STEM Lesson Plans

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

A lesson on what diabetes is, what is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, creating a food diary, how the sugar gets into cells, how to count carbs, and how people with Type 1 diabetes

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 engaging lesson, students take a look at the effects of dehydration and over hydration on the body and electrical conductivity of the heart. They will also learn about what electrolytes are

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

This lesson is about exploring Arizona's state bird, the cactus wren, that lives in the desert, has special body parts and behaviors that help it survive in its harsh environment. Students will learn

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

This lesson is a 6-14 day unit consisting of 30 minute lessons taking students through the introduction of energy flow from the sun through the food chain. The lessons culminate with students showing

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

In this lesson students will discover harmful effects and chemical makeups of artificial ingredients, specifically food coloring and red dyes. Students will experiment with and demonstrate capillary

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

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