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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mass vs. Weight

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explore physical science by conducting a measurement experiment. In this mass instructional activity, students identify the differences between mass and weight and define a list of other vocabulary terms. Students utilize...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Why Invent That?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students demonstrate an understanding of the text by completing an activity on the advantages and disadvantages of inventing and using a human-powered airplane.
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Lesson Plan
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NASA

Pop Can Hero Engine

For Teachers K - 8th
Hang a soda can from a string and watch it spin by the force created by water streaming out of slanted holes. This plan provides background information, detailed materials and procedures, discussion questions, a lab worksheet, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Floating and Falling Flows

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students discover fluid dynamics related to buoyancy through experimentation and optional photography. Using one set of fluids, they make light fluids rise through denser fluids. Using another set, they make dense fluids sink through a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sand or Rock? Finding Out From 1,000 km

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers observe how measurements are made with different instruments.  In this remote sensing lesson students investigate the physical state of surfaces including the surfaces of the solar system. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wright Again: 100 Years of Flight

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Aspiring aeronautical engineers demonstrate different forces as they construct and test paper airplanes. This lesson plan links you to a website that models the most effective paper airplane design, an animation describing the forces...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Airplane

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Young scholars demonstrate the Bernoulli Principle, review the influences that affected the Wright Brothers, and make and modify paper airplanes. This amazing lesson plan has an excellent structure, and very clear plans for the students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inventor's Workshop

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the six simple machines that are the basis for all mechanical devices. In this physics lesson, students choose one simple machine to research and then find a complex machine it is apart of. Middle schoolers...
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Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Down to the Deep Virtual Lab

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
At a depth of 3,000 m in the ocean, the pressure is 300 times that at sea level! In the activity, individuals predict what will happen to Styrofoam cups submerged 3,000 meters into the ocean. They then convert these units to soccer...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrating 100 Years of Flight

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students practice reading comprehension, note taking and writing skills. In this literacy and writing lesson, students read about the invention of airplanes, women pilots and the space race before writing their own news article on "100...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Interview With An Electric Light Bulb

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this electric light bulb worksheet, learners answer short answer questions about an electric light bulb by pretending they are answering interview questions and they are the light bulb. Students complete 7 questions total.
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Lesson Plan
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1
University of Colorado

Astro-Chronology

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Class members play a version of the game Chronology to determine when certain scientific events occurred in history. Teams play until someone has 5-10 events in the correct order.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scientists at Work: What'll they think of next?

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explore scientific discovery while watching a video. They, in groups, are to research a scientific invention and present their findings to the class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines: Levers

For Teachers K - 7th
Students discover the fundamentals and daily applications of simple machines. They practice basic engineering theory through their hands-on demonstrations of levers.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Naturral Born Robots: Robots Have Feelings Too

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore robotics. They design a simple device that simulates a human arm lifting a mass. Students test the strength of their arm. Students discuss artificial intelligence.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ancient Mediterranean Lands: Greece

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore the processes developed by the Ancient Greeks, particularly olives and olive oil.  In this Greek culture and inventions lesson, 6th graders read an article and design a flap book. Students collect the olive oil from...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Technology and Change

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students write a paragraph explaining how a technological innovation from a particular country has affected the world. Using a variety of resources, students identify a technological innovation, giving accurate historical and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Not So Simple Machines

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students design a simple machine for a simple machine contest. In this simple machine lesson, students design a simple machine that will solve a problem. They draw a diagram, label it, and test the machine before they present it in a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Extra! Extra!

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students describe how plants and animals depend on each other. They see how living and nonliving environments change over time. They identify ways in which humans have changed their environment and the effects of those changes.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Finding" Horsepower

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate horsepower as a unit of power. They examine history and discover that scientists and engineers of high achievement are considered to be among the most valued contributors to their culture.
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Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

A Crippling Cough: Tuberculosis on a Rampage

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use problem solving skills to examine symptoms, causes, and treatment of tuberculosis in modern times and in early 1900s. Students read patient case, work in teams to diagnose illness, and conduct Internet research to confirm...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create a Butterfly Mobile

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students construct a butterfly mobile. In this visual arts instructional activity, students use rice paper, watercolors, a coat hanger, and wax paper to create a unique butterfly mobile. Students use photographs of butterflies to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simple Machines - Inclined Plane

For Teachers K - 8th
Students learn the fundamentals and daily applications of simple machines.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chromatography

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study about chromatography, a process used to separate mixtures.