Research based MacMods
MacMods

Middle School Lesson Plans from the 2008/09 Project
Middle School Lesson Plans from the 2009/10 Project
Middle School Lesson Plans from the 2010/11 Project
Middle School Lesson Plans from the 2011/12 Project

hungry-crabs-macmod.doc — Maddy Gillis August 21, 2012. Students take on the role of hungry crabs predating upon mussels with damaged or undamaged shells. They will learn about the scientific method, variables, and repeated trails, as well as practice collecting data and graphing. SC Science standards 7-1.4, 7-1.5, and 7-1.6.
hungry-crabs-worksheet-3.0.doc Here is another version of the hungry crabs activity with more hints for students, including more help with graphing.

water-quality-lesson.doc — Christine Raczka August 21, 2012 Water Quality Lesson

crayola-rocks-rock-cycle-simulation.docrock-cycle-macmods.doc — Christian Pankow October 5, 2012 Using crayon shavings, students can simulate how rocks are formed and move through the rock cycle. SC Science Standard 8-3.4

sugar-rush-lesson-plan.docx — Katie Altman October 06, 2012 Students will learn about renewable and non-renewable resources, observations and inferences, and interpreting data by playing a game. SC Science Standards 8-1.3 and 8-3.5 sugar-rush-macmods.docx

====Biology====

8-)sparrow-carrying-capacity.docxKimberly Trinkle February 21, 2013 Students will learn about carrying capacity and limiting resources while modeling a marsh sparrow population over several years. SC Science Standard 7-4.3

comparing-bird-and-human-digestive-systems.docx — Kimberly Trinkle September 13, 2012 Students compare and contrast the digestive systems of birds and humans by observing how a bird eats and modeling bird digestion. This activity also serves as a review for mechanical vs. chemical digestion. SC Science Standard 7-3.

circulatory-system-relay-race.docx — Kimberly Trinkle October 02, 2012 Students participate in a relay race that models the path blood takes through arteries, capillaries, and veins as it travels around the body. SC Science Standard 7-3.

this-takes-guts-trophic-levels-and-food-chains.doc —Christian Pankow October 05, 2012 Students dissect 3 shark 'stomachs' and can create a food chain and assign trophic levels based on prey items found. SC Science Standard 7-4, 8-1.
this-takes-guts-worksheet.doc — Maddy Gillis January 29, 2013 — Another worksheet version of Christian's activity

thinking-caps-modeling-the-nervous-system.doc — Maddy Gillis October 22, 2012 Model the nervous system using a hat and ribbons. SC Science Standard 7-3.2.

skeletal-system-lesson-plan.docx — Kimberly Trinkle October 29, 2012 Students explore what the inside structure of human bones might be by modeling a bone using hollow and solid tubes. SC Science Standard 7-3.

punnet-square-bears.docx — Kimberly Trinkle February 25, 2013 Students review construction of Punnet Squares as well as important genetics vocabulary. Students also are challenged to think about issues faced by conservation scientists trying to preserve genetic diversity of endangered species (modeled by gummy bears in this activity). SC Science Standard 7-2.5 and 7-2.6

those-eggs-cellent-cell-membranes-.docxKimberly Trinkle December 04, 2012 Students learn about osmosis, diffusion, and the function of the cell membrane by observing water movement into and out of a shelled egg in different solutions. SC Science Standard 7-2.1

====Geology====

the-rock-cycle.docx This lesson is designed to teach the students about the rock cycle. The lesson is very active and the students had a lot of fun! — Christine Raczka November 02, 2012

plate-tections-lesson.docx This lesson is a modified version of snack tectonics. In this lesson the students learn about convergent, divergent, and transform plate boundaries. — Christine Raczka November 02, 2012

lessonplan_geographicscavengerhunt.docx aerial-photo-handouts.docx geofeaturepremacmods.pptx geologicfeatures1.pptx geologicfeatures2.pptx geologicfeatures3.pptx geofeaturepostmacmods.pptx
The PowerPoint for this lesson is HUGE because it is mostly photographs. It is split into 5 parts. You can merge them in the order they are posted here to make one slide show once you download them all. — Katie Altman October 22, 2012 Students learn to recognize geologic features on aerial photos through inquiry and direct instruction

soil-permeability-macmods.docsoil-permeability-worksheet.docclass-data.xls — Maddy Gillis February 17, 2013 — “The Dirt on Soil Permeability” Investigating how particle size affects soil permeability. 7-4.4 Explain the effects of soil quality on the characteristics of an ecosystem.

why-we-have-seasons-activity.doc — Christine Raczka January 30, 2013 This activity is designed to teach students about why we have seasons. My students really enjoyed this activity because it involved modeling and investigation.

exploring-inertia.docx — Kimberly Trinkle April 18, 2013 Students learn about inertia through making observations at different activity stations. Students then use their observations to draw pictures to help them visualize the forces and tie it all together through a class discussion after completing the stations. SC Science Standard 8-5, Indicator 8-5.6.

reactants-vs-products-macmods.docacid-base-macmods.docmussels-in-peril-worksheet.docclass-data-mussels-in-peril.xls — Maddy Gillis April 25, 2013 — “Mussels in Peril!” Investigating the effects of ocean acidification on calcium carbonate-based organisms through chemical reactions. 7-5.6 Distinguish between acids and bases and use indicators (including litmus paper, pH paper, and phenolphthalein) to determine their relative pH; 7-5.7 Identify the reactants and products in chemical equations.

This is a fun review activity where the answers code for the coordinates of the next question. I used QR codes to make things mysterious, but if you don't have access to enough devices that can read QR codes you can just print out the questions instead. I put together eight “tracks” that are color coded with nine questions each, and in each track there can be up to three teams spaced apart every three questions. We went over the instructions powerpoint and did the sample together the day before the activity so we would have more time to do the scavenger hunt. Each team was given a map, an answer sheet, a starting QR code question, a clipboard, and an ipad.

Introduction Powerpoint and Sample Answer worksheet:
introduction-and-practice.ppt
sample-team-1.doc

Excel file with all of the questions, answers, QR codes, and coordinates:
questions-and-answers.xls

Answer worksheets:
blue-answer-worksheet.doc
green-answer-worksheet.doc
orange-answer-worksheet.doc
pink-answer-worksheet.doc
yellow-answer-worksheet.doc
purple-answer-worksheet.doc
red-team-answer-sheet.docx
brown-answer-worksheet.doc

Starting QR codes:
blue-team-start.docx
green-team-start.docx
orange-team-start.docx
pink-team-start.docx
yellow-team-start.docx
purple-team-start.docx
red-team-start.docx
brown-team-start.docx

— Maddy Gillis June 09, 2013