and build a wing to put onto a pre-built RC plane and fly it in circles (tethered). Requires previous RC knowledge.

In this unit, students will use their knowledge of weather and climate patterns to construct, place, and collect data from a rain gauge for one month. The beginning of the school year would be the

This is the culminating activity of the 8 part lesson series on simple machines. Students will put together everything they have learned about each individual simple machine to create a complex chain

In this lesson students will: Identify screws in our world; Discuss how screws make work easier; Plan and construct an Archimedes Screw Provide and receive feedback through peer critiques

In this lesson students will: Identify wedges in our world; Discuss how wedges make work easier; Plan and construct a canoe of their own design that incorporates a wedge shape to make it more

In this lesson students will: Identify wheels and axles in our world; Discuss how wheels and axles make work easier; Plan and construct a wind powered care of their own design that uses wheels and

In this lesson, students will: Identify levers in our world; Discuss how levers make work easier; Plan and construct a catapult that uses a lever Provide and receive feedback through peer critiques

In this lesson, students will: Identify inclined planes in our world; Discuss how inclined planes make work easier; Plan and construct a marble maze of their own design that uses inclined planes

In this lesson, students will: Identify pulleys in our world Discuss how pulleys make work easier Plan and construct an elevator of their own design that incorporates a pulley Provide and receive