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.
Cornell University
Bridge Building
Bridge the gaps in your knowledge of bridges. Individuals learn about bridge types by building models. The activity introduces beam bridges, arch bridges, truss bridges, and suspension bridges.
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Gravity Launch
Young scholars examine how gravity affects launching rockets into space. In this physical science lesson plan, students review the concept of gravity and use an interactive online site, "Gravity Launch," to simulate a rocket launch.
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Structural Geology Laboratory
Students explore modeling of geologic structures in experiments. They study how compressive and tensile forces produce these structures. The compression makes the flatlying strata shorter and tension make the strata longer.
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How Do Airplanes Stay off the Ground?
Young scholars use balloons and string to duplicate Bernoulli's Principle of wing shape and its affect on liftoff.
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Easy Does It
Students discover how inclined planes make work easier as they make mathematical predictions and prove their predictions through experiments.
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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....
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Build A Borneo Glider!
Students construct a paper glider. In this physics of gliding instructional activity, students first learn about Borneo and it's rainforest habitat. After students discover the way animals in Borneo glide from tree to tree, they use...
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An Arm and A Leg
Middle schoolers examine how the movements of bones are dependent on the interaction of pairs of muscles. They design and construct a prototype of an artificial limb using a syringe system, and determine whether water or air makes the...
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Friction Flyers
Students 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...
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Reversible and irreversible changes
Students experiment with solids and liquids to find which solids will dissolve in water. This dissolution and mixtures lesson plan can be completed online or in class as all materials are connected to the lesson plan for both settings.
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Blowing Ballast
Oceanographers participate in a memorable hands on experience about buoyancy. They build a model of a submersible using a plastic bottle and a balloon. Afterward, they answer assessment questions. An answer key and some terrific...
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The Law of Inertia
Young scholars practice the 4 question strategy to form more questions and develop further experiments. The four questions are engage, explore, explain, and elaborate. They use the 4 question strategy on an investigation involving the...
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Observing Objects
Students observe the motion of both a pendulum and a spring pendulum . They then explain the differences and the similarities between the two types of motions.
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Interdependence and Adaptation
Students construct a food web to identify producer, consumer, herbivore, carnivore and predator. They complete an online activity collecting plants and animals and arranging them in the web. They describe the interdependence between...
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Interdependence and adaptation
Students use keys to identify animals and plants in local habitats. Students are asked if they remember what the word habitat means. Students make a list of three different local habitats and brainstorm animals and plants they might...
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Changing circuits
Students identify that there are conventional symbols to represent the components in circuits. Students use these symbols to draw diagrams of circuits. They are reminded that electric circuits can be drawn in diagrams using symbols. ...
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Reversible and irreversible changes
Students define the words "reversible" and "irreversible." They complete a worksheet that shows a number of changes. Students must decide which are reversible and which are irreversible.
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Changing Circuits
Students observe an on-line activity to review the basics of electrical circuitry, then research answers to related questions on-line.In this instructional activity on changing components in a series circuit, students discover how...
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Micro-organisms
Students discuss micro-organisms. In this micro-organisms lesson, students identify which micro-organisms are harmful and which ones are beneficial. Students complete a worksheet which is included in the lesson.
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The Addiction With Friction
Students compare and contrast where friction occurs in robots and bicycles. In this science lesson, students label the diagram of bicycle and robots. They investigate how friction affects their different parts.
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Earthquake
Students view a video and conduct a problem solving activity to explain the effect different waves have on the earth's structure and what effect they have on different structures.
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Earth Movers and Shakers
Students explore how the centuries-old invention of the lever led to today's applications in mobiles and crowbars. They watch a video on the lever, then utilize worksheets imbedded in this plan to guide their experiments.
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Gravity
Seventh graders progress through the Science Court: Gravity CD-ROM program. They read about and discuss how gravity was discovered. They complete review worksheets in preparation for the test.