ALEX Lesson Plan Resources

ALEX Lesson Plans  
Subject: Mathematics (2), or Science (1 - 2)
Title: What if I Had Bat Ears? A STEM Challenge
Description: After reading, What if You Had Animal Ears? by Sandra Markle, students will plan, design, and create bat-like ears from various materials for a STEM challenge. Students will test their models and redesign them to improve the effectiveness of their models to increase their own ability to hear by mimicking the external parts of a bat's ear. The students will measure and collect data from tests and compare results between the design and the redesign. This lesson can be completed in two 45 minute sessions or one 90 minute session.  This lesson plan was created in partnership with the Birmingham Zoo. 

Subject: Science (2)
Title: Finding Suitable Solutions
Description: Students will be exposed to three different scenarios. The scenarios will require that students hypothesize two solutions, test their hypotheses, document the results, and document the property that proved the effectiveness of the material chosen. An example of a scenario would be, “When provided toilet paper, tissue paper and paper towels, which material would be most effective in cleaning spilled water, and what property makes it so effective?” Students will then present the data collected in a Google Slides presentation. The lesson's total duration is about six days. This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.  

Subject: Science (2)
Title: Who Can Stop the Rain?
Description: The purpose of the lesson is to identify suitable porous materials for the sidewalk. The students should test and evaluate the material that best reduces erosion caused during excessive rainfall. This lesson was created as part of the 2016 NASA STEM Standards of Practice Project, a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.