Curated OER
Get Charged!
Students explore the concept of electricity in this activity based unit. For this physical science lesson, students focus on electricity and electrical engineering. The teaching unit includes 5 activities to develop students conceptual...
Cornell University
Alka-Seltzer Rockets
Blast off! An engaging hands-on activity has pupils create rockets powered by Alka-Seltzer. They learn about the physics behind these rockets throughout the process.
Curated OER
Junior Solar Sprint Series: Gears and Drive Belts
Activate middle schoolers' minds with this physical science activity. Learners vary the diameter of gears and the number of teeth on them to find how energy output is affected. This writeup features well-developed background information...
Curated OER
Solar Kit Lesson #1 - Solar Cell Inquiry
Give youngsters the components of a solar-powered electric circuit and turn them loose to figure out how to connect them in order for a light to shine or motor to turn. They compare energy output of a solar panel to that of a battery. On...
Curated OER
Words Can Hurt; Words Can Help
Help learners on the autism spectrum comprehend the social consequences of their actions by connecting kind and hurtful words to physical, tangible experiences. The worksheets in this resource prompt students to consider things they say...
Curated OER
3-2-1 Pop!
Students investigate how rocket liftoff demonstrates Newton's Laws of Motion. They participate in a class discussion, and construct a rocket powered by the pressure generated from an antacid tablet reacting with water.
Curated OER
Exploring Mars
Students, working in small groups construct scale models of the planets and solar system. They examine images of Mars and discuss what might have caused the features. They record facts about their planetary research in their journals and...
Curated OER
Best Part of Me
After listening to the story, The Best Part of Me, learners will identify a positive physical feature of themselves, and create a descriptive poem about their favorite feature. Photographs are taken, and a nice final draft of the poem is...
Curated OER
Light, Colors, and Vision
Third graders experience optic illusions by creating flipbooks. For this optics lesson, 3rd graders view a demonstration of the workings of rods and cones using a camera. They are shown an optical illusion and work to create their own...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Solar Structures
It's time to soak up the sun! Youngsters read about active and passive solar heating systems, then they collaborate to create a miniature solar-heated building. Provide a variety of materials for them to incorporate and watch their...
Purdue University
Design of a Door Alarm
How does electricity work? Budding scientists explore the concepts of electrical currents and open and closed circuits with class discussion and a hands-on activity using a battery to turn on a light bulb. Learners also make predictions...
Curated OER
Solar Car Series: During what part of the day can t most Sun power be collected?
Students participate in an outdoor activity in which they make direct but safe observations of the Sun. Students use a solar cell and voltmeter apparatus to collect data on the amount of DC voltage produced by the solar cell during a...
Curated OER
Lemon Batteries Revised
Fifth graders investigate how chemical energy in food and batteries is potential or stored energy. They discuss how batteries function, and create a class list of different forms of energy. Students then create a lemon battery that...
KOG Ranger Program
Use It Safely!
Campfires are not the only way that forest fires start. In a worksheet and word matching activity, young campers learn about common fuel and heat sources that, when combined, can be the spark to a dangerous and harmful forest fire.
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Inside India
What can a Ganesh statue, hand ornament, and print block tell you about India? Introduce your learners to the geography, history, and culture of India by analyzing primary sources and using the well-designed worksheets provided in this...
Curated OER
Greenewables
Young scholars form expert engineering teams working for the (fictional) alternative energy consulting firm, Greenewables, Inc. Each team specializes in a form of renewable energy used to generate electrical power: passive solar, solar...
Curated OER
Lunar Lollipops
Students work with a partner, Styrofoam ball and light source to simulate the positions of the Earth, Moon and Sun at various stages during the phases of the Moon. They describe why the Moon is visible from Earth and complete a worksheet.
Curated OER
Simply Circuitry and Series Circuit
Students investigate a series circuit. In this physical science activity, students use a battery, switch, and light bulbs to build an electrical circuit. Students identify the standard symbols being used in electric circuitry.
Curated OER
What is Science?
Learners explore physical science by conducting a plant experiment. In this scientific method lesson, students discuss questions scientists ask in order to properly explore certain subjects. Learners utilize two plants and place one in...
Curated OER
Rockets on a Shoestring Budget
Students, operating under simulated budget constraints, build pop-rockets and launch them. Working in pairs, they complete budget worksheets and use their "Blast Off Bucks" to pay for the construction. They then redesign their rockets...
Curated OER
Communicate - Without Talking?
Students discuss and define communication and identify different ways of communicating with people. Students then practice team building and non-verbal communication skills as they work silently in small teams to put puzzles together.
Curated OER
Climate Change
Students discuss global warming. In this global warming lesson, students read an article about global warming and list five things they learned. Students work in small groups to compare what they wrote. Students illustrate one of the...
Curated OER
Have a Ball with Bernoulli II
Third graders explore the work of Daniel Bernoulli through experiment and background information. In this Bernoulli lesson, 3rd graders participate in air pressure experiments. Students record their observations of the effects of air...
K12 Reader
Charge It!
Electrify your pupils' interest in conductors and insulators with a brief reading passage! After reading the text, learners respond to five questions that relate to the content of the passage.