Lesson Plans (Page 6)

Invent an Insect

Lesson Plan Grade: 2nd-5th

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8 reviews

"Grasshopper" by Ryan Wood There are thousands of species of insects in our world, and each are adapted to survive in their habitat. In this activity, students will learn what an insect is and what some of their adaptations are. Then they will put their knowledge into play by "creating" an insect that is adapted to live in their assigned environment. Read more

Investigate the Properties of Liquids

Lesson Plan Grade: 2nd

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7 reviews

When discussing material properties, most of us usually think of solid materials and material properties such as hardness, flexibility, or strength. However, liquids are characterized by distinct properties, too. Some of these properties overlap with those of solids, like density or transparency, but others are more specific to liquids. Viscosity—the resistance of a fluid to flow—and surface tension, are two examples of properties that are specifically used to characterize liquids.… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.

Lifting with a Lever

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd-5th

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5 reviews

Can your students lift a book off the floor with just one finger? Find out and learn about simple machines in this fun lesson plan about levers. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-5-ETS1-3. Plan and carry out fair tests in which variables are controlled and failure points are considered to identify aspects of a model or prototype that can be improved.

Make a Miniature Habitat

Lesson Plan Grade: Kindergarten-2nd

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9 reviews

Get creative with your students in this hands-on lesson plan! Students will use mostly natural materials to build a shoebox habitat that mimics a real-life habitat for an animal of their choice. As they present their miniature habitats to each other, students realize that not all habitats are suitable for all animals. Each animal species needs the resources of a specific habitat to survive. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

K-ESS-3-1. Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.
2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.>/li>

Make a Thermometer to Study the Temperature

Lesson Plan Grade: 3rd

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6 reviews

Students experience the weather every day: they feel cold spring mornings and warm summer afternoons. This hands-on lesson helps them quantify how hot or cold it is by using a thermometer they will make themselves! Based on their gathered data and observations, students can infer patterns about how temperature varies by location and time. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

3-ESS2-1. Represent data in tables and graphical displays to describe typical weather conditions expected during a particular season.
3-ESS2-2. Obtain and combine information to describe climates in different regions of the world.

Modeling Gravity

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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6 reviews

Why can we feel gravity pull us down towards the Earth, but not sideways towards other big objects like buildings? Why do the planets in our solar system orbit the sun instead of flying off into space? In this lesson plan your students will develop a model for gravity and use it to explore answers to these questions. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-PS2-4. Construct and present arguments using evidence to support the claim that gravitational interactions are attractive and depend on the masses of interacting objects.
MS-ESS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system.

Paper Bridge Materials Challenge

Lesson Plan Grade: 2nd

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5 reviews

Steel, concrete, wood—real bridges are built from many different materials. How do engineers decide which materials to use? In this activity, your students will expand on the previous paper bridges lesson plan by building and testing bridges made from different materials. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

2-PS1-2. Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best suited for an intended purpose.

Perfect Pitches with a Rubber Band Guitar

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

We are surrounded by sounds every day, ranging from unpleasant ones like traffic noise to enjoyable ones like music or singing birds. What makes these sounds different? Why are some louder or higher pitched than others? In this lesson plan, your students will investigate how the properties of a sound wave, like frequency and amplitude, affect the sounds we hear. They will do this using a sensor app than can record sound and frequency data with a mobile phone and a homemade musical… Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

MS-PS4-1. Use mathematical representations to describe a simple model for waves that includes how the amplitude of a wave is related to the energy in a wave.

Ping Pong Pickup Challenge for Grades 6-8

Lesson Plan Grade: 6th-8th

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19 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 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:

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

Push and Pull Forces: What Makes Things Move?

Video Lesson Grade: Kindergarten

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9 reviews

Kindergarten students are used to moving objects. They throw balls, roll toy cars, and sweep the floor, but how much do they think about the forces behind these movements? In this fun hands-on lesson, students will use a game (rolling balls) to explore how pushing and pulling affects an object's motion. Read more

NGSS Performance Expectations:

K-PS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to compare the effects of different strengths or different directions of pushes and pulls on the motion of an object.

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