Lesson Plans (Page 13)

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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Can one type of rock turn into another type of rock? In this lesson plan, your students will explore the rock cycle and model it using crayons. Can they turn a sedimentary "rock" made from crayon shavings into a metamorphic rock? What about an igneous rock? Try this lesson to find out! Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ESS2-1. Develop a model to describe the cycling of Earth's materials and the flow of energy that drives this process.

Modeling Blood Flow

Lesson Plan Grade: 4th

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Why is it important to eat healthy and exercise? In this hands-on lesson plan, students will build a simple model to explore the effects of plaque buildup in arteries. The model allows them to demonstrate what happens to blood flow when heart disease narrows a person's arteries. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Modeling Water Bodies

Lesson Plan Grade: 2nd

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10 reviews

In this lesson plan, students investigate different types of water bodies on Earth by making models of lakes, oceans, and rivers inside an aluminum pan using various materials and real water. By describing each water body and sharing their observations about their differences and similarities, students will be able to identify the typical characteristics of each water body. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

2-ESS2-2. Develop a model to represent the shapes and kinds of land and bodies of water in an area.
2-ESS2-3. Obtain information to identify where water is found on Earth and that it can be solid or liquid.

Oceanic Circulation: What Keeps the Ocean in Motion?

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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Why is the ocean vital to our planet? There are many reasons, but one important one is that the ocean is a major player in regulating our weather and climate through currents. In this lesson plan, your students will model ocean currents with cups, water, and food coloring, and explore how temperature and density differences set deep ocean waters in motion to create a global oceanic circulation system. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-ESS2-6. Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.

Ping Pong Catapult

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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Learn about potential and kinetic energy the fun way—by launching ping pong balls across the classroom with a catapult! Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-PS3-5. Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object.

Ping Pong Pickup Challenge for Grades 3-5

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

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15 reviews

In this fun engineering lesson plan, your students will build devices from paper, tape, string, and paper clips to pick up and retrieve a ping pong ball. The challenge is to pick up the ball from as far away as possible! Middle school and high school versions of this lesson plan are also available. The 2023 competition is over, but you can see what students built and learn about the winners on the 2023 Engineering Challenge summary page. 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.

Ping Pong Pickup Challenge for Grades 9-12

Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th

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8 reviews

In this fun engineering lesson plan, your students will build devices from paper, tape, string, and paper clips to pick up and retrieve a ping pong ball. The challenge is to pick up the ball from as far away as possible! Elementary school and middle school versions of this lesson plan are also available. The 2023 competition is over, but you can see what students built and learn about the winners on the 2023 Engineering Challenge summary page. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

High School - Science & Engineering Practices

Plant Seed Design Challenge

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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In this small group activity, students will build a plant seed (burr) from a Styrofoam® ball and other crafts materials. The seed needs to be designed in a way that it can be dispersed by attaching to a mockup animal (wool glove). Students will first test if their seed attaches to the wool glove and then carry their attached seed along an obstacle course inside the classroom. As students design their plant seed and mimic its dispersal via an animal, they will realize how some plants grow… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-LS1-4. Use argument based on empirical evidence and scientific reasoning to support an explanation for how characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.
MS-ETS1-2. Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.

Pocket Solar System

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-8th

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Preventing the Zombie Apocalypse- Making Gene Therapy Safe!

Lesson Plan Grade: 9th-12th

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Students become biomedical engineers and create model viruses for use in therapeutic applications, such as gene therapy. In constructing their models, students carefully plan for side effects and modify a virus that can be used to safely to deliver gene therapy. This process involves taking a "wild type" (or unmodified) virus so it can target a specific area of the body.Engineering Connection Genetic engineering is the artificial manipulation, modification, and… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

HS-ETS1-2. Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.

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