This lesson introduces the students to what are antibiotics, how they work, and why they are important. At the same time, it also talks about how an organism becomes antibiotic resistant. The students
In this lesson, students use the Kepler’s Laws PhET Simulation to collect data on the period and average radius of the planetary orbits. They graph and analyze that data to derive Kepler’s 3rd Law.
In this lesson students will use everything they've done in parts 1-3 to analyze how mutations affect proteins. Students will build the mutated proteins that they sequenced in part 3. They will test
In this lesson students will continue to learn about protein synthesis. At the beginning of this lesson students should know that genes have the code to make proteins. Today they will be introduced to
In this lesson students are introduced to the idea that DNA is the code to create proteins and that proteins can be structural or functional. Students are given a problem to create a model of a
A Shocking Dystopia: STEM Adventures in The City of Ember Part 4 of 4: Where the River Goes
This lesson is PART 4 of a four-lesson unit, which focuses on futures thinking, the phenomenon of electricity, closed-system agriculture, and water as a renewable energy resource. “The City of Ember”
A Shocking Dystopia: STEM Adventures in The City of Ember Part 3 of 4: A Problem in the Greenhouse
This lesson is PART 3 of a four-lesson unit, which focuses on futures thinking, the phenomenon of electricity, closed-system agriculture, and water as a renewable energy resource. “The City of Ember”
A Shocking Dystopia: STEM Adventures in The City of Ember Part 2 of 4: A Way to See in the Dark
This lesson is PART 2 of a four-lesson unit, which focuses on futures thinking, the phenomenon of electricity, closed-system agriculture, and water as a renewable energy resource. “The City of Ember”
A Shocking Dystopia: STEM Adventures in The City of Ember Part 1 of 4: Blackout! Community Circuits
This lesson is PART 1 of a four-lesson unit, which focuses on futures thinking, the phenomenon of electricity, closed-system agriculture, and water as a renewable energy resource. “The City of Ember”
This lesson is a 3-4 day lesson on Public Service Announcements for reusing commonly discarded item versus trashing them. The lessons include the power of a Public Service Announcement, components to
This is a multi-day engineering design project. I use this for 2 weeks, a total of ten 50-minute periods. Students will research and design a dog house, creating a 3D model in a web-based computer
Students will learn about the light sensor on the Circuit Playground Express and how it can be used as an automatic switch to turn a device on or off. They will learn about the thermometer sensor on
Students will learn and recall about the different parts and components of an Adafruit Circuit Playground Express. Students will be able to program an Adafruit Circuit Playground Express
This lesson is designed around competition. Competition is a driving force behind natural selection. If something can survive to reproduce, the traits are passed on. Students will be completing
Students will explore how gravity plays a role in orbits and the attraction between objects in space, using online simulations. In addition to the online simulations this lesson contains ideas for
In this lesson, students work with an assigned customer to create a 3D-printed nameplate. Working through the steps of the engineering design process, students use a 3D modeling software, Tinkercad
In this lesson plan, students will be able to build a simple electric motor and study how simple changes affect the motor's rotation. They will learn how energy comes in many forms, and how electric
In this lesson plan, students will be able to investigate battery cells as they construct their own simple batteries: They will know that batteries are a common store of energy for many devices that
Students will be able to collaboratively build, and program a simple robot using Lego Spike Prime kits. Students will demonstrate basic skills in robotics and coding by successfully constructing their
By the end of this lesson, students will understand the unique adaptations of desert tortoises and the importance of conserving their habitat. Students also engineer a habitat for the desert tortoise.
In this first of a four-part unit, students are introduced to the question under investigation: How much life insurance should I buy to cover myself when I am 45 years old? To answer this
The Parachute design lesson involves students learning about the engineering design process, air resistance, and parachute principles before planning and constructing their own parachutes. Through
Today students will continue their studies of simple block programming with the use of the Edison robot. Students will start using the barcode and then transition into block coding using Edscratch
Featured Lesson Plans
Check out these notable lesson plans.

This outstanding multi-day lesson covers the anatomical design of the respiratory system. Students will work on a basic model project to simulate breathing action and the diaphragm. They will also

This is a fun and engaging lesson where students work individually, or with a partner, to build a treehouse. Creativity and collaboration among students in my 4th grade STEAM Club were evident in the

Up, Up and Away! Creating a Glider
Students will learn the principles of flight while also incorporating the Engineer Design Process as they construct gliders using pressed Styrofoam. In this hands-on lesson, students read a book about