Curated OER
An Invisible Pull
Fifth graders explain why objects thrown upward falls back to Earth. In this earth science lesson, 5th graders identify the forces acting on objects. They discuss why planets do not float in space.
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Weightlessness
Students use a coffee cup to demonstrate weightlessness. After a lecture/demo, students read an article on free-fall. They perform a simple experiment which helps them explain the concept of weightlessness.
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Blow-and-Go Parachute
Students design a skydiver and parachute constraption to demonstrate how drag caused by air resistance slows the descent of skydivers as they travel back to Earth. They experience how gravity pulls the skydiver toward the earth and how...
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Rules of Force and Motion
Students view a video and complete experiments with force and motion. In this force and motion lesson, students examine small pieces and how they affect the motion of a toy car. Students also experiment with sand paper, bubble wrap and...
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How Do Things Fall?
Students study forces by examining the force of gravitational attraction. They observe how objects fall and measure the force of gravitational attraction upon objects. Students discover that, since gravitational constants are different...
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The Marvels of the Molecule
Students experiment with common substances to observe molecular behavior. In this molecular properties instructional activity, students move through four stations as they try to inflate a balloon inside a bottle, pour water from a jar,...
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Flight Dreams - Flight Factors
Young scholars investigate the physics of flight by experimenting in class. In this history of flight lesson, students define terms such as gravity, lift, and drag in order to better understand how a plane is able to stay in the air....
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Jungle Gym Drop
Students investigate gravity, force and motion. In this motion of objects instructional activity, students drop various objects from a jungle gym and collect, measure and observe their data. Students describe the forces that affect the...
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The Lost Newton's Laws Lesson
Learners explore momentum. For this physics lesson, students perform an experiment in which two balls are released on slanted boards while learners observe which ball will go the farthest and the fastest. Students define and explain...
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The Physics of Toys
Learners 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. Learners explore each toy at a work...
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Weight A Minute
Students watch a video and engage in hands-on activities which introduce scientific information made real through re-cognition and understanding the phenomena of gravitational force and how it impacts life on our planet.
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Gravity Launch
Students use an online interactive to launch a rocket from earth. They have control over the angle and thrust of the rocket to discover the relationship between the two.
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Fork It Over!
Students identify an object's center of gravity. In this physics lesson, students use two metal forks, modeling clay, toothpick, and a drinking glass to balance the forks on the glass. Students use the angle of the forks to spread the...
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Four Forces of Flight
Students explore the four forces of flight. They investigate the four forces of flight: lift, drag, thrust and weight (gravity). They experiment with flight-testing various objects commonly found around the house and constructing paper...
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Tightrope Trials
Learners research the concepts of center of mass and how to make different things balance. They make symmetrical cut-outs of different "creatures" and experiment with how they balance on a tightrope of string.
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All in the Balance
Students investigate gravity and balance. In this balance lesson, students listen to the story Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully. They experiment with balance by creating a tag board model figure that will balance on a...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Investigating Friction
Young learners explore friction. They view a video or DVD (bibliography provided) and define terms related to friction, and work in groups to experiment with the effects of friction on speed and motion using ramps and toy cars.
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Weightlessness
Students compare and contrast the terms "weight" and "mass". In this physics lesson, students observe an experiment in which objects are placed on a balance scale and weighed under different circumstances. Partners drop items and observe...
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Challenger's Lost Lessons - The Lost Simple Machines Lesson
Students investigate the characteristics of simple machines. For this simple machine lesson, students investigate work as a product of applying constant force. They answer questions about what happens on Earth and what may have happened...
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How do engineless planes stay aloft?
Fifth graders explore how a plane can stay aloft. In this engineless airplane flying lesson, 5th graders experiment to find how the design of a plane and Bernoulli's principle keep planes in the air. Student's create a plane and answer...
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Paper Towers
Students have the opportunity to use model-building as a way to help comprehend the forces and phenomena at work in the world around them. They describe gravity as a universal force that pulls everything toward the center of the earth....
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Flight Dreams - The Pressure on Parachutes
Young scholars investigate air pressure by researching parachutes. In this physics lesson plan, students participate in three separate experiments utilizing air pressure and paper products to test theories on parachutes. Young scholars...
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Tank Trials - Measuring Germination
Young scholars observe and measure seed germination. For this life science lesson, students use 'tanks' to observe a set of seeds as they germinate and begin growing, make predictions, and record their data. Lesson includes background...
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Going the Distance
Learners experiment in small groups to answer the question, "Is there a relationship between ramps and speed?" They apply a formula to calculate the speed of the cars used in the experiment, complete the associate lab report, and...