Lesson Plans

“Houston, we have a problem.” Wait…we have a solution! Students will use a model to propose a solution to a problem that scientists grappled with when planning to launch the James Webb Space Telescope. Groups will select a problem/solution or sequence text structure and include multimedia elements to complete a writing task explaining their group’s solution.
Eroding the Future - Lesson 1 In this lesson, students will complete an inquiry activity on erosion in order to be able to describe the process of erosion and differentiate it from weathering. Through the inquiry activity, students will recognize how models can be used to demonstrate processes and test solutions. Additionally, students will evaluate how citizens can work with their state government to solve the problems created by erosion, as a public issue. This is lesson 1 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and science.
Just Right Goldilocks’ Café: Temperature & Turbidity This is lesson 3 of 3 in the Goldilocks’ Café Just Right unit. This lesson focuses on systematic investigation on getting a cup of coffee to be the “just right” temperature and turbidity level. Students will use both the temperature probe and turbidity sensor and code using ScratchX during their investigation.
Just Right Goldilocks’ Café: Turbidity This is lesson 2 of 3 in the Just Right Goldilocks’ Café unit. This lesson focuses on systematic investigation on getting a cup of coffee to be the “just right” level of turbidity. Students will use turbidity sensors and code using ScratchX during their investigation.
Just Right Goldilocks’ Café: Temperature This is lesson 1 of 3 in the Just Right Goldilocks’ Café unit. This lesson focuses on systematic investigation on getting a cup of coffee to be the “just right” temperature. Students will use temperature probes and code using ScratchX during their investigation.
Explore a Rock Foundation: The Hunt for an Asteroid! In this Model Eliciting Activity (MEA), students are asked to help their client select the "best" asteroid to explore given several different factors. Students collaborate in small groups to develop a procedure to rate the asteroids. They are then asked to write a letter back to the client, defending and explaining the procedure they developed. This MEA has been written based on NASA's current mission to explore an asteroid to prepare for the mission to Mars.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx
Cemented Together In this activity the students will create their own sedimentary rock using glue and various pieces of sediments found throughout the school yard. The students will create a model of a sedimentary rock and describe how they would identify a sedimentary rock in the real world.
Honey Bee Human--an Engineering Design Challenge This Engineering Design Challenge is intended to help students apply the concepts of pollination as they design an apparatus that will pollinate a field. It is not intended as an initial introduction to this benchmark. In this Engineering Design Challenge, students will make a 2-dimensional model (a graphic illustration) rather than build a prototype.
Predator and Prey In this lesson the students will learn about a predator/prey relationship. They will learn about the role that plants and animals play in their ecosystem and what each role is called. The students will also learn about the limiting factors each ecosystem possesses that prevent any species population from becoming too large.
A View of Home from the Front Door and from Space The world is full of objects large and small, near and far. Models are built as powerful tools to help study large things such as buildings, towns, countries, and even the Earth and the Moon. With models, things beyond our physical reach can be easily explored. To begin to distinguish "home" from "home planet," students can build a model of their home and neighborhood as it appears from the front door of the house, from a tall building, from an airplane, and from outer space.
Taking a Voyage Away from Home In this lesson, the class will build a dynamic model of the Earth and the Sun- an orrery- to realize that cycles of night and day are caused by a rotating the Earth. A puzzle version of Voyage, a scale model of the Solar System, is then constructed to explore the locations of the Sun, Earth and other planets, and to get a sense of the relative sizes of these objects.
What Causes the Phases of the Moon? The phases of the moon occur because of the revolution of the moon around the Earth. The amount that one sees of the moon depends on where the moon is in its revolution around the Earth. The time it takes for the moon to rotate/revolve around the earth is about 28 days.

Perspectives Video: Professional/Enthusiasts

Modeling the Everglades with Mathematics Dr. Tom Van Lent and Rajendra Paudel describe how hydrologic modeling is used to evaluate environmental conditions in the Everglades. Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.
Making Models - From the Mind, to Paper, to 3D An art studio manager describes how projects are designed and completed using mental, 2D, computer, and 3D models. Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.
KROS Pacific Ocean Kayak Journey: Training, Simulation, and Modeling Complex problems require complex plans and training. Get in shape to get things done. Related Resources:
KROS Pacific Ocean Kayak Journey: GPS Data Set[.XLSX]
KROS Pacific Ocean Kayak Journey: Path Visualization for Google Earth[.KML] Download the CPALMS Perspectives video student note taking guide.

Teaching Idea

Lunar Lollipops The students work in teams of two to discover the relative positions of the Earth, Sun and Moon that produce the different phases of the Moon.

Unit/Lesson Sequences

Weathering and Erosion In this unit, students learn about weathering and erosion (and different types of weathering and erosion) through different models and activities. An engineering design competition asks students to synthesize knowledge about erosion to create an erosion-blocking process/product for the Atlantic Coast.
Pollution In this lesson students will learn about pollution and its effects. They will learn in depth about pesticides and see its harmful effects that they might not have realized at first. The students will simulate a landfill and see what objects will decompose and which objects won't. They will create their own solutions to an oil spill and test to see which solution is the most effective. The students will observe the effects oil has on water birds. Through this they will determine the long term damage done by an oil spill.