Browse lesson plans

See how they run!: The 100 meter dash

Middle level students will collect times as they run the 100 meter dash. These times will be depicted through various graphic representations (bar, circle, histogram). Times will be compared to current world records for the 100 meters. Students will decide which Math class ran fastest and support that choice in short essay form. They will also try to determine the faster gender based on the data collected.

This lesson plan is a unit filled with related lesson plans. One or two parts of this project could be completed as a stand-alone lesson, or the entire set of activities and extensions could be completed for an involved, integrated unit.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Mathematics)

By Holly Smith.

Solar energy hot box

This hands-on science lesson is great because it allows students to get out of their seats and move about, as well as allows students to work in cooperative groups. The teacher is more of a facilitator and students are more in charge of their own learning processes.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Science)

By Nicole Albright.

Solar sizzlers

Group projects of building solar cookers or collectors provide arena for learning about energy sources and transformation. Gathering data for comparison and analysis exercises students' graphing skills and thinking.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Information Skills, Mathematics, and Science)

By Larry Parker.

Solid graphing

The students will review solid figures using a baggie of assorted snack mix (cones, cubes, cylinders, and spheres) and will begin a vertical bar graph showing the number of each solid figure in a bag of assorted snack mix.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–3 Mathematics)

By Lisa Fletcher.

Sorting seeds

This lesson will engage students in manipulating, sorting, counting, and graphing seeds. The students will be involved in the creation of a graph using the computer.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 Mathematics)

By Mary Jackson.

Statistics project

Students collect numeric and non-numeric data. They are then expected to use the data collected to construct different types of graphs as well as finding central tendencies.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5–8 Mathematics)

By Audrea Saunders.

Stem and leaf hop

The students will measure and record the length of their jumps. The lengths will be used to create a class stem and leaf plot.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–6 Mathematics)

By Kathy Sellers.

Taking a stride in graphing

This lesson provides hands-on activities for students to use real-life experiences and apply them to graphing.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2–4 Mathematics)

By Sandy Brooks.

Three Little Kittens

Students will experience the joys of acting out the story using simple props. Students will enjoy eating pie, and completing a bubble map and class graph.

Format: lesson plan (grade K English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Theater Arts Education)

By Amanda Mcalpine, Carol Elliott, and Ginny Devine.

To be or not to be... linear

The student will determine the correlation between two variables. They will graph ordered pairs on a coordinate plane, determine a best fit line, find slope and intercepts, and write the equation of a line. This lesson plan is geared for both 8th grade math and algebra.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Mathematics)

By Kyle Gorton.

Watching the weather

In CareerStart lessons: Grade seven, page 3.5

In this lesson for grade seven, students discuss the work that meteorologists do and brainstorm ways to collect data about the weather without using instruments. Students collect weather data over a two-week period.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Science)

By Emma Couch.Adapted by Mitzi Talbert.

Where were you born: A graphing lesson

Students will gather data and graph the results. Lake Norman Elementary's student population has a wide range of native states. Many of the students were born in states other than North Carolina. This activity allows the students to survey each class to see what states are represented in our school. After the survey results have been tallied, students will use the data to create different types of graphs. The class will then compare the graphs and will decide which type of graph represents the information most clearly.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Mathematics)

By Erin Bradfeldt, Joan Milliken, and Kathy Beck.

Resources on the web

ASPIRE: Astrophysics Science Project Integrating Research and Education

Interactive science labs and lessons for teachers and students. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: University of Utah

Collecting, representing, and interpreting data using spreadsheets and graphing software: Collecting and examining weather data

Spreadsheets and graphing software are tools for organizing, representing, and comparing data. This activity illustrates how weather data can be collected and examined using these tools. In the first part, Collecting and Examining Weather Data, students... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 Computer/Technology Skills, Mathematics, and Science)

Provided by: Illuminations

Curriki

Curriki is a educational wiki that provides high quality resources from its members. Browse by subject or by newly published content. Search by grade level or by topic. New resources are added daily. You an even download the resources you want... (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research

At this site, the Roper Center provides a sample of its huge archive of polling data, along with datasets and related articles. There is also a section for educators with two tutorials and four sample assignments that utilize the resources of the website. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: University of Connecticut