Students study what an electric generator does and its history.  In this energy instructional activity students complete several experiments including building their own electric generator.

Students discuss Newton's laws of motion. The conduct motion experiments by building "Newton Rocket Cars" from assorted materials. They propel the cars with rubber bands and wooden blocks and record the distance traveled on data sheets.

Students explore the ways that engineers study and harness the wind. They study the different kinds of winds and how to measure wind direction. In addition, students learn how air pressure creates winds and how engineers build and test...

Students discover the fundamentals and daily applications of simple machines. They investigate basic engineering theory through their hands-on demonstrations of levers.

Use simple machines to escape from a tree house. Pupils learn about simple machines and how they are useful in everyday life in a STEM lesson. Groups then design a device to rescue a friend stuck in a tree house.

Students investigate how something at home uses physics to work. In this practical physics lesson plan, students develop a theory of their own to conclude how an object might work. This lesson plan includes a worksheet.

The students learn about friction and forces through direct instruction and an investigation. They use measurement skills, observation skills, predicting, and drawing conclusions based on data collected during the investigation. Students...

Third graders observe and discuss examples of friction. They discuss what experimentally increases and decreases friction. They then predict which surface will produce the most friction and verify the prediction.

Students investigate the relationship between potential and kinetic energy. In this energy instructional activity students investigate the height a ball will bounce when dropped from various heights.

In this worksheet on the life cycle of the butterfly, students look at 4 pictures representing the life cycle stages, and choose words from a word box that match each picture. Students then number the pictures in the correct order of...

Students examine buoyancy and fluid pressure. They conduct a series of fun experiments to discover the effects of pressure and explore how pressure differences can be used to float, lift, transport, or hold a material in place.

Young scholars drop water from different heights to demonstrate the conversion of water's potential energy to kinetic energy. They see how varying the height from which water is dropped affects the splash size. In seeing how falling...

Students investigate sound as a form of energy. In this energy, forces, and sound lesson plan, students explore how different sounds may be made as they make a variety of materials vibrate. Students observe the effects of vibrations and...

Third graders read, write, and listen to information about the sun and its effects on the Earth.as it relates to its axis, orbit, rotate, and revolution.  In this solar system lesson, 3rd graders examine how the sun...

Students use a chart of the six simple machines and become aware of how the machines improve our ability to meet the following needs: shelter, food, water, and transportation. Students use model cars to experiment with force. They divide...

Students explore sound waves. In this sound waves lesson, students brainstorm different sounds and how sounds move or travel. Students then create a KWL chart and work through six different lab activities to examine how sound waves...

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...

Students observe water change from a liquid to a gas state when heated and then return to its liquid stage when cooled. They learn that gas molecules move faster than liquid molecules. They discover physical properties that describe how...

Students induce an electrical charge on various objects, and experiment with electrical repulsion and attraction. They define related vocabulary, play Bingo and complete a take-home quiz.

In this rainbow spinner worksheet, students participate in making a rainbow spinner in order to investigate the splitting and mixing of light. Students study the theory of persistence of vision.

Students examine axles and wheels using LEGO materials. They investigate the uses of axles, gears, and wheels.

Students study myths regarding four earthquakes myths. They receive a list of supplies each family should have at home to prepare for an earthquake and construct an "Earthquake Preparation" poster showing some of the most important items...

Students explore physics by experimenting with classic toys. In this physical science lesson, students utilize gliders, energy balls, bouncing balls, marbles and other toys to explore how they work. Students explore each toy at a work...

Learners explore clouds.  In this weather lesson, students identify the steps in the water cycle, define condensation and evaporation, and relate this information to cloud formation.  Learners perform a cloud experiment,...