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Magnets
Students investigate the magnetic attraction of different materials by observing a demonstration, and review the words "attraction" and "materials." Next they conduct exploration of a number of materials which have different properties...
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Parachutes
Young scholars control the parachutes using arm movements. They follow directions while participating in games. Students explore the effects of wind on several objects. They study the effects of shape, size and weight on a parachute.
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Spuds in Space
Students explore the effects of velocity on an object when it collides with another object. They design and outfit a potato astronaut in a spacesuit to withstand the hazards of high velocity impacts from space debris and meteoroids.
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Bottle Rocket Launcher
Students construct a bottle rocket launcher for use with the Bottle Rocket and Project X-35 activities. They construct a bottle launcher from "off-the-shelf" hardware and wood using simple tools.
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Build Your Own Hovercraft
Students construct a hovercraft following specific procedures. In this technology lesson plan, students explain the physics principles behind hovercraft. They compare and contrast this machine with the aircraft.
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Antacid Tablet Race
Students compare the reaction rates of effervescent antacid tablets under different conditions. They investigate methods of increasing the power of rocket fuels by manipulating surface area and temperature.
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Energy for You
Learners investigate the energy sources used in student's communities. They explore where the energy comes from, how it is transported, and the uses to which it is put. They review the meanings of vocabulary renewable and newable resources.
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Principles of Flight: Gyrocopter and the Scientific Method
Students explore the concept of the scientific method. For this investigative lesson, students investigate which direction the blades will spin on a gyrocopter. Student will practice using the scientific method to complete the...
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Magnets
Students explore how the earth is a magnet and that magnets have two "poles". In this magnetic instructional activity students complete an activity by designing their own compass.
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Aerodynamics And Me
Seventh graders design, construct, refine, and test cars that they build on the computer screen. They find the density of several objects using the techniques used to find volume. They measure various common objects to become more...
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Earthquake Patterns
Students identify and interpret the cyclical nature of the Parkfield, California earthquakes. They then investigate and graph earthquake occurrences on the Mojave segment of the San Andreas fault and then on the Hayward fault in order to...
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Chemistry in the Kitchen
Students, in groups, combine given materials from an everyday kitchen until a chemical reaction occurs and record the reaction time.
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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.
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Simple Machines
Students investigate simple machines. In this simple machines lesson, students construct two simple machines and describe what they do. Students show that simple changes help machines do work with less effort. Students use a paper clip...
Museum of Science
Gadget Anatomy: Understanding Machines
Students observe a machine closely from several angles while it operates. Identify the elements of machines combined in different gadgets. Create a clear diagram of how a machine works.
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Suspension Bridge Construction
Students study types, strength and construction of a variety of bridges. They build a model bridge and test the amount of weight it support.
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Converging Earthquake!
Students identify the fault lines and tectonic plates on the map. In this earth science activity, students simulate landscape formation using robots. They take a quiz at the end of the activity to demonstrate mastery.
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Simple Machines - Inclined Plane
Students learn the fundamentals and daily applications of simple machines.
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Collision Course
Students measure the speed of moving marbles and use the results to calculate velocity and momentum. They analyze the events preceding a Japanese train crash.
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Sky and Cloud Windows
Students monitor the weather, clouds, and sky. In this weather lesson, students create a sky and cloud window to focus their sky observations. They write observations in a notebook and include the date, time, cloud cover, types of...
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BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION
Students explore how to build a bridge and test how much weight it can support.
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Parachutes And Parafoils
Students study deceleration devices like parachutes and parafoils.
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Deceleration of a Toy Truck
Eighth graders complete labs using toy trucks to study deceleration, record thier data, and then transfer it to graphing software to produce a graph. They create a lab report of the completed lab using a word processing program.