STEM Lesson Plans

Students will use SEEK or other species identification tools to create a database of biodiversity on campus. The lesson starts with a discussion of the importance of biodiversity to the functioning of

In this lesson, students create a brand new species of animal! Designed to be an end-of-unit activity after students have learned about different environments and animal adaptations, students will

Students will conduct a lab activity to gather information about how the heart rate can be affected by rest and by exercising. They will learn how to calculate their own target heart rates using a

This lesson will explore aerodynamics, rocketry, and principles of space flights. Students will act as engineers. Their job is to research, plan, design, and build a water bottle rocket that will

When studying Life Science, students are very curious to watch animals and plants growing. In this lesson, students observe growth of baby guppies in fish tanks, understanding life cycles and growing

This lesson allows students to construct a cell model in a fun and engaging way using edible materials such as cereals and candies. This will help students remember how to differentiate plant cells

This STEM activity is designed to be used with an animal habitat lesson. Students will create a UV animal using color changing UV beads and design a shelter to protect the animal from harmful UV light

This STEM activity is designed to explore force, motion, friction, and speed with a student-friendly and engaging activity. Students will plan and create a marble maze using simple materials. Material

This lesson plan is the nitty-gritty principles of roller coaster. It can be taught and used for 4th grade and 5th grade students. The first part of the lesson is the discussion of the principles

In this lesson students will use simulations to collect data about changes in specific traits of a population over time. Students will then use the data create graphical models to explain natural

This is a third grade lesson focused on structure and function. In the lesson, students observe, investigate, and research chickens to create a model focused on the parts of a chicken and their

Students explore the world of the lesser long-nosed bat through a self-paced hyperdoc. This unassuming bat is responsible for pollinating some the most magnificent desert cacti. It faced extinction in

Students explore the limiting factors of yeast over 2-3 days. The materials needed are yeast, sugar, water, ice, tea kettle, empty soda or water bottles, balloons, graduated cylinder, string, ruler

In this engaging lesson, students will participate in an engineering challenge or STEM activity that connects to a read aloud. Students will communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans

In this hands-on lesson, students design a safety device (car/seatbelt) that can keep an egg (passenger) safe during a collision. The goal is to protect the egg from cracking during a roll down a ramp

Summary: This lesson is geared towards 3rd graders but can be modified for upper and lower grades. Throughout the next 4 lessons they will describe the role of pollinators and explain their effects

In this lesson students will gather data about local tree diameters. They will then estimate the approximate age of trees. Students build connections between a tree’s growth and environmental factors

Using the Introduction to Hydroponics lab, introduce students to the features of the Hydroponic Systems. Students will explore the different types of grow mediums and grow lights used in the systems

This is lesson 4 out of a unit of 4 lessons about habitats. In the proceeding lessons, students researched habitats and animal adaptations. This lesson is a presentation of information using a variety

Can a water fountain be solar powered? YES! In this engaging lesson, students will engineer a solar powered water fountain to show how energy transformed and transferred throughout their system. Each

What is the life cycle of a butterfly? How do butterflies use their wings? Answers to these questions and more are in this engaging lesson. The challenge for the students is to create a butterfly

Students will describe the role of pollinators and explain their effects. They will be able to identify how the life cycle of a plant and a pollinator are connected. Students will also get to explore

This lesson is part of a school-wide project to renovate a greenhouse and create a native seed library. This lesson is intended to create intrinsic motivation to engage in the project. This lesson

This lesson plan includes ideas and materials to last for 5 days. The students will be learning about human impact on tide pools and engineering their own solution. On the first day will be about