STEM Lesson Plans

This lesson was designed because students love to compete, and it primes them to use the Engineering Design process to build a boat and revise their design as needed. Students must use at least one

This STEAM lesson is ideal for Tucson/Pima County Middle School Students who can participate in the annual KIDStruction building contest but you can also duplicate many of the learning opportunities

In the novel Shiloh, Marty must leave Shiloh in the woods overnight. He quickly finds materials in his shed to build Shiloh a fence and structure to protect him from elements in the woods behind his

Students will understand the concept of levers as simple machines and will identify and classify everyday objects as levers. Students will apply basic mathematical concepts to measure and compare the

Students read the story "Just a Second" to introduce students to geologic time. Next, they are given an activity to understand how long is 4.6 billion years. Then students complete a lab that allows

After becoming familiar with the factors that affect lift from the previous Flight Basics lesson and going over key weather concepts from this lesson, students will be expected to make a device to

Students use a 2-D physics sandbox, called Algodoo, to simulate the factors that might affect the period of a circular orbit of a planet about a star. Students develop Kepler's 3rd Law conceptually by

In this 3 day lesson plan, students will discover the relationships between the sun, earth, moon, solar/lunar eclipses and the tides.

Students will build a model of a riverbank inside of a liter bottle. They will use different materials to improve the riverbank and lessen the erosion. Students will research and investigate what

Students will investigate the geological features of the Santa Catalinas. Specifically the phenomenon of Catalina Gneiss. Students will research the formation of the Tucson basin and Santa Catalinas

Create potential for masses or charges. Students get to create 3D models of these potential and gain a deeper qualitative representation of why masses or charge move towards lowest potential.

The lesson is primarily about building a Lego or any block tower with a good foundation. This can be done in a group of 5 - 7 students. In my case I am considering 7th and 8th grade class to perform

Students are introduced to the javelina through reading part of The Three Little Javelinas, reading about javelinas and watching an informational video. They discover potential conflicts and root

An investigation into the function and uses of solar panels in agriculture - Agrivoltaics. Exploring how to get the most efficient use of your solar panels for your gardens.

Students are constructing a cardboard control vehicle. Throughout this process, they will practice working with circuits and motors. In this lesson, students will begin working on the electrical

Students are constructing a cardboard remote control vehicle. Throughout this process, they will practice working with circuits and motors.

In this lesson students model a fast change to Earth's surface by creating a landslide and a slow change to Earth's surface by simulating coastal erosion.

In this lesson, students will show how mass affects velocity (distance/time). Multiple variables can be changed to provide a story representing Newton's Laws in action.

Students will use evidence from an investigation to model and explain how thermal expansion of land and sea ice impact the sea level. They will quantify the impact of land ice melt and thermal

In this lesson, students are challenged to design and test a windsock that can tell the direction and relative speed of the wind.

In this lesson, students are to use simple materials to create a structure that holds weight. It must be able to stand on its own. Students will first study and discuss gravity.

Saguaro cacti are collapsing in the Phoenix due to extreme heat and the urban island effect. Is there anyway to save them? This lesson allows students to investigate the factors contributing to the

Part 1: Rotation and Revolution (of Earth) Phenomenon: Why do we experience periods of day and night? This is a 1 to 3-day lesson with five activities primarily focusing on rotation of the Earth which

In this lesson, students will explore the concepts of gear ratios and proportions. They will construct a working gear system and observe how the ratio between gears affects their motion. They will use