Encorporating STEM in Va. Education

This page is a collaborative project to gather resources/lessons to increase the use of STEM thinking and teaching in Virginia schools.

Please post lesson SOL's and short summary in space below. Place your lesson in grade order, above or below what is already present.



2nd Grade- Math 2.10, Science 2.1, History 2.1, Computer Technology 2.1-4 Lesson summary: Students after studying the Great wall will "buy" materials, design and build their own wall and test it's strength.

2nd Grade - Math SOL 2.10, Computer Technology 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 Lesson summary: After studying money, students will create posters to represent money values, facts, and counting techniques.

4th Grade-Science SOL 4.7, Math SOL 4.7 & 4.9, Computer Technology 3-5.4, 3-5.5, 3-5.6 Lesson Summary: Students will work within a PBL to design and construct a spaceship to travel to an assigned planet. They will research planets using a cyber hunt. 9th Grade- Earth Science 4, Algebra 7, Computer Technology 9-12.6, Computer Technology 9-12.8 Lesson summary: Students will use models and data to show the position of the Earth in the solar system, sun-Earth-moon relationships, history and contribution of the space program, and the students will research and develop presentation on a selected planet.

9th Grade- Earth Science Science 6, Computer Technology 9-12.6, Computer Technology 9-12.9 Lesson summary: Students will use videos and models to understand the different types of rocks and processes. After studying rock types, processes and rock formations, students will conduct their own research on a famous rock feature (i.e. Mt. Rushmore) and develop a presentation on their assigned feature.

10th Grade - Chemistry 1, 3, 5; Geometry 10 & 14, C/T 9-12.8 Lesson summary: Students will discover and predict how a chemical's 3-D geometry influences physical and chemical properties. Students use 3-D simulation and traditional model kits to investigate and determine the VSEPR theory geometry, polarity, and intermolecular force for molecular compounds. Next students investigate various compounds evaporation cooling and relate the differences to each chemical's intermolecular force.

9th Grade- BIO.4d, C/T 9-12.6, A.11 Lesson Summary: Exploring semi-permeable membranes in 9th grade Biology. Students will investigate and understand relationships between cell structure and function. Key concepts include: the cell membrane model, diffusion, osmosis, and active transport. Students will compare water movement in hyper/ hypo/ isotonic solutions, analyze data using Microsoft Excel to obtain a best fit line, and make predictions algebraically regarding the rate of osmosis.

6th grade - The student will be able to understand that differences in air pressure from fronts causes thunderstorms and can be identified by measuring barometric pressure. Science 6.6 The student will investigate and understand the properties of air and the structure and dynamics of Earth’s atmosphere. b) pressure, temperature, and humidity;

Math 6.15 The student will a) describe mean as balance point; and b) decide which measure of center is appropriate for a given purpose. Technology Research Tools

C/T 6-8.6 The student will use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources. • Use databases and spreadsheets to evaluate information. • Use technology resources such as calculators and data collection probes for gathering information. • Use Internet and other electronic resources to locate information in real time.