National Research Center for Career and Technical Education
STEM: Lou-Vee Air Car
A comprehensive lesson on acceleration awaits your physicists and engineers! Two YouTube videos pique their interest, then sample F=ma problems are worked and graphed. The highlight of the lesson is the building of a Lou-Vee air car!...
Curated OER
Physics of Roller Coasters
Young scholars design a roller coaster and demonstrate their knowledge of Potential and Kinetic Energy. They determine the average velocity a given marble travels on their roller coaster and apply their knowledge of various measurement...
Curated OER
On The Go! Forces and Motion
Students create a car using physics. In this forces and motion lesson, students create a car and test which changes in design change the performance of the car. Students complete a graphic organizer with the different changes they see.
Curated OER
Science in Focus: Force and Motion
Learners explore force and motion through a series of experiments. In this physics lesson, students create and interpret speed graphs. They build an electromagnet and explain the factors affecting its strength.
NASA
Newton Car
If a car gets heavier, it goes farther? By running an activity several times, teams experience Newton's Second Law of Motion. The teams vary the amount of weight they catapult off a wooden block car and record the distance the car...
Curated OER
Investigating Newton's Second Law Of Motion
Students participate in a lesson that investigates Newton's Second Law of Motion. They conduct an experiment of observing balls that are rolled down a ramp. The lesson includes background information for the teacher for preparation and...
Curated OER
Force & Acceleration
Students investigate the effects of weights on the motion of a toy car. In this force and acceleration lesson plan, students use different weights, a toy car, a paper clip and string to determine how a car will move as different weights...
K20 LEARN
Ace in the Hole
How does inertia affect an object's trajectory? After watching a video on safety belt use, pupils discuss the notions of inertia. Using their knowledge, individuals try to drop a ball on a target while running, and classmates observe the...
Curated OER
Forces on an Airplane and Resulting Motion
Students read from a NASA Web-based textbook, then students demonstrate an understanding of the text by answering questions about the forces on an airplane and their resulting motions.
Curated OER
Speed
Fifth and sixth graders practice working in pairs to determine whether they can walk with constant speed. They test themselves, collect their data, draw graphs with their data collected, manipulate the data, and then draw conclusions...
Curated OER
Physics and Me
Sixth graders compare and contrast mass and weight. In this physics lesson, 6th graders calculate speed given distance and time information. They construct a rocket and relate this to Newton's 3rd Law of motion.
Curated OER
Parachutes: What a Drag
Sixth graders make 2 different kinds of parachutes and record and graph the time for each one for the different drag forces. In this parachute lesson plan, 6th graders compare the results to the rest of the class of each parachute and...
Kenan Fellows
Analyzing Speed from Different Modalities
Show us your moves. Using sensor equipment, scholars track the motion of different movements, such as jogging, skipping, or jump roping. They analyze velocity and acceleration and create graphs representing each movement.
University of Colorado
Distance = Rate x Time
Every year, the moon moves 3.8 cm farther from Earth. In the 11th part of 22, classes use the distance formula. They determine the distance to the moon based upon given data and then graph Galileo spacecraft data to determine its movement.
Curated OER
Motion
Sixth graders read about and study motion. They conduct a lab in which they calculate speed using track records at their school. They graph the results and then invite a guest speaker (an officer from the local police department) who...
Curated OER
Action-Reaction! Rocket
Young scholars construct a rocket from a balloon propelled along a guide string. They use this model to learn about Newton's three laws of motion, examining the effect of different forces on the motion of the rocket. They measure the...
Curated OER
Cold, Clouds, and Snowflakes
Students explore satellite data and graphing. In this weather data analysis math and science instructional activity, students analyze NASA satellite data to draw conclusions about geographical areas where precipitation might have...
Curated OER
Changes in Force, Motion, and Energy
Eighth graders construct various machines and compare the work done by them.
Curated OER
Full of Hot Air
Young scholars investigate technology and its many designs to make our lives easy. In this science lesson, students build a hot air balloon and answer specific questions about weight and rides in the hot air balloon. They analyze their...
Curated OER
Volume of Gas
Eighth graders investigate the effect of temperature on the volume of a gas in a closed container. They measure the height of the water in their beaker/container, conduct their experiment, and create a graph to illustrate their data.
Curated OER
Friction Flyers
Learners explore the principles of magnetism and friction. They complete an interactive puzzle on the Gizmos and Gadgets computer software, construct a vehicle, build and modify ramps and vehicles to produce various outcomes, and...
Curated OER
Acceleration 1
For this acceleration worksheet, students use weights to increase the mass affecting the force on moving objects. Students plot a graph of their data and answer 3 questions about how the acceleration of the toy skateboard used in the...
Curated OER
Rocket Angles
Eighth graders create rockets that be launched at varying angles to determine which angle is best to launch at for the longest distance.
Curated OER
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...