STEM Lesson Plans

In this hands-on lesson, students create solid fuel rockets to explore the idea of parabolic motion and outside factors which can affect the path of a rocket. This lesson has enrichment involving the

In this engaging lesson, students will connect the path of a straw rocket to the arc of a parabola. By changing the angle of the launcher, they will discover the relationship between distance and

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

In this lesson, students explore gravitational potential energy changes with the mass of an object and the height from which it is dropped. Students record the drop in slow motion to capture the

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 physics lesson, students will explore force, motion, kinetic energy and potential energy through projects and gameplay. They create a prototype of a cup and ball game using the engineering

In this lesson, students create paper rockets and measure the distance launched. Students are using the engineering design process and are provided time to modify their design in order to increase the

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 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

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

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

Upon completion of this lesson, the student should know: • The relationship between Bernoulli's Principle and Newton’s Laws of Motion and how they were used to develop a machine that could fly. • The

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

This lesson is part 2 of 2, Days 3 and 4. This lesson is set up to have students explore the friction bridge designed by Leonardo Da Vinci. Students have discovered the inventor and become familiar