Educator-developed Lesson Plans

As a part of the Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program, educators develop novel lesson plans based on research projects they conduct in university labs. Select lesson plans are listed below. An exhaustive list can be found in this quick reference document.

  • Nano Days: In this lesson, students create and design a children’s book or art piece about nanoparticles that they then present to their community during a “Nano Science Night.”
  • Brass Penny and X-ray Analysis: In this lesson, students make a brass penny and explore phase diagrams and x-ray analysis data to determine the phases of brass present in a similar brass penny.
  • One in a Billion: This lesson builds on student’s understanding of scale for very small items or measurements.
  • NANOlympics: In this lesson, students learn about the concepts and challenges associated with nanotechnology. Students compete in groups with five different challenges.
  • Nano Scale: The purpose of this lesson is to help students conceptualize scale before students learn about the many instruments that scientists use to quantify and measure in the nano world.
  • Nano Mystery: This lesson provides a unique inquiry into one nano mystery called the Lotus Effect and includes one activity, one lab, and one very special presentation from an Atomic Force Microscope of the Elephant Ear plant.
  • The Photoelectron Spectrum: In this lesson, students explore qualitative applications of the photoelectron spectrum and how it is correlated using Coulomb’s Law
  • A Bad Hair Day Bonding in Hair: In this lesson, students will be introduced to bonding under the category of forces & interactions via amino acids and the real world phenomena of hair.
  • Why a Gecko Can Scale a Vertical Surface: This lesson is designed to model the change in surface area with respect to volume while also describing the relevance and impact of the surface area to volume ratio.: This lesson is designed to model the change in surface area with respect to volume while also describing the relevance and impact of the surface area to volume ratio.
  • From Nano to Macro: Students will develop a better understanding of the size and scale of the nano, micro, and macro worlds by developing a “timeline” throughout the semester that relates the size of the molecules, structures, and topics to one another.
  • From Atom to Organism: Choosing the Best Tool: This lesson allows students to explore the concept of size and scale as they relate to biological organization levels, as well the necessity of choosing the correct tool when conducting scientific research.
  • Intro to Waves: Acoustic Sensing: In this lesson, students will complete a Slinky activity to produce multiple forms of waves. This will provide a visual of different types of waves and various wave characteristics such as amplitude, wavelength, period, and frequency.
  • Into the Lab: What is Spin Coating: This lesson consists of some background information about what spin coating is as well as a teacher demonstration and 2 engaging worksheets.
  • A Different Kind of Serial Killer: At the conclusion of the lesson, students will have a clearer understanding of how toxins move through ecosystems and the impact they have on organisms.
  • Where Do Rivers Come From?: This lesson will focus on the topography of watersheds in NC and can be adapted to different regions. Students will observe how water flows in drainage basins.
  • Forces & Attraction: Falling Water: Students will be able to determine the forces at play in water molecules through different exercises pertaining to water and its adhesive properties.
  • Piecewise Nano Size: Students will graph a piecewise function and continue to duplicate the graph using horizontal shift transformations to see what possible nanowire shapes would look like.
  • Protect the Reef: In this lesson, students will complete a POGIL (process oriented guided inquiry learning) about double replacement reactions that also serves as an introduction to solubility rules.
  • Excess Phosphorus in the Environment: Causes and Effects: This lesson will allow students to complete research and use critical thinking skills to learn about the implications of excess phosphorus in downstream aquatic environments as a result of conventional agriculture practices.
  • Capture that Phosphorus!: In this lesson, students will be presented with issues surrounding extracting and recycling phosphorus.
  • Sort it Out, STEM Edition: Students will begin this lesson by watching the Powers of Ten video to grasp how big our universe is and how small an atom is and sizes in between.