STEM Lesson Plans

Students will build and use an anemometer to calculate wind speed and then use the wind speed to determine the affect wind has on temperature and the temperature that you feel (wind chill). Students

What does polarized light mean? How can some light waves be blocked while other light waves are transmitted? This lesson plan explores the phenomenon of polarized light and how light waves interact

How do light rays reflect and refract? Does light travel at different speeds in different mediums? This lesson reviews how light waves can be reflected and refracted, and how light waves can change

In this hands-on lesson, students will conduct an experiment measuring and comparing temperatures using an IR Temperature gun around the classroom. Students also explore careers where an IR

This lesson will allow students to measure the health of the water from sources in their community or everyday life. Students will measure the pH from different sources using test strips and a color

In this engaging lesson, students use real-world data to explore criteria for air pollutants. If students continue to the next lesson in this series, they create data-based art to deepen and

This lesson uses a diagram of a football being punted to demonstrate the forces of motion and the transfer of energy. Students are then challenged to apply what they learned to engineer a mechanical

Does light have energy? In this lesson, students will engage in a practical experiment to witness how light can induce changes such as heating, altering colors, and setting objects in motion. As

In this creative engineering design lesson, students are challenged to use an inclined plane to create a safe and exciting zipline park for Zippy the Elf. This lesson reviews simple machines and has

In this engaging lesson, students will investigate the basics of a circuit by arranging the materials to make a lightbulb light up. They will then create a digital product to demonstrate their

Students will explore the concepts of sound and rhythm through a STEM-focused lesson plan that integrates science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) with music. Students will engage in hands-on

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 this hands-on engineering and science project, students will become earthquake engineers tasked with designing and constructing earthquake-proof structures using toothpicks and mini marshmallows

In this project, 8th-grade students will engage in hands-on exploration of elastic potential energy and its conversion to kinetic energy using small catapults. Through experimentation and data

In this multi-day lesson, students will learn about prosthetics, design and build a model of a prosthetic limb, research prosthetics today and then have a Socratic Seminar to both share and debate

This hands-on lesson helps students understand exponential functions by using an LED circuit. LED luminosity decreases at an exponential rate as more are added in series. As students add more lights

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 read and respond to the story, I Am Not Just A Scribble by Diane Alber. Students will work with a peer or small groups to build a ScribbleBot using renewable materials and two AA

The investigation focuses on exploring the impact of hose length on water flow rate in a solar-powered pump system. Students will set up a simple experiment using a solar pump connected to hoses of

In this lesson designed for 7th grade, students will explore increasing and decreasing magnetic field of electromagnets by changing the iron core, wire gauge, or wire coils to determine which variable

It can be challenging to sort through the various robot options out in the market for educators. This lesson is for educators who have used robots or are new to using robots. The intention is to use

Students get to investigate how energy transfers using different phenomena. They practice using a Colorado PhET simulation on the differences between potential and kinetic energy. Students will

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