eesmarts lessons align with Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core Standards for Math & English Language Arts.
Each eesmarts lesson features materials* for students, hands-on activities, detailed teacher lesson plans, extensions and evaluation tools. The lessons are flexible and interdisciplinary and the program fits seamlessly into any class curriculum. For specific lesson materials information, please visit the links to the right.
eesmarts can deliver an eesmarts lesson right in your classroom. Working with an eesmarts Educational Consultant, you can select which eesmarts lesson aligns with your lesson plans and is most appropriate for your students. A certified educator will present the eesmarts lesson, which always includes a hands-on activity for maximum student engagement.
Middle School
| LEARNING SEQUENCE | SUMMARY | NGSS Related Performance Expectations | COMMON CORE CONNECTIONS |
WIND ENERGY IS SOLAR ENERGY | Student will agree or disagree when answering the question “Is wind energy solar energy?” They will make a model and create wind in the classroom demonstrating that uneven heating may result in wind. Students will discuss their observations and watch a video. They will then generate electricity using wind power created by a wind turbine that they make and test themselves. | MS-PS4-2 - Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. MS-ESS2-6 - Develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth causes patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates. | ELA/Literacy |
SOLAR POWER: DIRECT FROM THE SUN | Students read an article about items that become dangerous when left in a hot car. They explore what happens when heat-producing light is shone on objects demonstrating absorption and reflection, The Greenhouse Phenomenon, thermal mass, and insulation. Students discuss their findings and view videos on the Greenhouse effect. They design and build solar cookers and they answer the question “ Why does a closed car get hot on a sunny day?” supporting their answer with evidence. | MS-PS3-3 - Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer. MS-PS4-2 - Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. | ELA/Literacy RST.6-8.3 |
SOLAR ENERGY AND THE WATER CYCLE | Students form their own questions around the question “Is the sun a pump?” They make a solar still comparing theirs to a control without a light shining on it. They design and build their own models of the water cycle. Finally, they research hydropower and its uses. | MS-ESS2-4 - Develop a model to describe the cycling of water through Earth’s systems driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity. | ELA/Literacy |
ENERGY ROLLER COASTER | Students will view a video of a roller coaster in action. They consider potential and kinetic energy. They then work with a homemade pendulum testing the effect of a chosen variable. Students look at energy transformations including those found in the flow of energy at home. Finally, students look at energy transformations that take place on a roller coaster. | MS-PS3-1 - Construct and interpret graphical displays of data to describe the relationships of kinetic energy to the mass of an object and to the speed of an object. MS-PS3-4 - Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measure by the temperature of the sample. | ELA/Literacy. RST.6-8.1, RST.6-8.7, RST.6-8.3, WHST.6-8.7 |
ELECTROMAGNETISM | Students view a video of an electromagnet in action. They make observations and ask questions. They make an electromagnet and observe how it works and then they test a variable of choice (i.e., diameter of shaft, thickness of wire) and draw conclusions from the results. Afterwards, they build a generator of their own and complete an assessment.. | MS-PS2-3 - Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces. | ELA/Literacy RST.6-8.1 |
* Educators who have attended a workshop, can access curriculum and other materials, at Schoology, a learning management system that is separate from eesmarts. Using your Schoology teacher account and the Schoology access code provided at the eesmarts workshop, teachers can view, download, or print curriculum and other resources. Only teachers who have attended a workshop can download materials.
