STEM Lesson Plans

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

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

Students learn about the chemistry that exists in some of the world's oldest surviving paintings. This lesson is the final part of a 3 part painting series, and focuses on binding agents in paint

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.

Students are constructing a cardboard control vehicle. Throughout this process, they will practice working with circuits and motors. In this lesson, students will begin working on the electrical

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

The lesson plan challenges students to integrate research, agricultural principles, and engineering concepts, sparking their creativity in designing efficient and sustainable hydroponic setups. From

Day 2! Students start the process of building their Estes Alpha 3 rockets all the way to completion!

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

ArtBot is an innovative educational tool designed to introduce students to the fascinating world of electric and magnetic interactions through the medium of art. This unique robot is equipped with

A thermos is a must-have device for anyone who wants to enjoy hot or cold beverages on-the-go. It is a simple yet ingenious invention that utilizes scientific principles to keep our drinks at the

Students will continue their investigation into school waste by exploring the area provided for a composting. Students will measure to find the volume of the three compost spaces. They will then

Water Troughs on the Rez is a lesson plan to help students understand the mathematical perspective of everyday items around our homes on the reservation. Students are to share different types of water

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”

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

The students construct and interpret an HR Diagram to better understand the significance and usefulness of the diagram.

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

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.

Student teams design insulated beverage cups with the challenge to test them to determine which material works best as an insulator to keep a hot beverage warm for as long as possible. Students test

In this engaging and interactive lesson, students explore adaptation and creative problem-solving. Inspired by "The Great Turkey Race," students will engage in a hands-on engineering lesson to design

This lesson is an activity to see what an angle is and how is can be used to approximate the time of day or even navigating vessels by measuring other celestial bodies. Students will use sextants to

This lesson is an activity to show how projectile motion and many other motions in nature fallow a parabolic curve. Students will manipulate that knowledge and analyze data using small play tanks to

Using the book "Those Darn Squirrels" by Adam Rubin, students will design and create a bird feeder to let the birds IN and keep the squirrels OUT! Communication, collaboration, and creativity are key

Using the engineering design process, students will collaborate to plan and build a tower...but not just any old tower! This "Tower with a Twist" has to include a suspended cup that can also hold