200 Free Lesson Plans for Science and Engineering

By Amy Cowen on August 31, 2021 4:00 PM

Plan your school year with ease! Choose from 200+ free science and engineering lesson plans for K-12 teachers!

Thumbnails from four lessons, including model lung, seeding machine, model waterways, and mushroom environmental project - 4 of 200+ free STEM lessons available at Science Buddies

Science Buddies first started developing NGSS-aligned educator lesson plans in 2017. Our free Lesson Plans help K-12 educators confidently teach science and engineering concepts to students. Today there are more than 200 plug-and-play lessons on our site to support educators teaching science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

Lesson Plans at Science Buddies contain scaffolding to help teachers review and prepare to teach a STEM subject, even in an area they may not have taught before. NGSS-alignment information is provided for teachers looking for lessons to meet specific curriculum needs. Lessons also include guided discussion and reflection questions, a step-by-step hands-on activity or experiment, and supplemental materials like worksheets, assessment tools, videos, and more.

Note: To learn more about the structure of a Science Buddies Lesson Plan, see How to Use a Science Buddies Lesson Plan.

New Lesson Plans

The lists below offer a sampling of Science Buddies Lesson Plans available for elementary, middle, and high school.

Grades K-4

Photo collage of eight types of habitats: Mountains, grasslands, polar, wetlands, rainforests, deserts, urban and marine

Animal Habitats

In this zoology lesson, students explore the relationship between a habitat and an organism's survival.

A lake in a forest on the left and a play dough model of the lake in a forest on the right

Mapping Landforms

In this geology lesson, students make three-dimensional dough models of landforms and bodies of water and explore how they can be represented on a map.

A mirror maze with mirrors, a flashlight, and paper

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

In this physics lesson, students investigate how light bounces off of reflective surfaces and use what they learn to navigate a light maze using a flashlight and mirrors.

Three images showing an ocean model, a river model, and a lake model, all made in aluminum pans

Modeling Water Bodies

In this geology lesson, students learn about the characteristics of different types of bodies of water and make models of lakes, oceans, and rivers inside aluminum pans.

Model lung from bottle and balloon and diagram of human breathing system

Why and How do We Breathe?

In this human biology and health lesson, students make a model lung from simple materials and explore how lung breathing compares to other ways of breathing.

Grades 5-8

A cardboard house sitting on markers with a cell phone on top for an earthquake lesson plan

Build an Earthquake-Resistant House

In this civil engineering lesson, students build model buildings and experiment to see what design changes improve earthquake resistance.

Delayed Release Pill Challenge

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2OZssB_W7M

Design a Delayed-Release Tablet

In this materials science lesson, students design and build a controlled-release tablet that releases colored powders at specific intervals.

Design a Seeding Machine

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjfjXDOExcU

Design a Seeding Machine to Counteract Deforestation

In this environmental science lesson, students design a mini seeding machine that can plant seeds in a set pattern as they explore the challenge of reforestation.

Investigate Alien Genetics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzdC6PnuFKU

Investigate Alien Genetics

In this genetics and genomics lesson, students learn about genotypes and phenotypes as they model how traits are passed from parents to offspring.

A model water cycle created in a transparent box

Make a Water Cycle Model

In this geology and environmental science lesson, students build a model of the water cycle to simulate and observe evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and other water cycle processes in real time.

Grades 9-12

Change the Reaction Rate of a Foaming Reaction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBRy_9f5sps

Control the Reaction Rate of a Foaming Reaction

In this chemistry lesson, students explore how chemical reactions are affected by enzymes and different substrate concentrations.

Schematic diagram of the CRISPR-Cas9 complex, showing the Cas9 protein, the guideRNA, and the cleaved target DNA

CUT! How Does CRISPR Work?

In this genetics and genomics lesson, students learn about CRISPR technology and create a model and a stop-motion animation video about CRISPR-Cas9.

non-gmo crops of corn, cotton, and squash

From Prokaryotes to Eukaryotes: Solving Problems Using Plasmids

In this biotechnology and agricultural technology lesson, students learn about prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and simulate the gene editing process involved in creating a genetically modified organism (GMO).

Video: Mushroom Packaging

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hb6yV8zuvo

Make Mushroom Packaging to Explore Long-Term Ecological Impact

In this environmental science lesson, students explore the use of mycelium composite as an eco-friendly material.

Vaccine shot being administered to an arm

Using Vaccines to Fight Outbreaks

In this health and human biology lesson, students use SimPandemic, a free online tool, to explore how vaccines affect both individuals and populations during a COVID-19 outbreak.

Library of Free STEM Lesson Plans

To find even more engaging lessons for STEM education, educators can browse all Lesson Plans or use the search filters to find lessons in specific areas of science or for specific grade levels.

Some Lesson Plans have been developed by our partner organizations, including California Academy of Sciences, National Agriculture in the Classroom, and Teach Engineering.