Students will follow the scientific method for self discovery of the nature of the land around the school to then determine as a class what plants and grasses would flourish in the area.
There’s more than one way to solve any problem! This LAP lesson module explains some common tools used in problem solving, including intuition, the seven-step approach, and brainstorming. It also details three categories of problems, describes the differences between types of problems, and illustrates why problem solving can help people accomplish their personal and professional goals.LAP modules are comprehensive instructional packages that include all elements of a performance-oriented lesson plan. This LAP includes a student narrative that includes information about problem-solving skills, a (So What?) discussion of why it's important to learn, and a short (Gray Zone) case addressing ethical issues. The instructor section features a comprehensive discussion guide, complete learning guide (short answer) and post-tests (multiple-choice) with descriptive keys, student activities, and more.
In this six lesson unit, students recognize and explore the relationships among pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters. They estimate and count sets of mixed coins, create equivalent sets, write story problems that involve money, and use coins to make patterns. Within the unit there is a link to US Mint. http://www.usmint.gov/kids/teachers/
This math meets ecology lesson provides hands-on experiences with mixing oil and water, provides surface area information about the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and gives learners opportunities to estimate small oil spills of their own making. This lesson guide includes questions for learners, assessment options, extensions, and reflection questions.
The lesson begins by introducing Olympics as the unit theme. The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the techniques of engineering problem solving. Specific techniques covered in the lesson include brainstorming and the engineering design process. The importance of thinking out of the box is also stressed to show that while some tasks seem impossible, they can be done. This introduction includes a discussion of the engineering required to build grand, often complex, Olympic event centers.
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NASA and DESIGN SQUAD developed this online workshop for educators and afterschool leaders who want to build their skills and confidence in guiding kids through engineering activities.
Whether you're experienced or new at this, you'll come away with insights and strategies for strengthening your kids' critical-thinking abilities and getting them excited about using the design process, the series of steps engineers use to arrive at solutions.
In this self-guided workshop, you'll:
Experience the design process in action. Learn and reflect on ways you can use the design process to tap into your kids' problem-solving skills and creativity.
Watch an engineering activity. See how easy it is to integrate the design process into the hands-on activities you do with your kids.
Get resources. Discover a variety of engineering activities from NASA and DESIGN SQUAD for kids in grades K–12.
Resources with an emphasis on play, child development, belonging and inclusion, and social and emotional learning, grades K-3.
This Java applet allows children to explore a balancing tool and thus build their algebraic thinking about equivalency. By placing shapes on each side of the balance and finding equivalent sets of weights, students discover the weight of each shape in one of six built-in sets or a random set.
This activity is a guided inquiry where students investigate the colors contained within a single marker color and interpret what this means about the sizes of the molecules.
This activity is an experimental investigation in which students use paper helicopters to examine types of variables and how to manipulate variables in experimental design.
This interactive applet lets students create quilting type patterns and explore tessellation possibilities. The applet gives learners a choice of six polygons that can be turned or flipped and fitted together. Suggestions for exploration and five challenge patterns are provided. The tool supports a number of lessons and units including What's So Special About Triangles and Virtual Pattern Blocks (cataloged separately).
This five lesson Illuminations unit gives students an opportunity to create and analyze numeric and geometric patterns with particular emphasis on growing patterns. The lesson titles are respectively, What's Next?, Patterns On Charts, Growing Patterns, Exploring Other Number Patterns and Looking Back And Moving Forward. Each lesson includes learning objectives, material list, instructional plan, linked resources and assessment options.
In this math game, learners attempt to solve a puzzle involving five dice. By deciphering the non-standard pattern in the dice, learners use problem solving and strategy skills. This lesson guide includes questions for learners, assessment options, extensions, and reflection questions. There is an online simulation of the game that is part of this resource.
In this math game, learners attempt to solve a puzzle involving five dice. By deciphering the non-standard pattern in the dice, learners use problem-solving and strategy skills. This lesson guide includes questions for learners, assessment options, extensions, and reflection questions.
This activity is a method of tying a multitude of physical (and chemical) properties together showing what makes a substance unique and identifiable. This activity is a great way to lead the students into developing their procedures, their further investigations, and yet giving them the feeling of responsibility and ownership for their learning.
Physics Classroom is intended for beginning physics/physical science students of all ages and their teachers. It offers a tutorial, interactives, concept builders, Shockwave studios, multimedia studios, and much more. This free web-site contains lessons, interactives, simulations, photo galleries, laboratory exercises, and the option to purchase additional assessment materials/ and for educators.
This mobile app (available for both iOS and Android devices) was developed by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics with funding from Verizon Foundation. The app is based on the Decimal Maze from the popular lesson "Too Big or Too Small". The goal is to help Okta reach the target (maximum, minimum, or a specific value) by choosing a path from the top of the maze to the bottom — adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing as the player goes. Seven levels with seven puzzles in each level test the player's skills with operation with powers of ten, negative numbers, fractions, decimals, and exponents.
This instructional guide (PDF) is for the mobile app Pick-a-Path (both iOS and Android platforms). The guide provides professional development by discussing the math in each level of the game, giving suggestions for classroom use, and recommending related resources from Illuminations. The Pick-a-Path app is cataloged separately and listed as a related resource.
Students use the free computer game Pingus to learn how engineers, specifically environmental engineers, use their technical writing skills to give instructions and follow the instructions of others. Students learn to write instructions to express their ideas in clear, organized ways using descriptive, un-ambiguous sentences, as an example of one type of technical writing that important for engineers. The students write instructions enumerating how to beat a game level, which represents surveying that level for environmental problems. As a test of their instructions, students review each others' instructions and offer suggestions for improvement, and then revise their instructions to make them better. Students also see some examples of environmental problems.
"Each student creates parallelograms from square sheets of paper and connects them to form an octagon. During the construction, students consider angle measures, segment lengths, and areas in terms of the original square" (from NCTM's Illuminations).