Students do work by lifting a known mass over a period of time. The mass and measured distance and time is used to calculate force, work, energy and power in metric units. The students' power is then compared to horse power and the power required to light 60-watt light bulbs.

The applets in this Interactive Geometry Dictionary (IGD) will allow students an opportunity to explore finding the area of some common shapes. The applets demonstrate how to find the area of a triangle using the area of a parallelogram, which in turn can be found using the area of a rectangle. This tool also supports the lesson "What's My Area" cataloged separately.

This lesson conveys core information about why air quality is important and how engineers tackle complex environmental problems—providing a foundation for the subsequent five activities. Students learn the basics about the structure of the Earth’s atmosphere, the types of pollutants that are present in the atmosphere (primary, secondary, gas-phase compounds, particulate matter), and the importance of air quality research. They are also introduced to some engineering concepts such as how air quality measurements are made and how control technologies work. A PowerPoint® presentation, teacher slide notes, blank vocabulary list, post-lecture quiz, homework handout, and a pre-unit STEM survey are provided. This lesson and its five associated activities are intended to prepare and guide students to take on their own research projects.

Students will record the temperature daily, using a bar graph, color coded bars. this monthly bar graph helps students understand phenology and interpreting graphs.

This Java interactive tool can be used to create dynamic drawings on an isometric dot grid, and to explore volume, surface area, and congruence concepts. Users can draw figures using edges, faces, or cubes and can shift, rotate, color, decompose, and view figures in 2‑D or 3‑D with this applet. Instructions on using and exploring with the tool are included on the page. A related multi-lesson unit from Illuminations for middle school students is linked to the side.

In this math activity, learners prepare jumping jack data to send to officials on the planet Jumpalot. Learners record how many jumping jacks they can do in ten seconds and use their knowledge of time conversions to figure out how many jumping jacks they could complete in a minute all the way to a year. Learners then organize group data and explore mean, median, and mode and the effects extreme values have on these measures. Finally, learners brainstorm the advantages and disadvantages each measure offers. This lesson guide includes questions for learners, assessment options, extensions, and reflection questions.

In this lesson for grades 1 and 2, students record observations and look for patterns while exploring weights on a balance scale. They balance equal and unequal weights and record their distances from the fulcrum. Students use a crayon (as the fulcrum) and a ruler to represent the balance. A printable record keeping sheet is provided.

The activities in this four-lesson unit enable students to use their knowledge of number, measurement, and geometry to solve interesting problems. Planning and visualizing, estimating and measuring, and testing and revising are components of the ladybug activities. Students design "virtual paths" that enable a ladybug to either hide under a leaf or go through a maze. They develop navigational skills by testing their path and revising it. Two interactive Java applets (Ladybug Mazes and Hiding Ladybug, cataloged separately) support student solutions.

This lesson introduces students to the measurable attribute of length and provides practice in measuring length using non-standard units. The lesson is launched using the story Ladybug on the Move by Richard Fowler. Lesson objectives, teaching ideas, and handouts are included.

Students will explore estimation of length.
K student will use the non standard unit (ladybugs) to measure the length of something longer than the given unit (e.g., their workspace).
There are suggestions to vary the lesson for each grade level (K-2).
There are other related resources linked within this lesson.

With the assistance of a few teacher demonstrations (online animation, using a radiometer and rubbing hands), students review the concept of heat transfer through convection, conduction and radiation. Then they apply an understanding of these ideas as they use wireless temperature probes to investigate the heating capacity of different materials sand and water under heat lamps (or outside in full sunshine). The experiment models how radiant energy drives convection within the atmosphere and oceans, thus producing winds and weather conditions, while giving students the hands-on opportunity to understand the value of remote-sensing capabilities designed by engineers. Students collect and record temperature data on how fast sand and water heat and cool. Then they create multi-line graphs to display and compare their data, and discuss the need for efficient and reliable engineer-designed tools like wireless sensors in real-world applications.

How much shorter is Lil' Sister than Big Sister? This 3 Act Task by Graham Fletcher begins with picture of two sisters standing back to back. First students make observations and estimates to begin determine how much shorter the little sister is to the bigger sister. Students can then use images of each sister along with a measuring tool of interlocking cubes to determine the height of each sister. Lastly, students will find the difference between the girls' two heights. Students are estimating, measuring, adding, and subtracting to determine how much shorter the little sister is than the big sister.

Students use next-generation air quality monitors to measure gas-phase pollutants in the classroom. They apply the knowledge they gained during the associated lesson—an understanding of the connection between air pollutants and their possible sources. Student teams choose three potential pollutant sources and predict how the monitor’s sensors will respond. Then they evaluate whether or not their predictions were correct, and provide possible explanations for any inaccuracies. This activity serves as a simple introduction to the low-cost air quality monitoring technology that students use throughout the associated activities that follow. Three student handouts are provided.

In this math meets engineering activity, learners make paper airplanes and explore attributes related to increasing flight distances. Each learner collects data from three flights of the airplane and finds the median distance. Learners then collect, organize, display, and interpret the median distances for the group in a stem-and-leaf plot. This lesson guide includes questions for learners, assessment options, extensions, and reflection questions.

In this 5-lesson unit, students engage in measurement activities involving length, area, volume, time, and weight, using objects, pictures and symbols. Students practice measuring using standard and nonstandard units. Some lessons are introduced using children's literature.

In this lesson for grades 3, 4 and 5, students participate in activities in which they focus on patterns and relations that can be developed from the exploration of balance, mass, length of the mass arm, and the position of the fulcrum. The focus of this lesson is determining the position necessary to balance uneven objects and the effect on balance of moving the fulcrum. Printable activity sheets, ideas for implementation and extension are included.

In this activity, learners slide shapes to create unusual tiled patterns. Learners transform a rectangle into a more interesting shape and then make a tessellation by repeating that shape over and over again. Learners will also calculate the area of a rectangle. This activity works best as a "centers" activity.

A realistic mass and spring laboratory. Hang masses from springs and adjust the spring stiffness and damping. You can even slow time. Transport the lab to different planets. A chart shows the kinetic, potential, and thermal energy for each spring.

A realistic mass and spring laboratory. Hang masses from springs and adjust the spring stiffness and damping. You can even slow time. Transport the lab to different planets. A chart shows the kinetic, potential, and thermal energy for each spring.

In this three-lesson unit, students participate in activities in which they focus on connections between mathematics and children’s literature. Three pieces of literature are used to teach geometry and measurement topics in the mathematics curriculum, i.e. using and describing geometric figures, estimating the volume of an irregular solid, and exploring the need for a standard unit of length. Activity worksheets and ideas for extension are included.