South Dakota
Discovery Center
South Dakota
Discovery Center
Lesson Plans and Resources
Lesson Plans and Resources
Embedded Files
Discovery Center
The South Dakota Discovery Center offers lesson plans and resources so you can bring hands-on STEM and STEAM learning into your teaching. The resources showcased here were developed through the support of different agencies and organizations and run the gamut from a short activity to a full semester unit of study. Keep checking back as more lessons and resources will be added!
FEATURED LESSON PLANS!
FEATURED LESSON PLANS!
Check out the lesson plans featured in our Educator to Educator newsletter!
Grades 3-12
Use infrared thermometers to collect and analyze data. A great learning activity to complement participation in GLOBE's Urban Heat Island Campaign.
Grades 4-12
Upper elementary lesson about the fossils of Badlands National Park. Can be adapted for upper grades as an intro/refresher.
New Featured
Lesson Plans
New Featured
Lesson Plans
Coming Spring 2026
Planetarium Lesson Plans
Planetarium Lesson Plans
Extend our planetarium visit with one of these
fun and educational lesson plans!
To book a planetarium program go to
https://www.sd-discovery.org/stemventure_programs.php
Featured Lesson Plan!
Featured Lesson Plan!
Explore how myth and legend can be used to share cultural knowledge and traditions.
Explore a collection of existing resources we recommend to
extend the fun after your planetarium visit.
Grades K-12
Hands-On STEM lesson Plans
Hands-On STEM lesson Plans
After school activity plans for grades K-3 and 4-7. Designed for the after school setting with lots of hands-on activities.
Grades 4 - 12
Learn about the fossils of Badlands National Park. Can be adapted for upper grades as an intro/refresher.
Grades K-5
Teach STEM braided with the ways of knowing from the Oceti Sakowin Oyate. Learn more at our Ignite sub-site.
Check out our series on Soil!
Check out our series on Soil!
Grades 2 - 6
A series of short activities to explore the living creatures of soil and the evidence they leave behind, even if they are too small to see.
Grades 6-12
Explore the respiration of soil biota using a soil CO2 kit. Includes information how you can get classroom supplies to study soil.
A complete K-12 soil health curriculum. Grades K-5 are individual modules aligned to the NGSS while Grades 6-12 focus on the soil health buckets. Grade 6-12 are also aligned to NGSS as well as GLOBE protocols.
More Great Resources!
More Great Resources!
Grades 4-5
Bring Water Festival, a hands-on experience to learn about water, to your classroom through these activities. South Dakota teachers may request a kit for supplies.
Grades 6-12
Calling all health career CTE educators. These lessons use popular board games to explore health careers.
Looking for our STEMVenture programs where we do the teaching? Go to: https://www.sd-discovery.org/stemventures_programs.php
Need even More?
Need even More?
View active offers by trusted institutions such as NASA, GLOBE, Lego, and more. These offers may not be directly supported by the SD Discovery Center. However, they are too good not to share.
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