Join Microsoft Education and BBC Earth in teaching four hands-on STEM lesson plans that develop future-ready skills.
Engage students with four big questions: how ocean currents form, how sharks swim, how deep the ocean is and how to craft a coral reef.
Spark interest in STEM with Minecraft: Education Edition, Hacking STEM, Microsoft MakeCode, Paint 3D, Remix 3D, and Mixed Reality Viewer to bring these lesson plans to your classroom. Engage students in documenting and reflecting with Office 365 Education tools.
Start using these free, standards-aligned lesson plans written by teachers for teachers.
Each lesson plan explores a scientific phenomenon which focuses on specific learning targets and includes reflection and documentation activities supported by an archive of stills and video clips.
Lesson Plans
Learn about the 3D coordinate system using physical and digital shark models to understand yaw, pitch, and roll. Write code, build sensors, create in 3D, analyze data, and experience mixed reality while learning about how sharks swim. Lesson plans included. Target grades: 6-8 (ages: 10-14)
Students explore remote terrains by modeling and graphing the ocean floor with an ultrasonic sensor to visualize organisms that live in different ocean layers. Write code, build sensors, create in 3D, analyze data, and experience mixed reality while learning how to measure ocean depths. Use photos and video to encourage authentic student reflection. Lesson plans included for target grades: 6-8 (ages 10-14)
Discover the impact of salinity and temperature on ocean currents by conducting experiments, building an electrical conductivity sensor, and analyzing global data. Model the formation of ocean currents, interact with them on a 3D globe and see how temperature impacts circulation and causes ice melt. Build an electrical conductivity sensor with everyday materials. Use it to measure ocean conductivity and how changes in salinity impact currents. Lesson plans included for target grades: 6-8 (ages 10-14)
Around the globe, coral reefs dot the aquatic landscape. Through the power of Minecraft: Education Edition, take your classroom underwater to discover the different types of reefs and what we can do to save them. Explore the coral reefs using Minecraft to stimulate computational and design thinking, engaging students to craft their own coral reefs. Lesson plans included for target grades: 6-8 (ages 10-14)
Watch Oceans: Our Blue Planet at one of the following Museums in California.
Los Angeles, California, USA - Los Angeles Natural History Museum: Now playing
San Diego, California, USA - San Diego Natural History Museum: Now playing
San Jose, California, USA - Tech Museum: Now playing