STEM Lesson Plans

Students have the opportunity explore different materials that use nanotechnology and then discuss the key differences between macroscale and nanoscale impacts on those materials.

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 learn and recall about the different parts and components of an Adafruit Circuit Playground Express. Students will be able to program an Adafruit Circuit Playground Express

In this lesson plan, students will be able to investigate battery cells as they construct their own simple batteries: They will know that batteries are a common store of energy for many devices that

By the end of this lesson, students will understand the unique adaptations of desert tortoises and the importance of conserving their habitat. Students also engineer a habitat for the desert tortoise.

Students will be able to learn how the hydraulic system works. With this in mind, you will be able to design a hydraulic marble game using materials provided. At the same time, they will be able to

In this engaging and interactive lesson, students explore adaptation and creative problem-solving. Inspired by "The Great Turkey Race," students will engage in a hands-on engineering lesson to design

Students will read the story "If I Built a House" and then record their elements of the story on index cards. Next they will design and build a House of Cards using index cards.

Students create a city and a plan for a route fro Thanksgiving parade with floats coded by robots. The students build the buildings along the parade route using area or addition/subtraction houses

Using the book "Those Darn Squirrels" by Adam Rubin, students will design and create a bird feeder to let the birds IN and keep the squirrels OUT! Communication, collaboration, and creativity are key

Using the engineering design process, students will collaborate to plan and build a tower...but not just any old tower! This "Tower with a Twist" has to include a suspended cup that can also hold

Students build a free standing structure while following set parameters. The challenge is that the structure's base cannot be larger than a 1" cube! Students will need to work together to balance

In this high school science/engineering lesson on exploring cracked steel, students will delve into the concept of cracked steel and its impact on structural integrity. They will define composites and

This lesson is about the rock cycle. Students will start by cutting and folding paper crystals. Then students review what they already know about rocks and the rock cycle. They use their understanding

Students are tasked with using the Engineering Design Process to create a Valentine's Day mailbox to collect Valentine cards in the classroom. Designs will include a theme, geometry examples (angles

Students are tasked with using the Engineering Design Process to create a system of harvesting rainwater to meet the needs of residents in communities that have a scarce water supply (shortage of

Teams are tasked with creating and designing a greener/cleaner city that has a minimum of 20 green/clean sustainable features. Students will be designing a sustainable city in teams. In order to

Students will build a bridge out of toothpicks or craft sticks by using gum drops, marshmallows, and/or wood glue. The purpose is to have it stay upright between two chairs without breaking. Students

Students will be able to understand proportional relationships with rescaling a drawing. Students will be able to draw a reduced scale drawing and enlarged scale drawing in the end. Students will also

In this lesson, first-grade students will explore the concept of resource sharing in nature using dioramas. The lesson is designed to help students understand that living things, such as plants and

Lesson Description: In this first-grade lesson, we will learn about the amazing world of spiders! We'll start by exploring the life cycle of a spider, from when it hatches to how it grows and changes

Students will read the original version of The Three Little Pigs and then explore different versions of the story. After exploring, they will complete a compare & contrast chart on two or three of the

Students will read and explore the idea of leprechauns and traps. Then, using the Engineering Design Process students will have to build a leprechaun trap.

Students will use the Engineering Design Process to plan and create the longest chain. Then they will use tools to measure their chains.