Curated OER
The Driving Force
Students work in groups and note similarities and differences between their boats: size, shape, color, and unique features. They discuss 3 typical means of propulsion: propellers, sails, and paddles then share their charts with the class.
Curated OER
Archimedes' Principle
Students examine the relationship between density and buoyancy. In this physics lesson students use Archimedes' Principle to complete calculations on buoyancy and a lab activity.
Curated OER
Bold Bridges
Students explore bridge construction. In this bridge building activity, students view bridge websites and discuss how bridges are designed and built. Students design and construct their own bridge using the directions provided.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Investigating Friction
Young learners explore friction. They view a video or DVD (bibliography provided) and define terms related to friction, and work in groups to experiment with the effects of friction on speed and motion using ramps and toy cars.
Curated OER
What is the Rock Cycle and Its Processes?
Geology beginners examine three different rock samples and determine their origin by their characteristics. By making and recording observations, they become familiar with features of igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock types....
Curated OER
The Big Bang Theory
Students explore the Big Bang Theory and discover how it can be used to explain the origin of the universe. For this Big Bang Theory lesson, students use a balloon with colored paper inside, blow it up and pop it, group the colored...
Curated OER
Stressed to a Fault!
Eighth graders describe how stress builds up in the Earth's crust by the movement of tectonic plates. In groups, they relate the three types of stresses to the types of plate movements and explain how the stress causes faults to form. ...
Curated OER
What a Drag
Learners learn examples of friction and drag, and suggest ways to reduce the impact of these forces. The equation that governs common frictional forces is introduced, and during a hands-on activity, students experimentally measure a...
Curated OER
Matter, Matter
Learners define vocabulary related to the parts of the atom. In this matter lesson, students navigate the web to find the structure and the forces that affect atoms. Learners complete an experiment with positive and negative charges....
Curated OER
The Effects of Volcanoes
Students use the internet to research the effects of volcanoes. They create a chart showing the negative and positive aspects that a volcanoe can bring to an area. Using PowerPoint, they create a presentation showing the negative and...
Cornell University
Catapults
Ready, aim, fire! Launch to a new level of understanding as scholars build and test their own catapults. Learners explore lever design and how adjusting the fulcrum changes the outcome.
Curated OER
Rockets!!
Students launch a rocket. In this laws of motion lesson, students discuss the forces of flight, how a plane flies and how a rocket gets off the ground. Students watch a video about rocket launches, discuss Newton's Third Law of Motion...
Curated OER
Pasta Bridges
Students analyze the correct use of technology as it relates to math and science. For this science lesson, students investigate force and weight as it relates to building an object. They build a bridge and draw conclusion based on the...
Curated OER
Disappearing Rocks
Young scholars explore the causes of erosion and observe how different surfaces erode differently. They recognize erosion and predict what type of erosion caused it. In addition, they predict the outcomes of erosion on different materials.
Curated OER
Skateboard Disaster
Students conduct a hands-on experiment with collisions between two skateboards of different masses. They are introduced to the concept of conservation of momentum in collisions and consider how their observations might help engineers...
Curated OER
From One End to the Other
Seventh graders trace a piece of food through the alimentary canal and differentiate between mechanical and chemical digestion in several different hands-on activities related to digestion.
Curated OER
Principles of Flight: Bernoulli's Lift
Students discover how air pressure effects flight. In this physics lesson, students create two types of airplane wings so they can observe the way air pressure creates lift. Students utilize a printout to create the airplane wings.
Curated OER
Sand Collection and Identification
Students collect small amounts of sand from a favorite beach. They note the texture of the sand as fine or coarse and hypothesize why this might be. They research different kinds of sand grains and the conditions that produce them.
Curated OER
Roller Coasters
Twisting and turning through the sky, roller coasters are popular attractions at amusement parks around the world, but how exactly do they work? Explore the physics behind these thrilling rides with an engineering design activity....
Curated OER
Exploring the Water Cycle
The water cycle is one of earth's most easily observable processes, but demonstrating each step within classroom walls can be a challenge. Through a series of videos and quick demonstrations, cover each aspect of the hydrologic cycle in...
Curated OER
Plate Tectonics Boundaries
Learners discover how to create a model of tectonic plates and study the interactions of these plates as they slowly move on the asthenosphere. They see and experience what happens at each type of plate boundary and why there are certain...
Curated OER
Jet Engine Magazine
Students explore physics by creating a magazine cover in class. In this flight lesson, students identify the motion and force that must be generated in order for a jet engine to lift off the ground. Students create a cover for a...
Curated OER
Hurricane Watch: How Scientist Analyze Their Effects on Coastlines
Eighth graders are able to evaluate the forces that shape the lithosphere. They explore background information on hurricanes by completing a webquest and answering questions. Students present their reports to the class. The class...
Curated OER
Radical Raptors
Students are introduced to raptors and their role in the environment. They identify three characteristics of raptors and list several types of raptors found in nature. They discuss their positive and negative experiences with raptors and...