STEAM education results in students who take thoughtful risks, engage in experiential learning, persist in problem-solving, embrace collaboration, and work through the creative process. These are the innovators, educators, leaders, and learners of the 21st century!  

This choice board offers students and families a menu of options for some fun summer learning. There are some attached documents to support the choice board. Have fun! 

Add different salts to water, then watch them dissolve and achieve a dynamic equilibrium with solid precipitate. Compare the number of ions in solution for highly soluble NaCl to other slightly soluble salts. Relate the charges on ions to the number of ions in the formula of a salt. Calculate Ksp values.

These activities introduce students to the use of sampling for advertising purposes. They also generates a discussion about how advertisers use gimmicks to get people to buy more of their product. Even young students will admit that they have been induced to buy fast food meals in order to collect all of the toys.

In this activity, students are introduced to the concept of remote sensing. In the course of this experiment, students will investigate heat conduction on two surfaces and understand the application of these techniques to spacecraft investigations of surfaces in the solar system. Materials required for the outdoor demonstration include a cement step, sand, laboratory thermometers, foam rubber, and a meter stick. An optional indoor experimental set up uses twin desk lamps with equal-wattage tungsten bulbs and an infrared thermometer. A student datasheet accompanies the activity. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.

An interactive applet and associated web page that demonstrate the properties of scalene triangles. The applet presents a scalene triangle where any vertex can be dragged to reshape it. As it is dragged, the length of the sides and interior angles are continuously changed. If a change is made that causes two sides to be the same length, they are highlighted and the message 'not scalene' appears. The massages and measures can be turned off for class discussions. The text on the page has links to other pages defining each angle type in depth. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

Science Kids is the home of science & technology on the Internet for children around the world.

Learn more about the amazing world of science by enjoying our fun science experiments, cool facts, online games, free activities, ideas, lesson plans, photos, quizzes, videos & science fair projects.

-facts
-experiments
-games
-quizzes
-lessons
-videos
-projects
-science fair
-images
-fun stuff!

An interactive applet and associated web page that demonstrate a secant to a circle. (not trig). The applet shows a circle and a secant line. The points where the secant cross the circle are both draggable. As you drag each, the secant line moves. If you carefully make the two points coincide, it shows a message that this is now a tangent line. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

An interactive applet and associated web page that demonstrate a sector - a pie shaped part of a circle. The applet shows a sector against the background of the circle of which it is part. The endpoints of the arc defining it can be dragged and the calculation of the area of the sector is updated continuously. The web page has links to related definitions, and a formula for the area of the sector given its central angle. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

In this demonstration, students detect the interference of waves and measure wave phenomena using an experimental apparatus consisting of a laser pointer, a second surface mirror scrap (like a bathroom mirror) binder clips, razor blade, ruler, and a white wall or projection screen. Appendices with a discussion of physical principles and extension activities are included. This resource is from PUMAS - Practical Uses of Math and Science - a collection of brief examples created by scientists and engineers showing how math and science topics taught in K-12 classes have real world applications.

This is lesson to begin learners' thinking about magnetic influence. Learners will watch a classroom demonstration about the effect of magnets on iron filings and then complete a journal assignment to record their reactions and thoughts. This is the first activity in the Mapping Magnetic Influence educators guide.

An interactive applet and associated web page that demonstrate a segment of a circle - a part of a circle cut off by a chord. The applet shows a circle and a segment of that circle, the ends of which can be dragged to resize the segment. You can create the situation where the chord is a diameter and so no segments are created. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

Our school, Kelly Middle School, is one of the oldest middle school buildings in 4J (primary construction was completed in 1945). Each year we practice earthquake drills. Why? Why should we be concerned about earthquakes? Where might an earthquake occur in the northwest area? Might it be minor or violent? How might this be measured? Is an earthquake a singular event, or a series of events? What increases or decreases an earthquake hazard? Do we have any early-warning systems? Is the school earthquake drill correct? Considering these questions students need to develop an understanding of how to prepare for, and react to an earthquake event. When students are comfortably informed, who should they report to?

An interactive applet and associated web page that show the semi-major and semi-minor axes of an ellipse. The applet has an ellipse whose major and minor axis endpoints can be dragged. As they are dragged the semi-major and semi-minor axes change length and may swap places. The applet also shows the location of the foci, which are always on the major axis, and shows how they move with variation of the semi-axis lengths. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.

This demonstration is designed to show how the inputs and outputs of energy or mass in a system balance. Students create a reservoir model using a hose, a bucket, a tub with a drain and overflow triangle, a ruler, and water, to understand the inputs and outputs of a local watershed or reservoir. A worksheet accompanies the activity. The resource is supported by teacher background information, assessments, and a scoring rubric. This is Activity 1 of the learning module, Global Balance, part of the lesson series, Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change.

In this activity, students create a reservoir model using hoses, a bucket, a flat pan, and water, to understand the inputs and outputs of a local watershed or reservoir. The resource is supported by teacher background information, assessment suggestions, and a scoring rubric. This is Activity 2 of the learning module, Global Balance, part of the lesson series, The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change.

In this activity, students investigate the interacting parts of the Earth system by observing changes in evaporation rate in four small aquariums with different initial conditions. The demonstration requires 4 small aquariums, soil, plants, water, graduated cylinder, scale, plastic wrap, and colored pencils. A student data sheet is included. The resource is supported by teacher background information, assessment suggestions, and a scoring rubric. This is Activity 3 in the learning module, Global Balance, part of the lesson series, The Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and Change.

This great website with all things Suess offers children the opportunity to play interactive games ("Play" tab) and view animated Dr. Suess stories ("Watch" tab), as well as purchase infamous Suess books, learn about Dr. Suess himself, find out about the Suess related world entertainment options and much, much more.

An interactive applet and associated web page that demonstrate congruent line segments (segments that are the same length). The applet shows three line segments that are the same length. They all have draggable endpoints. As you drag any endpoint the other lines change to remain congruent with the one you are changing. Applet can be enlarged to full screen size for use with a classroom projector. This resource is a component of the Math Open Reference Interactive Geometry textbook project at http://www.mathopenref.com.