Grades:
5th Grade
In this hands-on lesson, students will work together to build a system where energy is transferred between objects for as long as possible (i.e. Newton’s Cradle). Students continue the work that began
Grades:
6th Grade
Over 2 days (60 min or more each day), students create a catapult out of jumbo popsicle sticks, a water bottle cap and rubber bands. The challenge is for students to launch their snowball (cotton ball
Grades:
8th Grade, 9th Grade
Make quadratics come alive with stomp rockets! This is a 3-4 hour learning experience where students will build and launch paper rockets, then use the data to create quadratic equations.
Grades:
6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
In this engaging lesson, students will examine the surface of the Moon to consider hazardous conditions that NASA may find there. Then, they will investigate several hazards (dust, boulders, and
Grades:
3rd Grade
SUMMARY: This lesson challenges 3rd grade students to apply their knowledge of the physics of light by having them design, create, and test an obstacle course that their beam of light must navigate
Grades:
5th Grade, 6th Grade
This is an introductory lesson designed for a robotics after-school session involving materials and equipment from VEX robotics and coding. Students explore robotics, discuss the tasks robots can
Grades:
4th Grade
In this STEM Challenge, the student’s task is to build a car that is powered only by the force (push or pull) of a pair of magnets. Students experience push and pull first-hand as they construct their
Grades:
6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
This hands-on science lesson will help students get a more accurate view of the solar system by making a scale model with play dough, balloons, rulers, and tape!
Grades:
4th Grade
In this hands-on lesson, students will construct a model of a volcano and produce lava flows. They will also observe, draw, record, and interpret the history and stratification of an unknown volcano
Grades:
6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
This is a two-part lesson using pull back cars. Students will change the mass of their pull back cars to determine if the mass affects the distance they travel or their speed. This engaging lesson
Grades:
9th Grade, 10th Grade
In this hands-on lesson, students work with a partner to construct a functioning, usable sprinkler. Students use basic principles of engineering to create this prototype and test it out for adequate
Grades:
6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
This is an 8-lesson unit that is designed to be used together to learn about the health and diversity of your local watershed by placing leaf packs into a water source (natural or man-made ponds
Grades:
5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
In this engaging lesson students are introduced to the key computational concept of variables using Edison robots and the Scratch-based programming language EdScratch4. Variables, which can be created
Grades:
Kindergarten, 1st Grade
Students build the tallest beanstalk they can with the provided materials. They then measure it and compare their beanstalk heights. This pairs perfectly with a read aloud of Jack and the Beanstalk!
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Edison Robot Challenges
Grades:
5th Grade, 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
In this hands-on lesson students review the Edison robot and coding in Edscratch. They will then work together to solve math problems and then code the Edison robot to match their solution to the math
Grades:
6th Grade
This is the second part of the egg drop challenge. Students will improve on their original design and make a new design to test and analyze.
Grades:
6th Grade
Can one organism turn an ecosystem upside down? In this engaging lesson, students use an interactive site (hhmi biointeractive) to understand and answer how a species becomes invasive, analyze
Grades:
6th Grade
Students will be thinking like engineers as they design their marble roller coasters using the principles of kinetic and potential energy.
Grades:
6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
This is an 8-lesson unit that is designed to be used together to learn about the health and diversity of your local watershed by placing leaf packs into a water source (natural or man-made ponds
Grades:
6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
In this hands-on lesson, students use fruit snacks or candy to create models of the molecules used and produced in cellular respiration.
Grades:
6th Grade
This is the first lesson is a series of 2 for the egg drop challenge. Students will work in groups to design and test an egg drop capsule. Students will keep a budget and fill out a data and
Grades:
5th Grade
In this creative lesson, students will create a simple machine to retrieve objects through a makeshift storm drain. There is a potential literacy integration and a focus on the engineering design
Grades:
6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
This is an 8-lesson unit that is designed to be used together to learn about the health and diversity of your local watershed by placing leaf packs into a water source (natural or man-made ponds
Grades:
3rd Grade
This lesson is the initial planning, sorting, and planting lesson to get Our Plot of Sunshine Curriculum started within a 3rd grade classroom. Can be modified for other grades, but math within this
Featured Lesson Plans
Check out these notable lesson plans.

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Design a Course with Friction
Grades:
6th Grade, 7th Grade
In the second part of this lesson, students will now test how friction can change the speed of a RC car. Students will first test the RC car on three different surfaces of their choice and time them

Grades:
6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade
Calling all engineers, artists, scientists, and crafters! Our MAKER FAIRE is a venue for our “makers” to show off your talents, innovations, and creative solutions! Join the Maker Movement! Students

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Rocket Science
Grades:
3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade
This engaging lesson is a great introduction for space exploration units. This plan goes over the history of rockets, how they work, and how modern rockets help us explore the solar system. There are