Lesson Plans (Page 11)

Reaction Rates: Speed It Up with Temperature!

Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th

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Teach your students how temperature affects chemical reaction rates in this highly visual experiment! Students will investigate color change during the reaction of food color with bleach, and measure the reaction times for different reaction temperatures. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

HS-PS1-5. Apply scientific principles and evidence to provide an explanation about the effects of changing the temperature or concentration of the reacting particles on the rate at which a reaction occurs.

Rubber Band Car Challenge for Grades 3-5

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

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In this fun engineering lesson plan, your students will build rubber band-powered cars using readily available craft supplies. The challenge is to build a car that goes as far as possible while making careful use of materials. Middle school and high school versions of this lesson plan are also available. This lesson was part of the 2024 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge. Note for K-2 teachers: you can do this challenge with younger students too! Contest entry is open to all K-12… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-2. Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Rubber Band Car Challenge for Grades 6-8

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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In this fun engineering lesson plan, your students will build rubber band-powered cars using readily available craft supplies. The challenge is to build a car that goes as far as possible while making careful use of materials. Elementary school and high school versions of this lesson plan are also available. This lesson was part of the 2024 Science Buddies Engineering Challenge. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Scientific Method: How Do Scientists Make Discoveries?

Video Lesson Grade: 3rd-8th

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This lesson will introduce students to the scientific method using a fun, hands-on activity about the role of animal camouflage in evolution. During the activity, students will practice each step of the scientific method including doing background research, making a hypothesis, conducting an experiment, analyzing data, and drawing conclusions. By going through this process, students will also learn how camouflage helps animals survive. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-LS4-2. Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.
3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
MS-LS4-4. Construct an explanation based on evidence that describes how genetic variations of traits in a population increase some individuals' probability of surviving and reproducing in a specific environment.
MS-LS4-6. Use mathematical representations to support explanations of how natural selection may lead to increases and decreases of specific traits in populations over time.

Sky Science

Lesson Plan Grade: 4th-8th

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"Mammatus clouds and crepuscular rays" © 2007 Brocken Inaglory Why do we see different colors in Earth's sky at different times of day? After this activity, students will be able to support an explanation for the colors we see in Earth's sky with evidence from a scientific model. Read more

Slime Shop: Engineer Your Own Slime

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

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There are many different ways to make slime. In this lesson plan, your students will use the engineering design process to design their own slime product. They will need to decide on the desired properties for their slime and then experiment to find the best recipe. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-1. Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost.
5-PS1-4. Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.
Optional: 5-PS1-2. Measure and graph quantities to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling, or mixing substances, the total weight of matter is conserved. (see Variations)

Sound: Can You Feel Music?

Video Lesson Grade: 1st

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Students know that sounds can be heard, but do they know that some sounds can also be felt and seen? In this lesson, students will learn that vibration causes sound and build a fun musical instrument of their own. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

1-PS4-1. Plan and conduct investigations to provide evidence that vibrating materials can make sound and that sound can make materials vibrate.

Tallest Paper Tower Challenge for Grades 9-12

Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th

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Teach your students about the engineering design process with this fun lesson plan. The lesson is based on the real-world challenge of designing an observation tower. Can your students maximize the height of the tower while minimizing the amount of material needed to construct it? Teachers, note that elementary and middle school versions of this lesson plan are also available. The 2021 Engineering Challenge is over, but you can still try out this fun challenge with your students, or check… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

HS-ETS1-3. Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and trade-offs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.

What Do Enzymes in Pineapple Juice Do to Milk?

Lesson Plan Grade: 5th

In this fun chemistry lesson, students will explore chemical reactions by mixing pineapple juice and milk. Students will observe whether the properties of milk change when it is mixed with pineapple juice, as well as how they change. They will then infer from their results whether a chemical reaction happened. In the process, they will not only learn about chemical reactions but also discover the importance of enzymes and their role in the human body. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

5-PS1-4. Conduct an investigation to determine whether the mixing of two or more substances results in new substances.

What Season Is This?

Lesson Plan Grade: Kindergarten

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In this lesson, students will investigate seasonal patterns by matching various pictures to the different seasons. In small groups, students will analyze the pictures for clues to a specific season, describe what they observe, and explain what evidence they have found in each picture to identify the season. By comparing the images, students will be able to recognize patterns and identify seasonal changes over time. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

K-ESS2-1. Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.

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