STEM Lesson Plans

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

Students will investigate the properties of different types of matter and apply the concept of "P1: Matter" to design, model, and 3D print an object using a MakerBot 3D printer. Hands-On STEM Design

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

This is the part 2 of composting lesson aligned to narrative writing. In this lesson, students embark in the experience of observing the decomposition process of the materials, identifying the factors

This is the part one of the composting lesson that is aligned to the ELA standards of narrative reading and writing. In this lesson, students build their experiences by preparing the bucket composters

This lesson is meant to follow general explorations and lessons about light and sound. Students will use what they know about light to create devices to communicate with a classmate over a given

This lesson is a follow up of lesson 1 of 2. Students will extend the focus of their cause by creating a logo and swag to be presented at an "EXPO" held at your school.

This lesson can be applied to multiple content areas. Following a discussion about what a cause is and looking at examples, students will work in groups to create a name, mission statement, and vision

An investigation into the function and uses of solar panels in agriculture - Agrivoltaics. Exploring how to get the most efficient use of your solar panels for your gardens.

This project sets students up to explore animal anatomy and physiology with the idea of replacing a lost appendage (beak, leg, tail, fin, etc.) This is used in small groups of 2 or 3 over the course

A Makerspace experience for the Holidays! Students are invited to launch their very own startup business just in time for the holidays! In your Makerspace group, invite students to brand, create a

Students will research, design and build a treehouse using the engineering design process. They will practice budgeting by pretending to have $100 to spend by using a supply budget sheet. Students

In this lesson students will learn about the Makey Makey. They will create conductive touch points, record voice in scratch, and connect Makey to create an interactive poster. This can be used for any

This lesson is designed to promote hands-on, project-based learning that connects various disciplines. It emphasizes the importance of real-world applications and encourages students to think

In this activity, students will build a shelter that protects them (cotton balls) from a volcanic eruption of lava and ash.

In this lesson, students will be creating a working model demonstrating Earth’s rotation and revolution. Students will be able to explain the differences between Earth’s rotation and revolution

In this lesson, students will work in groups to design a model that will demonstrate the best erosion techniques for the model of a road experiencing flooding or heavy rainfall. Students will be given

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 be introduced to mutations in DNA. They will create beaded or illustrated "codes" to represent 5 different mutations to their original protein codes. These codes will be

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

Students have the opportunity explore different materials that use nanotechnology and then discuss the key differences between macroscale and nanoscale impacts on those materials.

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

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.